How to Cancel a Maid's Work Permit in Singapore (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

Cancelling your domestic helper's Work Permit is rarely a clean decision. Most employers reach this page after weeks of wondering whether to cancel outright and send their helper home, or whether to transfer her to another employer and avoid the air ticket, bond paperwork, and the awkward final goodbye. The two paths look similar on the MOM portal — they share the same starting screen — but they trigger very different obligations the moment you click submit.

The biggest pressure point is the one-week deadline. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires you to cancel the Work Permit within one week after your helper's last day of work, or within one week from her departure date if she has already left Singapore. Miss that window and you risk levy continuing to accrue, your Security Bond sitting locked, and follow-up enquiries from MOM. This guide walks you through the cancellation flow as it stands in 2026, the financial obligations you cannot avoid, and the cases where a transfer is the better answer.

Written by Wendy Tan, EA Personnel, Upwill Employment (EA Licence 24C2628). Last updated May 2026. About the reviewer.

When to cancel vs transfer (decision framework)

Before you log into the FDW eService, decide which path you are actually on. Cancellation ends the employment and sends your helper home; transfer hands her to another approved Singapore employer without her leaving the country. The right choice depends on whether she wants to keep working in Singapore and whether you have a willing receiving employer.

If transfer is feasible, read our companion guide on how to transfer a maid in Singapore before you cancel — once you cancel, the helper is on a Special Pass and her ability to transfer becomes more limited.

The deadline rule and what happens if you miss it

MOM is explicit on the timing. You must cancel the Work Permit:

• Within one week after your helper's last day of work, if she is still in Singapore; or
• Within one week from her departure date, if she has already left Singapore.

The consequences of missing the deadline are practical, not punitive in the first instance, but they add up:

• The monthly FDW levy continues to accrue until you cancel — MOM stops the levy charge one day before the cancellation date, so every day of delay is a real cost.
• Your Security Bond cannot be discharged until the Work Permit is cancelled and the helper has left Singapore (or been transferred). See our FDW security bond guide for the discharge timeline.
• If the helper is still in Singapore without a valid pass and you have not cancelled, you are technically in breach of your employer obligations and MOM may follow up.

The one-week clock is the single most important date on this page. Mark it the day employment ends.

Step-by-step cancellation walkthrough

The cancellation is handled entirely online via MOM's FDW eService. You will need your SingPass to log in. Here is the flow:

1. Settle outstanding salary and employment issues first. MOM requires you to settle any salary owed, leave encashment, and any other employment matters before cancellation. Document the final payment with a signed receipt — this is your protection in any later dispute.
2. Log in to the FDW eService on the MOM website using your SingPass (the employer's SingPass, not the helper's).
3. Select the helper's Work Permit from your dashboard and choose the option to cancel.
4. Choose the cancellation reason — common reasons include end of contract, early termination by employer, early termination by helper, medical reasons, or pregnancy.
5. Confirm the helper's last day of work and the intended departure date. The levy stops accruing one day before the cancellation date you submit.
6. Submit the cancellation. MOM processes the cancellation electronically.
7. Print the Special Pass from the eService and give it to your helper. The Special Pass allows her to remain legally in Singapore pending her departure. She cannot work on a Special Pass — not for you, not for anyone — even while waiting for her flight.
8. Book the return air ticket within two weeks of cancellation. MOM requires the ticket to be booked within two weeks from the Work Permit cancellation date. The destination is the international port of entry in her home country.
9. Arrange transport to the airport and ensure she leaves Singapore before the Special Pass expires. Keep proof of departure (boarding pass or flight confirmation).
10. Wait for Security Bond discharge. If your helper was still in Singapore at the time of cancellation, the bond is usually discharged about one week after her departure. If she had already left before cancellation, MOM discharges the bond within two weeks after verifying her departure.

Special Pass: what it is and what your helper can and can't do

The Special Pass is the bridging pass MOM issues at the moment of cancellation so your helper has a legal basis to remain in Singapore until she flies home. You print it from the FDW eService after submitting the cancellation and hand it to her physically.

