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FAQ

General

To hire a helper, you must:

  • Be 21 years old and above
  • Not be an undischarged bankrupt
  • Have the mental capacity to fully understand and discharge your responsibility as an employer.

MOM will consider your financial ability to hire, maintain and upkeep the helper in an acceptable accommodation.

To qualify for the tax relief, you must satisfy all these conditions:

  • You or your husband employed a foreign domestic worker
  • you were:
    • married and lived with your husband; or
    • married and your husband was not a tax resident in Singapore; or
    • separated or divorced from your husband or widowed and had children who lived with you and on whom you could claim child reliefs.
  • Foreign Domestic Worker Levy (FDWL) Relief can only be used to offset your earned income.

iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters. For more information, please visit:
https://www.iras.gov.sg/taxes/individual-income-tax/basics-of-individual-income-tax/tax-reliefs-rebates-and-deductions/tax-reliefs/foreign-domestic-worker-levy-(fdwl)-relief

If you are renewing your current helper, you can continue to renew her Work Permit until she is 60 years old.

  • The MDW will arrive within 2 to 4 weeks before starting to work for the employer with the application and processes to obtain the Work Permit is done correctly. 
  • For first-time MDWs, they are mandated to attend the Settling-In Programme (SIP) before being able to work for their employer. 
  • Also, the MDW would also have to pass her medical examination and obtain her work permit within 14 days upon arriving in Singapore.
  • iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters.

You must do these within 1 week of knowing that your helper is missing:

  • File a missing person police report.
  • Cancel the Work Permit.

If the helper (non-Malaysian) is not found within 1 month from the date the Work Permit was cancelled, $2,500 (half of the $5,000 security bond) will be forfeited to cover the repatriation and other related costs.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker/notify-mom-of-changes#if-a-worker-goes-missing

  • The Employers' Orientation Programme is a 3-hour programme that will help you understand your role and responsibilities as an employer of a migrant domestic worker (MDW).
  • First-time employers must complete the EOP at least 2 working days before submitting a Work Permit application.
  • You must attend the Employers' Orientation Programme (EOP) if you are hiring a migrant domestic worker for the first time or have changed more than 3 MDWs within a 12-month period, and want to apply for another MDW.

iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters. For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/eligibility-and-requirements/employers-orientation-programme-eop

As an employer, you don’t have to pay Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions for your helper. However, you must pay a monthly levy for her using GIRO. For first-time helpers, the levy will begin on the 5th day of their arrival (including the arrival date). Otherwise, the levy will begin the next day after the helper arrives.

The levy rate for helpers is as follows:

  • Normal (1st helper) : $300/month
  • Normal (Subsequent helpers) : $450/month
  • Concessionary : $60/month

iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters. For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/foreign-domestic-worker-levy/paying-levy

DIRECT HIRE

iTOP MAID AGENCY

Challenges

Difficulty in finding a foreign helper
Unless you have the contact of a potential foreign maid in the country, it will be quite difficult for an employer to find a potential employee without an agent’s recommendation. Even though direct hiring method may shorten the process, the pool of candidates you can access is very limited.  With iTOP MAID AGENCY, you tend to have a more comprehensive network of potential candidates to select from. This allows you to match your criteria with our list of candidates and shortlist the one who best meets your requirements. 

Risk of getting scammed
The employer have to bear many associated costs for the shortlisted potential maid in their country before she fly into Singapore. However, there have been cases where the potential helper disappear after receiving money to travel from their village to the city and also after getting the plane ticket. iTOP MAID AGENCY is a registered licensed Employment Agency abiding to all government regulations. Your payments are carefully documented and accounted for.

Employment paperwork
In Singapore, there are many legal and due processes, including managing different demands from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The law does no excuse misunderstanding of lacks of it. Wrong or insufficient filings may require you to restart the whole process. Whether your final decision is to directly hire a transfer maid in Singapore or hire one through an agency, you can choose to process the employment paperwork via iTOP MAID AGENCY. It’ll handle and manage all requirements and let you have a hassle-free transaction.

Lack of training
Without an agency as a middle person, all training of the helpers will fall onto the employer. This does not limit to just on job training but also the introduction to a different culture, especially for a new maid. With iTOP MAID AGENCY, you can also take advantage of its pre-employment training. This added service trains domestic helpers in essential housekeeping, infant care, elderly care and even disability care. They are given a combination of theoretical materials, hands-on practicum, and assessment tests to ensure each person is well-equipped to handle any tricky situations on the home front. On the other hand, if you directly hire a transfer maid in Singapore without engaging a transfer maid agency in Singapore, there is no way you’ll know if the person you hired is capable of fulfilling the role. 

