Connect with us

General Insurance

Guide To Buying Maid Insurance In Singapore

Don’t just go for what’s cheap. Go for what it is you need.


Maid insurance is a type of insurance policy rarely talked about in Singapore. Even financial experts and insurance agents do not know that much about it, let alone the average Singapore family who employs a maid/domestic helper for their home.

I Have A Maid At Home. Does She Need Insurance Coverage?

The simple answer is yes.

Medical insurance for your maid/domestic helper is compulsory under Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) requirements.

If your family already employs a maid, she would be covered under an insurance policy designed specifically for them. Whether or not you are aware of what you have bought, or the other options available in the market is a whole different matter.

If Maid Insurance Is Compulsory, Why Do Most People Know So Little About It?

According to MOM, there are a total of 250,000 maids in Singapore as of June 2018. This means an average of about one in five Singapore households employ maids to help them out at home.

Given such figures, and the fact that it’s also compulsory, one would have expected maid insurance to be more widely discussed about similar to car insurance. That however isn’t the case. In fact, if you Google about maid insurance in Singapore, you will find hardly any information aside from products offered by insurance companies.

One of the main reasons for that is due to the fact that most employers who hire maids simply buy the policies through the maid agencies they use. Most agencies offer tie-ups with insurance companies, providing a convenient one-stop solution for employers.

What Are The Compulsory Insurance Coverage Requirements?

Basic insurance coverage that MOM requires for employers to purchase for their maids is:

  • Personal Accident with minimum sum assured of at least $40,000. From 1 October 2017 onwards, the minimum sum assured will be increased to $60,000.
  • Medical insurance coverage of at least $15,000. This is to cover hospitalisation cost and day surgery in Singapore.
  • Security bond of $5,000. The insurer whom you bought the insurance policy from usually guarantees this bond.

All maid insurance policies offered in Singapore comes with these minimum coverage since they are mandatory anyway.

Is The Coverage Enough?

Since these are basic insurance coverage already required by the government, most employers make the mistake of assuming that coverage is sufficient. That’s not always the case.

In order to differentiate their offerings from their competitors, most insurers provide additional benefits, on top of the prerequisite requirements. These include:

  • Maid’s Personal Belonging Claims
  • Replacement Maid Expenses
  • Repatriation Expenses
  • Wage Compensation
  • Outpatient Expenses
  • Third Party Liability
  • Theft
  • Other Additional Riders

Unlike the mandatory coverage requirement, most of these additional benefits are payment that would be made to employers to compensate them for financial expenses incurred or losses sustaining from unexpected circumstances.

Some maid insurance policies also allow you to increase the level of medical coverage provided for your maid. If you think MOM requirements are not sufficient, you can buy plans with enhanced coverage at a higher premium.

How To Choose The Best Maid Insurance Policies?

It’s not easy to decide which is the best maid insurance policy in Singapore. That’s because the definition of what is “best” differs from individuals depending on what it is that you prioritise.

For some, the lower cost policies that fulfils MOM requirements would be the best policies to choose from. For others, it could whichever policies provide the highest coverage regardless of cost. At the same time, some policies with high medical coverage may also exclude other benefits. So which is best?

To help you determine which is the best maid insurance policy in Singapore, we are working with Insurance Market to provide Singaporeans with a comparison platform customised for maid insurance in Singapore.

The platform will help you to determine which is the best maid insurance policies based on your personalised requirements. For example, if what is important to you is price, then it will recommend to you affordable policies to consider. If what you want is coverage, it will recommend you policies with extensive coverage. If you want a mixture of both, it will recommend to you policies that provide the best value for money.

In addition, you can also personalise the type of benefits that are important to you. For example, if you think medical expenses is more important while third party liability isn’t critical, the platform will adjust its recommendations based on your preference.

The best part of the platform is that it allows you to compare and buy the insurance policies you want conveniently online. So you no longer need to buy whatever insurance policies the maid agencies recommends, or be forced to do your own comparison.

To start comparing and buying maid insurance online, you can use this handy widget: