Babysitter or nanny in Singapore: legal options (2026)

Short answerFor regular child-minding at home, the legal route is to employ your own live-in domestic helper on a work permit, who looks after your children at your address. You cannot hire another family's helper part-time, even with her employer's consent. MOM's Household Services Scheme no longer supports basic child-minding with manpower concessions from March 2026, so for daytime care MOM points families to childcare centres, which ECDA licenses and subsidises for Singapore citizen children.

Families searching for a nanny or babysitter in Singapore usually want someone to look after their children at home, full-time or for a few hours. This guide sets out the routes that are legal, using only MOM and Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) sources, all checked on 16 Oct 2026. If you mean a nanny for the first weeks after a birth, see confinement nannies.

Your options at a glance

Hiring a helper to look after your children

A migrant domestic worker on a work permit can care for your children as part of her work in your home. MOM's rules for her:

• Your address only. She works only for you, at the residential address declared to MOM, and does only domestic work.
• At a relative's home. If she needs to look after your child at a relative's house, you must notify MOM first. Before you do, get her written agreement, make sure she does not do the full load of housework in both homes, and if she stays overnight, make sure the accommodation meets MOM's requirements.
• Measles. Since 1 September 2025, if your household has a child below 7 who is not fully vaccinated against measles, you must make sure your helper is immune, and you declare this when her permit is issued or renewed. See medical check-ups.
• Lower levy. A Singapore citizen child below 16 living with you qualifies you for MOM's levy concession of SGD 60 a month, for one helper per eligible person and up to 2 helpers. For a parent, it starts automatically from the child's date of birth. See the levy.
• Her eligibility. She must be aged 23 to below 50 when you apply, with at least 8 years of formal education and a recognised certificate. See how to hire a maid and the cost of hiring a maid.

MOM encourages employers to discuss their household needs and expectations in detail with the agency when looking for a helper. If childcare is the main job, say so, along with your children's ages.

Why another family's helper cannot babysit for you

MOM says it is an offence for a helper to take part-time work, with or without her employer's consent: she may do domestic work only for her employer, at the address on her work permit card. That rules out paying a neighbour's or relative's helper to mind your children, on her rest day or at any other time.

• The household that uses her: MOM treats this as illegal employment.
• Her own employer: letting her work for another person can bring a financial penalty and a ban on employing helpers.

See part-time helpers for the penalties MOM lists.

The Household Services Scheme and child-minding

Under the HSS, approved companies hire migrant workers to provide part-time household services such as home cleaning, grocery shopping, car-washing and pet-sitting. The company is the worker's legal employer, and the worker does not live with you.

• The March 2026 change. MOM says the scheme was expanded in March 2023 to cover basic child-minding and basic elder-minding. Due to low demand, basic child-minding is no longer supported with manpower concessions under the HSS pilot from March 2026.
• What continues. Part-time chores, and basic elder-minding from selected companies on MOM's list.
• Older MOM pages. Some MOM pages written before March 2026 still describe the scheme as covering child-minding. MOM's HSS FAQ carries the March 2026 change.

Infant care and childcare centres

MOM suggests childcare centres for daytime care, and ECDA licenses them. ECDA's classes of licence:

• Infant care centre: children aged 2 months to 18 months; full day from 7 am to 7 pm, with half-day or flexible options at some centres.
• Childcare centre: children aged 18 months to below 7 years, with the same hours.
• Kindergarten: children aged 18 months to below 7 years, half-day programmes.

ECDA says a preschool must not advertise, start operating or accept payment without a valid licence. Its preschool search on LifeSG finds centres near your home, your workplace or your child's caregiver's home.

ECDA subsidies for infant care and childcare

Every Singapore citizen child in an ECDA-licensed infant or childcare centre gets a Basic Subsidy. A child also gets an Additional Subsidy if the mother (or single father) is working and the family's gross monthly household income is SGD 12,000 or below, or the per capita income is SGD 3,000 or below for households of 5 or more. ECDA says these limits rise to SGD 15,000 and SGD 3,400 from 1 January 2027. For a full-day programme, ECDA lists:

ECDA counts a mother as working if she works at least 56 hours a month, including part-time and freelance work. Subsidies are paid to the centre, and you pay the fee after subsidies. Use ECDA's estimator for your own case.

Part-time babysitters

MOM says all foreigners who intend to work in Singapore must hold a valid pass before they start, and anyone engaging them must make sure they do. A domestic helper's work permit covers only her own employer's home, so a helper cannot be your part-time babysitter.

Choosing an agency for a helper who will mind children

Our directory lists agencies licensed by MOM. When you speak to an agency:

• Tell it your children's ages and the care you need, as MOM encourages.
• Ask about her experience with children of that age, in her own words at the interview.
• If you have a child below 7 who is not fully vaccinated against measles, ask how her measles immunity will be shown.

Check her employment history and read how to choose an agency.

Sources, checked 16 Oct 2026: MOM FAQ, Part-time work by a helper; MOM, Employment rules for MDWs; MOM FAQ, Looking after a child at a relative's house; MOM FAQ, Household Services Scheme; MOM press reply, 1 Jan 2026; MOM, Thinking of hiring an MDW; MOM press release, Measles immunity, 10 Jun 2025; MOM, Levy concession; MOM, MDW eligibility; MOM, Work passes; ECDA, Choosing a preschool; ECDA, Infant and childcare subsidy scheme; ECDA, Preschool search; ECDA, Setting up an ECDC.

Common questions