General
Domestic Helper Insurance (Migrant Domestic Worker MIP and Personal Accident)
The medical and personal accident cover plus security bond that employers of a migrant domestic worker are legally required to put in place under MOM rules.
What it protects
The shock it absorbs.
It protects the worker and the employer. The medical insurance pays the helper's hospital and surgical bills, while the personal accident insurance pays a lump sum if the helper suffers permanent disability or death. The security bond is a financial guarantee to the government that the employer will meet their obligations.
Many policies bundle in extras employers value, such as cover for repatriation costs, a replacement helper, hospital cash, outpatient care, and the employer's liability for wages and levy if the helper is hospitalised. The mandatory core is the medical and personal accident cover plus the bond.
How it works
In Singapore, in practice.
Before a Work Permit is issued or renewed for a migrant domestic worker, the employer must buy medical insurance and personal accident insurance and provide a security bond. The insurance cost cannot be passed to the worker.
MOM sets minimums: medical insurance of at least 60,000 dollars a year for inpatient care and day surgery, and personal accident cover of at least 60,000 dollars. The security bond is a 5,000 dollar guarantee, which is waived for Malaysian helpers.
For policies issued or renewed from 1 July 2025, a co-payment applies: above an annual claim threshold the insurer pays the larger share and the employer co-pays the rest, and premiums are banded by the helper's age. Premiums are paid in cash by the employer.
Where it sits
Its place in your protection stack.
Protection is built in layers. This is the role Domestic Helper Insurance (Migrant Domestic Worker MIP and Personal Accident) plays, and the layers above and below it.
Whole life, personal accident, and general cover, added as priorities allow.
Term life sized to your dependants and outstanding debts.
Critical illness and income protection for your working years.
Integrated Shield Plans and riders for private or as-charged hospital cover.
What every Singaporean has by default: MediShield Life and CareShield Life.
The trade-offs
What it does well, and what to watch.
Good for
- Meeting MOM's compulsory insurance and security bond conditions
- Covering the helper's hospital bills and permanent disability or death
- Optionally covering repatriation, replacement, and employer liability
Watch outs
- The insurance cost must not be passed on to the worker
- From 1 July 2025 employers face a co-payment on medical claims above the threshold, so the helper is not always fully covered with zero employer cost
- The 5,000 dollar security bond is waived only for Malaysian helpers
- Cover must stay valid across the whole Work Permit period, not just at issuance
Who it's for
When this matters most.
- Any household employing a migrant domestic worker, for whom this cover is mandatory
- Employers renewing a Work Permit, who must keep the cover and bond current
- Families wanting fuller protection through optional add-ons like replacement helper or outpatient cover
In the market
What this looks like.
Real Singapore examples, shown to make the type concrete. These are illustrative, not endorsements.
Sources
Where the facts come from.
- Employers of migrant domestic workers must buy medical insurance (minimum 60,000 dollars per year for inpatient care and day surgery) and personal accident insurance (minimum 60,000 dollars), and the insurance cost cannot be passed to the worker.Ministry of Manpower, Insurance requirements for MDWs (mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker)
- For policies issued or renewed on or after 1 July 2025, insurers pay 75 percent and employers co-pay 25 percent of medical claim amounts above 15,000 dollars, and premiums are structured by worker age band.Ministry of Manpower, Enhanced medical insurance requirements (mom.gov.sg)
- A 5,000 dollar security bond is required for migrant domestic workers and is waived for Malaysian workers.Ministry of Manpower, Security bond for migrant workers (mom.gov.sg)
See where Domestic Helper Insurance (Migrant Domestic Worker MIP and Personal Accident) fits your own plan.
This is educational, not advice. When you want a detailed look at whether this cover fits your situation, a licensed adviser will map it to your income, CPF, and goals.