Key points:

• The Special Pass is issued by MOM as part of the cancellation flow. As of writing, the cancellation itself does not carry a separate MOM cancellation fee for FDWs — the cost burden on the employer is the air ticket and any outstanding salary, not a government cancellation fee.
• The pass has an expiry date printed on it. Your helper must leave Singapore before that date.
• She cannot work on a Special Pass. She cannot take on part-time cleaning, cannot help another household, and cannot continue working for you. This is non-negotiable under MOM rules.
• She remains your responsibility for accommodation, food, and welfare until she boards the flight, unless other arrangements are agreed in writing.

Employer financial obligations on cancellation

Cancellation is not free. Here is what you, as the employer, are responsible for:

• Air ticket to her home country's international port of entry. Booked within two weeks of cancellation. You also cover connecting transport costs to that port of entry and her check-in luggage.
• Outstanding salary and employment dues. Settle before cancellation. Get a signed receipt.
• Levy. Charged up to one day before the cancellation date — so cancel promptly to stop the meter.
• Accommodation, food, and basic welfare until she boards the flight.
• Security Bond: remains held by MOM until your helper has left Singapore. Discharge timeline is roughly one week after departure (if she was still in Singapore at cancellation) or two weeks after MOM verifies departure (if she had already left). For the full bond walkthrough, see our security bond guide.
• Maid insurance: review your maid insurance policy — many policies tie cover to the Work Permit period and any pro-rata refund or run-off cover depends on the insurer's terms. See our helper insurance page for what to check before cancelling.

Early termination: can you send your helper back before contract ends?

Yes — in Singapore, either party can end the employment before the standard two-year contract is up. The employment contract for FDWs is not a fixed-term lock-in in the strict legal sense; either employer or helper can terminate, subject to the notice or in-lieu-of-notice terms in the contract.

Practical points if you are ending the contract early:

• Check your signed employment contract for the notice period (often one month, or salary in lieu).
• Pay any salary in lieu of notice if you are not giving full notice.
• Settle the placement loan position with your agency — if the helper is still within her loan repayment period, the agency may have a process for this.
• You still owe the air ticket home and all the obligations listed above. Ending early does not reduce those duties.
• If the reason is incompatibility rather than misconduct, a transfer is usually fairer to the helper and cheaper for you. She keeps her Singapore income; you avoid the air ticket.

Early termination because of pregnancy, marriage to a Singaporean, or certain medical conditions has its own MOM rules — speak to your agency before you submit the cancellation in those cases.

The transfer-instead-of-cancel option

If your helper is willing to keep working in Singapore and you can find a receiving employer (or your agency can match her), a transfer skips repatriation entirely. The new employer takes over the Work Permit, pays the levy from the transfer date, and you avoid the air ticket cost.

Transfer is appropriate when:

• The mismatch is personal, not performance-based.
• Your helper has good references and the agency can place her.
• You want to avoid the air ticket and the emotional weight of repatriation.

Read our full walkthrough at how to transfer a maid in Singapore (2026) or explore our maid transfer service. For employers comparing this with simply renewing the existing contract, see how to renew a helper's Work Permit.

Cancellation checklist (printable)

• Confirm helper's last day of work and document it.
• Settle all outstanding salary, leave encashment, and employment dues — get a signed receipt.
• Discuss flight date and destination port with helper, in writing.
• Log in to FDW eService with employer SingPass.
• Submit Work Permit cancellation within one week of last working day.
• Print and hand over the Special Pass.
• Book the return air ticket within two weeks of cancellation.
• Arrange airport transport and luggage check-in.
• Keep proof of departure (boarding pass or flight confirmation).
• Review maid insurance policy for refund or run-off terms.
• Wait one to two weeks for MOM Security Bond discharge confirmation.
• Notify your agency of the completed cancellation.

Talk to Upwill

If you are still deciding between cancellation and transfer, or you want help running the FDW eService steps cleanly the first time, our team handles this end-to-end every week. We can also review your helper insurance position before you cancel and, if a transfer makes more sense, line up a receiving household through our maid transfer service. Reach out via the Upwill contact page and we'll walk you through it on WhatsApp the same day.

About the reviewer: Wendy Tan is an EA Personnel with Upwill Employment (EA Licence 24C2628). She has processed over 300 work permit cancellations and transfers since 2019 and writes Upwill's operational guides. Source documents reviewed for this article: MOM Cancel Work Permit page.