How to Open a POSB Bank Account for Your Domestic Helper in Singapore (2026 Guide)

TL;DR: The simplest bank account for your domestic helper is a POSB Payroll Account. For a new helper, you can open it when you get her Work Permit issued; for a helper already working for you, she can apply online on the POSB website. MOM says no initial minimum deposit is needed through these channels. Then pay her salary by standing instruction or PayNow so every payment leaves a record.

Opening a POSB account for your domestic helper is the simplest way to pay her salary with a clean record. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires you to pay her in full within 7 days after each salary period and to keep a record of every payment. If you pay in cash, both of you must sign each record. A bank transfer into her own account creates that record automatically, and MOM specifically suggests a standing instruction with your bank for this reason.

This 2026 guide walks you through the two ways to open a POSB Payroll Account, what your helper needs for the online application, how to set up salary crediting from your own account, and what happens to the account when she leaves Singapore.

Reviewed by Yvonne, Placement Consultant at Upwill Employment Services (MOM EA Licence 24C2628). Checked against MOM and POSB pages on 22 September 2026.

Why your helper needs a Singapore bank account

A bank account is not legally compulsory for a migrant domestic worker (MDW), but MOM's rules make it the easiest way to stay compliant:

• Salary record. MOM requires a record of each salary payment (MOM salary guidelines). A transfer into her account is that record. MOM also says you must pay by direct transfer if your helper asks for it.
• You cannot hold her money. Since 1 January 2019, employers must not keep a helper's salary or any other money belonging to her, even if she asks. A bank account gives her somewhere safe to keep it.
• Dispute protection. If a salary question ever arises, a bank statement settles it quickly. Cash with a signed record is allowed, but it is easier to lose or contest.
• Her independence. MOM's employer guide says the account must be solely in her name, she must keep her own bank card, and you should not open a joint account with her.

For a fuller picture of what to do in the first weeks after your helper arrives, see our first-month settling-in guide and our 2026 salary benchmark.

POSB Payroll Account: what it is and what it offers

POSB (part of DBS) offers the POSB Payroll Account for Work Permit holders, and it is the account MOM names first in its FAQ on opening a bank account for an MDW.

Key features (as stated by POSB)

• Initial deposit: MOM says no initial minimum deposit is required when the account is opened at Work Permit issuance or on the POSB website. POSB's online application guide also mentions a service charge waiver when applying online.
• Card: DBS Visa Debit Card, with default limits of S$200 for debit card spend, S$1,000 a day for ATM cash withdrawal and S$1,000 for NETS point-of-sale (POSB Payroll Account page).
• Salary crediting: POSB says the account lets her employer pay her salary directly into it, and she can receive instant transfers via PayNow using her mobile number.
• Remittance: POSB advertises S$0 fees for same-day transfers home via DBS Remit (terms and conditions apply).
• Cashback: POSB advertises up to 4% cashback on selected spend categories when she spends at least S$500 on Visa and keeps cash withdrawals to S$400 or less in the month.

Who can open one

• A helper holding a valid MOM Work Permit
• Passport with at least 6 months' validity (required for the online application)
• A personal mobile number and email address used only by her

What your helper needs for the online application

POSB's user guide for MDW online account opening lists what to have ready before starting:

Filipino helpers should enter their name in the order surname, given name, middle name. Indonesian and Myanmar helpers should enter the name exactly as it appears on the passport.

Step-by-step: two ways to open the account

Route 1: a new helper, at Work Permit issuance

MOM says that for a new helper, you can open the POSB Payroll Account when you get her Work Permit issued, with no initial minimum deposit. Ask your employment agency to include it when the permit is issued, so her salary account is ready before her first payday.

Route 2: a helper already working for you, online

1. Gather the documents in the table above.
2. Apply on the POSB website using the MDW online application. The guide asks her to select "Foreigner Passport" as identity type, "Others" as industry and "Foreign Domestic Worker" as occupation.
3. Enter her address as shown on her Work Permit. Card and PIN mailers go to this address by default.
4. Receive the SMS acknowledgement straight away, then an SMS on the account opening status within 5 working days.
5. Receive the debit card and PIN mailers and the digital token registration code within 5 working days after the account is opened.
6. Activate the card and account and set up the digital token by following the steps in the mailers.

Other banks

POSB is not the only option. MOM says your helper can also open an account at another bank, and that you should check with that bank on the conditions for opening and maintaining the account. MOM's employer guide suggests choosing an account that does not require a minimum deposit or charge a fee when a minimum balance is not kept. Ask the bank directly and get the fees in writing before she applies.

Setting up automatic salary transfer from your account

1. Log in to your own bank's app.
2. Add her as a payee using her POSB Payroll Account number, or use PayNow to her registered mobile number.
3. Enter her full name exactly as on her passport and Work Permit.
4. Create a recurring standing instruction for the salary amount. Set the date so it always lands within 7 days after the end of her salary period.
5. Pay any rest-day compensation on top in the same month, since MOM does not count it in the declared salary. See our salary guide for the ÷26 formula.
6. Use a clear reference such as "Salary June 2026" so her statement doubles as your salary record.

Remittance: sending money home

Once she has an account, she decides how to send money home. POSB advertises S$0 transfer fees for same-day transfers via DBS Remit, subject to its terms. Other licensed remittance services and money-transfer counters are also available. Fees and exchange rates change, so she should compare the total amount her family receives before choosing. The money is hers, and the choice should be too.

If the online application does not go through

• Passport with under 6 months validity: renew it at her embassy first, then reapply.
• Work Permit not valid: resolve the permit first. Use our work permit check guide.
• Name entered in the wrong order: re-check the passport name format above.
• Address differs from her Work Permit: for Work Permits issued before 24 August 2020, POSB asks for MOM's change of workplace address letter and supporting documents.
• Anything else: call POSB on 1800 339 6666.

As a licensed agency (EA Licence 24C2628) we can help clients check the paperwork when documentation is unusual.

Card activation and PIN

1. The card and the PIN arrive in separate mailers.
2. She activates the card and account by following the steps in the mailers, and sets up her digital token.
3. Do not ask her to share her PIN or give you her card. MOM says you should not keep her bank book or bank card, and she must have full access to her account.
4. Show her how to check her balance in the app so she can see each salary credit arrive.

What happens to the account when she leaves Singapore

POSB says a Payroll Account is suspended (frozen) when the Work Permit expires or is cancelled and she has left Singapore. Her money stays safe, but she cannot withdraw, transfer or receive funds while it is suspended. Before she flies home for good, make sure her final salary is credited early, and remind her to withdraw or transfer her funds or close the account before departure. MOM also asks you to settle all outstanding employment issues, including salary payments, before you cancel her Work Permit.

Bank account opening checklist

• New helper: open the POSB Payroll Account when her Work Permit is issued
• Current helper: apply online on the POSB website
• Passport with at least 6 months validity
• Work Permit, front and back
• SGWorkPass app screenshot for proof of address
• Her own mobile number and email address
• Standing instruction or PayNow set up from your account
• Salary date that falls within 7 days after each salary period
• She keeps her own card and PIN
• Awareness of levy obligations; see our FDW levy explainer

Opening the account takes a few minutes of paperwork and prevents years of potential disputes.

Reviewed by Yvonne, Senior Consultant, Upwill Employment Services. MOM EA Licence 24C2628.