FDW Levy Waiver Singapore 2026: When You Get Money Back from MOM
Reviewed by Wendy Tan, EA Personnel under MOM Licence 24C2628 (Upwill Employment).
Wendy has placed over 1,200 foreign domestic workers in Singapore and personally files 40+ levy waiver applications a year for Upwill clients. This guide reflects MOM eService rules and IRAS levy refund mechanics current as of May 2026.
Most employers in Singapore pay the S$300 monthly FDW levy without ever checking if MOM owes them money back. They do. If your helper was hospitalised for two days, went home for a two-week visit, or just arrived and attended the Settling-in Programme, you can claim a portion of that levy as a refund.
The rules are not complicated, but the paperwork is unforgiving. Miss the one-month deadline and your claim is rejected with no appeal.
This guide explains who qualifies, how much you get back, and how to file the application through Singpass in under 10 minutes.
What Is the FDW Levy Waiver?
The levy waiver is a refund from MOM. When certain qualifying events happen, you do not have to pay the levy for those days. If you have already paid (which most employers do via GIRO), MOM credits the refund back to your bank account.
Do not confuse this with the concessionary levy. The concessionary levy is a permanent S$60/month rate for employers with a young child, an elderly parent, or a disabled family member. The levy waiver, on the other hand, is a per-event refund of the standard S$300 or the concessionary S$60 for days the helper was not actively working for you in Singapore.
You can claim both. A concessionary-rate employer whose helper goes on home leave still gets a refund on the concessionary levy for those days.
See our FDW levy explainer for how the levy itself is calculated.
The 3 Scenarios That Qualify in 2026
Scenario 1: Helper Hospitalised in Singapore
If your helper is admitted to a Singapore hospital for at least 2 consecutive days, the levy for those days is waived in full. There is no maximum cap on hospitalisation days, unlike overseas leave.
What counts: any inpatient admission at a Singapore hospital, public or private. A&E visits that do not lead to admission do not count. Day surgery where she goes home the same day does not count.
Required proof: official hospital discharge letter or inpatient bill showing admission and discharge dates.
Scenario 2: Helper Overseas for 7+ Consecutive Days
If your helper leaves Singapore for 7 or more consecutive days, you can claim a levy waiver for those days, capped at 60 days per calendar year.
The 7-day rule is strict. If she leaves on Monday and returns the following Sunday, that is only 6 days and does not qualify. The day of departure and day of return both count if the passport is stamped on those dates.
What counts: home leave, family emergency overseas, or any MOM-approved absence. The trip must be documented with passport exit and entry stamps, plus boarding passes if possible.
See our maid home leave guide for how to plan the trip itself, and the home leave reference page for MOM-specific rules.
Scenario 3: Settling-in Programme (SIP) for First-Time Helpers
If your helper is a first-time FDW in Singapore, she must attend the 1-day Settling-in Programme within the first 3 working days of arrival. MOM waives the levy for that 1 SIP day automatically once the SIP completion is recorded in their system.
You usually do not need to apply manually for this one. But if the waiver does not appear on your next levy bill, you can file a claim with the SIP certificate as supporting evidence.
Quick Eligibility Check
Run through these 4 questions before you start the application:
- Did the qualifying event happen within the last 30 days? If no, your application will be rejected. There is no late appeal.
- For hospitalisation: was she admitted as an inpatient for 2 or more consecutive days? If she was discharged the same day, it does not qualify.
- For overseas leave: did she leave Singapore for 7 or more consecutive days, with passport stamps to prove it? 6 days does not qualify, no exceptions.
- Have you already used your 60-day annual cap for overseas leave? The cap resets every calendar year on 1 January.
If you answered yes to question 1 plus yes to either 2 or 3, you almost certainly qualify. Time to file.
2026 Application Deadline: 1 Month
You must submit the levy waiver application within 1 month of the qualifying event ending. For hospitalisation, that means 1 month from the discharge date. For overseas leave, 1 month from the return date.
MOM is strict on this. We have seen rejections at day 32. Set a calendar reminder the moment the event ends.
The only exception is if MOM's eService was down or there was a documented system issue. Even then, you need to file the day the system comes back up.
Step-by-Step: How to Apply via Singpass
The entire application is online through the MOM FDW eService. Total time: about 10 minutes if your documents are ready.
- Log in to MOM FDW eService. Go to mom.gov.sg/eservices, click "Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) eService", and authenticate with Singpass.
- Navigate to "Apply for Levy Waiver". It is under the "Levy" tab in the FDW eService dashboard.
- Select the qualifying event type. Three options appear: Hospitalisation, Overseas Leave, or Settling-in Programme.
- Enter the event dates. Start and end dates of the hospitalisation or overseas trip. The system calculates eligible days automatically.
- Upload supporting documents. See the document checklist below. Files must be PDF, JPG, or PNG, under 5MB each.
- Review and submit. You get a confirmation email with a reference number. Keep it.
- Wait 7 to 14 working days. MOM processes the claim. If approved, the refund is credited to your GIRO bank account in the next levy billing cycle. If rejected, you receive an email explaining why.
