Two Separate, Mandatory Insurance Requirements
Before your helper’s Work Permit can be approved, you’re required to arrange two distinct insurance policies on her behalf: medical insurance and personal accident insurance. They cover different things, and both are non-negotiable conditions of employment — neither cost can be passed on to her.
Medical Insurance: What It Covers
Medical insurance covers inpatient hospitalisation and day surgery for your helper. The current minimum requirement is an annual claim limit of at least $60,000 — a significant increase from the previous $15,000 minimum, enhanced by MOM in two stages.
Stage 1 (effective 1 July 2023)
- $60,000 minimum annual claim limit, including a “first-dollar cover” of $15,000
- For the portion of a claim above $15,000, insurers cover 75% and employers co-pay the remaining 25%
Stage 2 (effective 1 July 2025)
A second phase of enhancements added further protections without changing the core $60,000 minimum or the 25% co-payment structure:
- Age-differentiated premiums, split into two bands — helpers aged 50 and below, and those above 50 — reflecting that younger helpers generally carry lower medical risk
- Standardised exclusion clauses across insurers, so policy terms are more consistent and easier to compare, rather than varying significantly provider to provider
- Direct reimbursement to hospitals, meaning insurers pay the hospital directly rather than requiring employers to pay upfront and claim the cost back afterward
If your helper’s policy was issued or last renewed before 1 July 2025, it may still operate under the Stage 1 terms until its next renewal — worth checking your policy’s specific start date if you’re unsure which stage applies to your current coverage.
Personal Accident Insurance: What It Covers
Personal accident insurance is separate from medical insurance and covers permanent disability or death resulting from a sudden, unforeseen accident. The minimum requirement is a sum assured of at least $60,000.
Why MOM Raised the Insurance Minimum to $60,000
The jump from $15,000 to $60,000 wasn’t arbitrary — MOM’s own data showed that roughly 1,000 employers a year were facing medical bills that exceeded the old $15,000 limit, leaving them to cover the shortfall entirely out of pocket. The $60,000 minimum was set to cover the vast majority of medical claims that actually arise.
Usually Purchased as a Bundle, Not Separately
In practice, medical insurance, personal accident insurance, and the security bond are typically sold together as a single maid insurance package, rather than as three separate purchases from different providers. Most insurers in this market — including major names like NTUC Income, MSIG, Great Eastern, and FWD — structure their maid insurance plans this way, since the three requirements apply to every helper simultaneously and bundling simplifies both the paperwork and the renewal cycle. Some insurers also offer optional add-ons within the same package, such as reduced co-payment percentages or coverage for the six-monthly medical examination.
What’s Excluded From Standard Maid Insurance Coverage
It’s worth being clear about the limits of mandatory coverage. Standard requirements generally don’t extend to pre-existing conditions within the first 12 months of employment with the same employer — most policies only begin covering pre-existing conditions after that initial period. If you want broader protection than the minimum, that’s available, but it sits above what MOM requires, not within it.
A Practical Checklist Before You Buy
- Confirm the policy meets the current $60,000 minimum for both medical and personal accident coverage
- Check whether the policy’s start date falls under Stage 1 or Stage 2 requirements
- Ask whether the security bond is bundled into the same package, or needs to be arranged separately
- Clarify the co-payment structure and whether a reduced co-payment option is available if you want it
We Arrange This as Part of Every Placement
We set up your helper’s medical insurance, personal accident insurance, and security bond as a single bundled package, confirmed compliant with MOM’s current requirements before her arrival — so you’re not piecing together separate policies from different providers yourself.
Get in touch to learn more about our compliance support →
