Going home for 7 days or more? Your S'pore employer can claim back up to 60 days of levy

Kasambahay home leave of 7 days or more lets your Singapore employer claim a levy waiver.

MOM waives the maid levy for overseas leave of at least 7 straight days, up to 60 calendar days a year. At the S$300 rate, two weeks away saves your employer about S$138.

That saving can make a "yes" to your trip home easier for your employer.

Your home leave

Singapore law sets no compulsory home leave for domestic workers. Your leave is what your contract says.

MOM notes a common practice: 14 days of paid overseas leave for every two years worked. That is a guide, not a rule.

MOM sets no rule on who pays the plane ticket or whether leave is paid. Your contract decides; if it is silent, agree on both in writing.

No home leave line in your contract? Raise it months ahead and get any agreement in writing.

Levy rates

The concession rate applies to households caring for a Singapore citizen child under 16, a citizen or PR aged 67 or older, or a person with disabilities.

The waiver

• You must be overseas for at least 7 consecutive days.
• The waiver covers up to 60 calendar days per calendar year.
• Several short trips count against the same 60-day cap. Days past the cap get billed at the full levy.
• MOM keeps billing the levy while you are away. The waiver comes back as a credit after your employer applies.

Two weeks home saves about S$138 on the S$300 rate, but only about S$28 on the concession rate.

How your employer claims it

Your employer files, not you. They can apply from the 1st of the month after the levy bill for your leave period arrives.

1. Log in to MOM's Check and Pay Levy e-service.
2. Select "On overseas leave".
3. Enter your departure date and your return date.

No documents are needed. MOM checks the dates against immigration records, so they must match your real travel.

MOM processes most claims within 12 working days and emails the outcome. The credit offsets future levy bills, or your employer can ask for a refund.

Deadline

The application must go in within one year of the levy bill. Miss it and the waiver is gone.

Example from MOM: leave in March and April 2024 is billed in May 2024, so the window runs from 1 June 2024 to 31 March 2025.

Before you fly

• Agree on dates, ticket payment and length of leave, and keep the message where your employer says yes.
• Check your passport validity and that your Work Permit stays valid for the whole trip.
• Carry your passport and your digital work pass or Work Permit card to re-enter Singapore.
• If your 6-monthly medical exam falls due while you are away, your employer can ask MOM to defer it.
• Write down your exact departure and arrival dates and give them to your employer.

After you land back, remind your employer to file the claim through MOM's Check and Pay Levy e-service.