Issue to be resolved
Sometimes after successfully hiring and bringing a maid over, your expectations might not meet reality, the maid might get homesick or behave in an inappropriate manner. If you hired a maid directly, your only choice is to send her back or encourage her to look for new employers (before you can re-hire another), before restarting the process (incur additional costs to process the paperwork) all over again. Until then, she will still be your responsibility to look after. Employers choose to tap on iTOP MAID AGENCY for transfers in Singapore as opposed to hiring one on their own is the quick replacement process should the hired help fail to meet their requirements.

Benefits 

saving money

We alleviates your problems
You can save on agency fees because you undertake the work and risks. With iTOP MAID AGENCY's cost effective solution, you will have a greater peace of mind. You deserves to spend more time with your family or loved ones instead of going through complex process and the hassle of preparing the documents by yourself.  Directly hiring is a risky option. For example, employers have to bear the risks of misfit skillset, replacement difficulty as well as unfamiliarity with employment paperwork.  Any misstep can point to repeating the hiring process and incur more time and money. 

Direct communication
You communicate directly during the entire hiring process and the selection of the maid. Terms are negotiated between both parties directly. A foreign domestic worker have their own language and culture. There are tendencies of miscommunication which may lead to future problems. With iTOP MAID AGENCY's effective assistance and professional process. You can be assured all parties will enter into an amicable relationship with peace of mind.

Post-Deployment & Deployment

We provide lodging accommodation service for your helper if you decide to put her with us when you are away.

iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters.

Before your helper arrives in Singapore, you must buy medical insurance with a coverage of at least $15,000 per year for inpatient care and day surgery during your helper’s stay in Singapore and personal accident insurance with a sum assured of at least $60,000 per year covering sudden, unforeseen and unexpected incidents resulting in permanent disability or death as part of your medical and personal accident obligations to her.

You cannot pass on the cost of purchasing the insurance to your helper.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/eligibility-and-requirements/insurance-requirements

If you do not pay the full levy on time, you may face the following penalties:

  • You will be charged a late payment penalty of 2% per month or $20, whichever is higher.
  • Your total late payment penalty will be capped at 30% of the outstanding levy.
  • Your helper's Work Permit will be revoked.
  • You will not be allowed to apply for or issue a new Work Permit, or renew an existing Work Permit.
  • You may face legal action to recover the unpaid levy.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/foreign-domestic-worker-levy/paying-levy

You must send your helper for a medical examination by a Singapore-registered doctor within 2 weeks from her arrival in Singapore. She can only get her Work Permit issued if she passes the medical examination. Otherwise, she will have to be sent home. The medical examination screens the helper for 4 types of infectious diseases (tuberculosis, HIV, syphilis and malaria) and checks if she is fit to work. During your helper’s employment, you must send her for a medical screening every six months.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/eligibility-and-requirements/medical-examination

A security bond is a binding pledge to pay the government if either you or your helper breaks the law or Work Permit conditions. The bond is in the form of a banker’s or insurer’s guarantee. You must buy a security bond for your migrant domestic worker (MDW), unless she is a Malaysian. You can buy the bond at any bank or insurance company.

iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters. For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/eligibility-and-requirements/security-bond

Before sending your helper home:

  • You need to settle all outstanding employment issues, including salary payment.
  • You need to ensure she has a valid passport.
  • You need to discuss with her transition arrangement before buying an air ticket.
  • You need to buy her an air ticket to the international airport in the helper’s home country, nearest to her hometown. The departure date must be within 2 weeks from her Work Permit cancellation.

iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters. For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/employers-guide/sending-an-fdw-home

First-time helper is mandate to attend the Settling-in Programme (SIP) within 7 days of arrival in Singapore excluding Sunday and public holidays. It is a 1-day orientation programme to educate them on safety precautions and living in Singapore. The topics covered include adapting to working and living in Singapore, conditions of employment, working safely and relationship & stress management.

iTOP MAID AGENCY can assists you on all these matters. For more information, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/eligibility-and-requirements/settling-in-programme-sip

Helpers

  • WhatsApp's us +65 9620 1868
  • Call us +65 9620 1868
  • Drop us a private message on any of our social media platforms

To apply as a migrant domestic worker:

  • Must be female
  • Aged from 23 to 50 years old
  • Must be from MOM approved countries or regions.
  • With a minimum 8 years of formal education with a recognized certificate