Filipino maid in Singapore: SGD 650 minimum and MWO steps

Short answerYou can hire a Filipino maid in Singapore because the Philippines is one of MOM's approved source countries. She must meet MOM's rules, and the Philippines adds its own: a minimum salary of SGD 650 a month, no placement fee or salary deductions for recruitment costs, her passport stays with her, and a video call with you before the contract is final. Direct hiring is banned, so you hire through a licensed agency in Singapore that works with the Migrant Workers Office.

The Philippines is one of the countries MOM accepts helpers from. A Filipino helper follows the same Singapore rules as every other helper, and the Philippines adds its own standards, checked by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) at the Philippine Embassy. This page covers both, using only MOM and MWO sources. To compare nationalities side by side, see helpers by nationality.

MOM rules for a Filipino helper

• The Philippines is on MOM's list of approved source countries.
• She must be aged 23 to below 50 when you apply, with at least 8 years of formal education and a recognised certificate. A helper aged 50 or above can only renew her permit, until she is 60.
• She must not be in Singapore while you apply. She can come in only after you receive the in-principle approval letter and buy the SGD 5,000 security bond.
• She works at your NRIC-registered address and must not be related to you.
• A first-time helper attends the Settling-In Programme, which MOM says is conducted in her native language.
• MOM's safety agreement comes in English and Tagalog, among other language pairs.

The Philippines' standards for her contract

The MWO says every Filipino domestic worker's contract must follow the DMW Standard Employment Contract and include at least:

• Salary: at least SGD 650 a month (USD 500), for new contracts processed from 21 October 2025 and for renewals from that date.
• Rest day: at least one full rest day a week.
• Accommodation and food: suitable accommodation, and adequate meals or a food allowance.
• Medical care: you bear the cost of her medical treatment.
• No placement fee: no placement fee may be charged to her by any agency, and no salary deductions to recover recruitment, placement or training costs.
• Her passport stays with her, except briefly for visa stamping.

The MWO's checklist gives 24 as the minimum age for hiring, a year above MOM's minimum of 23.

How hiring works

1. Use a licensed agency in Singapore. The MWO says there is a ban on direct hiring of domestic workers. You hire through a Singapore agency licensed by MOM, which works with a recruitment agency in the Philippines licensed by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Agencies apply for accreditation through the MWO.
2. Get MOM's in-principle approval for the work permit.
3. Have a video call with her before the contract is final, so she knows the job, your household, her rest days and her accommodation. The MWO calls this "Know Your Employer".
4. Contract verification: your agency submits the contract to the MWO in Singapore.
5. Before she leaves the Philippines she completes a medical exam, pre-departure orientation and training, and gets her Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) or OFW Pass.
6. She arrives, MOM issues her work permit, and she attends the Settling-In Programme.

For a renewal with the same employer, the MWO says the SGD 650 minimum applies, but the video call is not needed.

Costs the Philippines asks you to pay

The MWO says the Philippines has an employer-pays policy, and lists these deployment costs as the employer's: her visa including stamping, work and residence permits, round trip airfare, transport from the airport to your home, DMW processing fees, the OWWA membership fee, and any extra trade test you ask for. MOM's refund rules treat home-country fees such as the Overseas Employment Certificate as outside the agency service fee covered by the 50% refund rule. Ask your agency for an itemised quote, and see the cost of hiring a maid for MOM's costs.

Salary

Singapore itself does not set a minimum wage for helpers, and you must pay at least the salary you declare to MOM. For a Filipino helper, the Philippine minimum of SGD 650 a month applies to her contract. See salary rules.

Where she can get help

The Migrant Workers Office is at the Philippine Embassy, 20 Nassim Road. It says Filipino domestic workers can get legal, medical, financial and emergency help under its AKSYON Fund, and asks to be told if a worker is charged fees or has her salary deducted.

Finding an agency for a Filipino helper

Our directory lists agencies licensed by MOM. It does not show which nationalities each agency places, so ask each agency directly:

• Do you place Filipino helpers now, and are you accredited with the MWO?
• Will her contract follow the DMW Standard Employment Contract, at SGD 650 a month or more?
• What is in your fee, item by item? See agency fees.

A helper already in Singapore can be a transfer helper. Whoever you consider, check her employment history and read how to choose an agency. Her experience, languages and work history tell you more about fit than her nationality.

Sources, checked 15 Oct 2026: MOM, MDW eligibility; MOM, Apply for a Work Permit; MOM, Settling-in Programme; MOM, Contracts and safety agreement; MOM, Refund of EA service fee; MOM FAQ on minimum wage; Migrant Workers Office Singapore, Hiring Filipino domestic workers; MWO Singapore, Direct hiring of domestic workers; MWO Singapore, Chargeable costs; MWO Singapore, Accreditation of employment agencies.

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