Your Employer Must Insure You for S$60,000 in Singapore. You Should Not Pay a Cent
Work Permit and S Pass holders now carry S$60,000 in medical cover, paid by the employer. Know what it pays for, and the payslip deduction that should never appear.
You clock in, you send your padala, you keep your head down. Most kababayan on a Work Permit or S Pass never read one line in their employment paperwork: the medical insurance an employer must buy for every foreign worker. In Singapore, that cover now sits at a minimum of S$60,000 a year. Your employer pays for it. You should not.
The number changed, and most workers missed it
The Ministry of Manpower raised the minimum medical insurance for Work Permit and S Pass holders from S$15,000 to S$60,000 a year per worker. The higher floor applied to every new policy, renewal, and extension from 1 July 2025. If your pass was issued or renewed after that date, you sit under the S$60,000 cover, whether or not anyone told you.
That cover pays for hospital stays and day surgery in Singapore, including treatment for conditions that have nothing to do with your job. Fall sick on a rest day, need surgery for something unrelated to work, and the policy should catch most of the bill.
Your employer buys it and cannot bill you back
One rule matters most. MOM requires your employer to buy and keep this insurance before your pass is issued or renewed, and the cost cannot be passed to you. No salary deduction, no "insurance fee," no quiet clawback at the end of the month.
So if a deduction for medical insurance shows up on your payslip, treat it as a warning sign. Photograph the payslip, keep a copy, and raise it with HR. Workers have won back money over deductions that were never allowed.
How the payout works
The S$60,000 is an annual ceiling, not a single payout. For the first S$15,000 of any claim, the insurer covers the bill. Above S$15,000, the insurer pays 75 percent and your employer co-pays the other 25 percent, up to the S$60,000 limit. That co-payment sits with the company, not you. It keeps employers invested in real care instead of pushing workers toward the cheapest clinic.
What to check this week
Ask HR for your policy details: the insurer, the policy number, and the coverage amount. You have the right to know.
Confirm the figure reads S$60,000, not the old S$15,000. A stale policy leaves you underinsured.
Scan your recent payslips for any medical-insurance deduction. There should be none.
Save the helpline numbers before you need them.
If something looks off
Start with your employer. Many gaps are admin lapses, not bad faith, and a quick question to HR fixes most of them. If the deduction stays or the cover is missing, MOM acts on these cases. Call the Ministry of Manpower at 6438 5122. Filipino domestic workers can reach the Centre for Domestic Employees at 1800 2255 233. Bring your payslips and your in-principle approval letter.
You send money home every month so your family stays protected. Make sure you are protected too.