Document Checklist
- Hospitalisation: official hospital discharge letter or inpatient bill showing patient name, admission date, and discharge date.
- Overseas leave: passport biodata page, passport pages with exit and entry stamps for the trip, plus boarding passes if available.
- SIP: SIP completion certificate (usually emailed to the employer by the training centre within 3 days of attendance).
How Much Do You Get Back? Refund Math
MOM calculates the levy on a daily basis: monthly levy divided by 30 days.
- Standard rate: S$300 / 30 = S$10 per day waived
- Concessionary rate: S$60 / 30 = S$2 per day waived
Real examples we have processed:
- Standard-rate helper, 14-day home leave to Manila: 14 x S$10 = S$140 refund
- Concessionary-rate helper, 7-day hospitalisation for dengue: 7 x S$2 = S$14 refund
- Standard-rate helper, 21-day Myanmar trip + 3-day hospital stay later that year: (21 + 3) x S$10 = S$240 refund
- Standard-rate helper, 60-day annual cap fully used on overseas leave: 60 x S$10 = S$600 refund (maximum overseas waiver per year)
For most employers, the annual ceiling on overseas leave waivers is S$600 per helper. Hospitalisation waivers are uncapped and stack on top. See our cost calculators to estimate your annual levy outlay net of expected waivers.
Common Rejection Reasons
| Rejection reason | How to avoid |
|---|---|
| Submitted after the 1-month deadline | File within 30 days of the event ending. Set a phone reminder. |
| Hospital bill only, no discharge letter | Request an official discharge letter from the hospital before leaving. Most issue it free on request. |
| Overseas leave under 7 consecutive days | Plan trips of at least 8 to 10 days to give yourself buffer. |
| No passport stamp or boarding pass | Photograph the passport stamps the day she returns. Keep boarding passes in a folder. |
| Helper on unauthorised leave | You must have permitted the absence. AWOL helpers do not qualify. |
| 60-day annual cap exceeded | Track total overseas days per calendar year. The cap resets 1 January. |
Edge Cases
Helper Hospitalised Abroad During Home Leave
If your helper falls sick during her home leave and is admitted to a foreign hospital, those days still count as overseas leave (not hospitalisation). You claim under the overseas leave category with passport stamps as proof. The foreign hospital bill is not required and does not give you a higher refund. If the trip extends beyond 60 days because of medical reasons, the extra days are not refundable but the work permit usually remains valid as long as MOM is notified. Helper insurance can cover the foreign medical bills, see our helper insurance plans for what is included.
Levy Waiver During Work Permit Transfer
If your helper transfers to a new employer mid-month, the previous employer can claim a waiver for days the helper was not under his employment. The new employer pays levy from the day the transfer is effective. MOM handles this automatically in most cases, but check your next two levy bills to confirm.
Mid-Renewal Cycle
Renewing the work permit does not affect a pending levy waiver claim. File the waiver first under the old permit, then renew. Levy continues to be charged through the renewal date.
What Counts Toward the 60-Day Annual Cap
Only overseas leave counts. Hospitalisation days in Singapore are separate and uncapped. A helper can take 60 days of overseas leave and still claim another 30 days of Singapore hospitalisation in the same year. New employers should also review our first-time employer FAQ for the broader cost picture, including the salary baseline you should budget alongside the levy.
What If You Missed the Deadline?
Honest answer: most likely nothing. MOM very rarely accepts late applications, even with a strong reason. We have tried compassionate appeals on behalf of clients whose helpers were in extended ICU care, and the response is always the same form letter rejecting the late filing.
Two narrow exceptions where late filings have been accepted in our experience:
- The MOM eService was demonstrably down on the deadline day, and you can produce a screenshot or error reference.
- You filed on time but were asked for additional documents; the late refile counts as continuation of the original application.
If you are within the 30-day window but unsure about documents, file with what you have. MOM will request supporting documents rather than reject outright if the initial submission was timely.
Tracking Tips That Pay Off
Three habits that prevent 90% of waiver problems:
- Set a 25-day reminder. The moment a hospital discharge or overseas trip happens, put a phone reminder 25 days out labelled "file levy waiver". This gives you 5 days of buffer for missing documents.
- Photograph passport stamps immediately on return. Helpers sometimes lose passports or get them re-issued. A clear photo of the exit and entry stamps the day she returns is your insurance policy.
- Keep a one-page log per helper. Date of trip, days overseas, hospitalisation episodes, total cap used. Take 30 seconds to update it each event. This alone catches the 60-day annual cap before it bites.
When to Use an Agency
If you only file one or two waivers per contract, doing it yourself through Singpass is fine. The eService is functional, and 10 minutes of your time saves you S$140 to S$600.
If you are juggling multiple helpers, frequent home leaves, or you have already been rejected once for paperwork reasons, an agency makes sense. We file these every week and know which discharge letters MOM accepts and which they bounce back. We also keep a running log of each client's annual overseas-day cap so nothing is wasted at year end.
Confused about the paperwork? Upwill handles levy waiver applications for our clients at no extra cost. We track the deadlines, gather the documents, and follow up with MOM until the refund hits your account.
Book a free consult at upwill.com.sg/contact.