FDW Levy Calculator Singapore 2026

Work out your monthly and annual Foreign Domestic Worker (maid) levy, check if you qualify for the concessionary rate, and estimate your total cost of employing a helper — free calculator in SGD.

Understanding the FDW Levy for Singapore Households

If you employ a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) — commonly called a “maid” or “helper” — in Singapore, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires you to pay a monthly work permit levy for as long as she remains in your employment. This isn’t optional, and it’s often the single largest recurring cost of hiring help that households underestimate when budgeting. As of 2026, the standard levy is S$300/month, but a large share of Singapore households qualify for a concessionary rate of just S$60/month — a difference of S$2,880 a year that many families never claim because they don’t realise they’re eligible.

Not financial advice. All figures are for educational reference only, based on rates published by MOM as at 2026. Levy rates and concession criteria are set by the Singapore government and may be revised — always verify current rates on the official MOM website before budgeting.

Why the Levy Exists

The FDW levy is part of Singapore’s broader foreign manpower policy, designed to moderate demand for foreign labour and encourage households to consider whether hiring a helper is the right long-term decision. Unlike the Foreign Worker Levy paid by employers of work-permit holders in construction, marine, or process sectors, the FDW levy applies specifically to domestic helpers hired directly by households, not companies.

Standard vs Concessionary Rates at a Glance

Every household pays the standard S$300/month rate by default. The concessionary S$60/month rate is granted automatically once MOM’s records confirm an eligible person lives at the same address as the helper — you don’t need to submit a separate application in most cases, though it’s worth double-checking your GIRO deduction to make sure the concession has actually been applied.

How to Use This FDW Levy Calculator

1. Number of FDWs employed: Select 1 or 2 — most households employ a single helper, but some households with multiple eligible dependants employ two.
2. Eligible persons in household: Select how many people in your household qualify you for the levy concession — a Singapore Citizen child under 16, an elderly Singapore Citizen aged 67 or above, or a person with disabilities, all living at the same address.
3. Estimated monthly salary per helper: Enter what you pay (or expect to pay) your helper each month — this is optional and only used to estimate your total monthly cost of employment, separate from the levy itself.

The calculator instantly shows your total monthly and annual levy, how much you save annually thanks to the concession, and an estimated total monthly cost of employing your helper(s).

Pro tip: Combine this calculator with our Retirement Planning Calculator to see how a recurring household expense like the FDW levy fits into your long-term financial plan.

What Is the FDW Levy?

The Foreign Domestic Worker levy is a monthly fee that any Singapore household employing a work-permit-holding domestic helper must pay to MOM for the duration of her employment. It’s collected via GIRO deduction and is separate from the helper’s salary, her insurance and medical coverage requirements, and any agency fees paid when she was first hired. The levy applies from the day the work permit is issued and stops only when the permit is cancelled or the helper leaves your employment — there’s no way to pause it for a helper who remains on your permit, even during home leave or medical leave.

How the Levy Concession Works

MOM grants the concessionary rate of S$60/month automatically once its records show a qualifying person living at the same registered address as the helper. The three qualifying categories are: a Singapore Citizen child below the age of 16; a Singapore Citizen aged 67 or above; or a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident certified by a MOM-appointed doctor as having a disability that requires care. Each eligible person in the household can support one concessionary helper, up to a maximum of two concessionary helpers per household. If your household has two eligible persons — say, a young child and an elderly parent — you could employ two helpers and have both qualify for the S$60 rate, cutting your levy bill from S$7,200/year (2 × S$300 × 12) down to just S$1,440/year.

Standard vs Concessionary Levy: How Much You Save

The gap between the two rates is significant when you look at it annually rather than monthly. A household paying the standard rate for one helper spends S$3,600/year on the levy alone; a household that qualifies for the concession spends just S$720/year for the same helper — a saving of S$2,880/year, or S$240/month. Over a five-year employment period, that concession is worth S$14,400, which is roughly equivalent to a helper’s salary for close to two full years. This is why it’s worth checking your GIRO deduction record on the MOM website even if you assume the concession has been applied — a change in household circumstances (a child turning 16, for example) can silently move you back to the standard rate.

How to Pay and Manage Your FDW Levy in Singapore

The levy is paid via GIRO deduction from your bank account, set up when you first apply for or renew the work permit through the MOM Work Permit Online (WPOL) portal. Most households never manually pay the levy each month — it’s auto-deducted, so the main task is checking periodically that the correct rate is being applied. If you believe you qualify for the concession but are still being charged the standard rate, you can check and update your eligibility directly through WPOL rather than through a maid agency, since the concession is tied to MOM’s own records of your household. If the levy and helper salary are stretching your monthly cash flow, it’s worth reviewing where that money could otherwise go — a household that redirects the S$2,880/year concession saving into a simple portfolio via Endowus or Syfe effectively turns a compliance cost into a long-term investing habit.

Levy Waivers, Rebates & Special Schemes

Beyond the standard concession, MOM has in the past granted temporary levy waivers or rebates during exceptional circumstances (for example, when a helper cannot enter Singapore due to travel restrictions, or during periods of hospitalisation). These waivers are announced separately from the standard concession scheme and are not guaranteed year to year, so households should check the MOM website directly for any active rebate rather than assume one applies. Separately, first-time employers should note that the levy is distinct from the Security Bond (S$5,000, typically covered by insurance) and the mandatory medical insurance and personal accident insurance required for every FDW — all of these are compliance costs that sit alongside, not instead of, the monthly levy.

Budgeting the Levy Into Your Household Finances

For most dual-income Singapore households, the FDW levy and helper’s salary together can easily exceed S$1,000/month — a cost worth treating as seriously as a mortgage instalment or insurance premium when building your budget. If freeing up a domestic helper allows both parents to keep working, the levy is usually a strongly positive trade against forgone income; the calculation changes if it’s simply displacing savings you’d otherwise be investing toward retirement. Households further along in their planning may want to model how a stable, known monthly outflow like the levy affects their long-run numbers using our Retirement Planning Calculator, and read our Passive Income Guide for ideas on building income streams that comfortably absorb fixed household costs like this one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Turn Household Savings Into Long-Term Wealth

Every dollar you save on recurring costs like the FDW levy is a dollar you can put to work. Use our free tools and referral bonuses to put your savings into action.