What a Maid Can and Cannot Do in Singapore: The MOM Rules on Job Scope and Deployment (2026)

TL;DR: A Work Permit migrant domestic worker (MDW) may only perform domestic chores at the single residential address printed on her Work Permit, and only for the employer who holds that permit. Sending her to work at a relative's home, in your business, or lending her to friends is illegal deployment. As of 2026 it can cost you a financial penalty, a ban on hiring a helper in future, and in serious cases prosecution.

This is one of the most confusing areas of employing a helper in Singapore, and getting it wrong is expensive. Below we set out what your helper can and cannot do, answer the two questions we hear most (the relative's house and the family business), and show the compliant routes when you need help at more than one place.

What a maid can do

Your helper is hired to run your household. Within the home registered on her Work Permit, she may carry out the full range of domestic duties, including:

• General housework: cleaning, laundry, ironing, tidying and basic home upkeep.
• Cooking and meal preparation for the household.
• Childcare: looking after your children, including school runs and supervision.
• Eldercare and care for family members within the home, such as a frail parent or a person recovering from illness. If caregiving is the main reason you are hiring, our eldercare helper placement matches you with helpers experienced in elder support.
• Marketing and household errands: buying groceries, paying bills, collecting items and similar tasks done on behalf of your household.
• Caring for household pets, including walking the dog.

The common thread is simple: the work is domestic in nature, it is for your household, and it is centred on the home stated on her Work Permit. As long as you stay inside that boundary and meet your duties on rest days, accommodation and the levy, you are compliant. For a refresher on those duties see our guides to rest days and helper accommodation.

What a maid cannot do

The Ministry of Manpower is strict about where and for whom an MDW works. Her Work Permit is tied to one employer and one address. She cannot:

• Work at any other address, including a relative's home, a second property you own, or a holiday apartment. The permit names one residential address only.
• Work in your business: a shop, hawker stall, office, salon, clinic, warehouse, café or any commercial premises. Domestic work is the only permitted scope.
• Be lent or hired out to friends, neighbours or family. You cannot pass your helper to someone else to use, paid or unpaid, even for a short period.
• Do any commercial or illegal work, including helping with a home-based business that goes beyond your household's own needs.
• Be deployed by anyone other than the permit holder. Only the employer named on the permit may direct her work.

The Ministry sets this out in its employer rules: an MDW can only perform household chores and cannot be deployed for any non-domestic work or at premises other than the residential address stated on the permit. See MOM on employment rules for the official wording.

Can my maid work at my parents' or a relative's house?

This is the question we field most often, usually from adult children caring for ageing parents. The answer, as of 2026, is no: your helper cannot be sent to work at your parents' or any relative's home, because that address is not on her Work Permit. It does not matter that they are family, that it is nearby, or that it is only a few hours a week. The moment she is doing chores at another residence, it is illegal deployment.

There are two compliant routes when a second household needs help:

1. The other household applies for their own helper. If your parents are eligible employers (the employer must be at least 21 years old, as of 2026), they can hire and hold a Work Permit in their own name. This is the cleanest solution for genuine, ongoing care at a separate address.
2. Use a licensed part-time or Household Services Scheme (HSS) arrangement for the second home. Under the HSS, a separate company employs the worker and dispatches her to clean homes legally. You may also legally engage another employer's helper for part-time household work if that helper has her own employer's written consent and the proper arrangement is in place. See MOM on the Household Services Scheme and MOM on part-time household work. We explain both in plain English in our guide to a part-time helper in Singapore.

What you cannot do is share one full-time helper across two homes on a single permit. If your situation spans more than one address, talk to us first and we will map out the legal options.

Can my maid help in my business or hawker stall?

No. A domestic helper's Work Permit covers household work only. She cannot serve customers, cook in your stall, mind the till, stock shelves, clean your shop or office, or do any task that supports a business, even if the business is run from home and even if she is willing. The Ministry treats this as illegal deployment regardless of whether you pay her extra.

The reasoning is straightforward. A domestic worker is approved, levied and insured for domestic work in a home. Business work falls under entirely different work pass categories with their own quotas, levies and rules. Using a helper to staff a business undercuts those rules, and MOM enforces it. If your business needs staff, hire a worker on the correct pass; if your home needs a helper, that is what the Work Permit is for. Our maid placement service handles the household side correctly from day one.

Penalties for illegal deployment

Illegal deployment is not a grey-area technicality that MOM overlooks. As of 2026, an employer who deploys a helper for non-domestic work, or at an address other than the one on her permit, faces:

• A financial penalty. MOM can impose a penalty for each breach, and it adds up quickly across multiple instances.
• A ban from hiring. You can be barred from employing a migrant domestic worker in future, which removes your access to help altogether.
• Prosecution in serious cases. Repeated or egregious breaches can be referred for prosecution, with the prospect of a fine or imprisonment.

The helper can also lose her permit and be repatriated through no fault of her own. For the official position on employer obligations and conditions, see MOM. The penalties almost always dwarf whatever you saved by stretching one helper across two jobs.

Grey areas done right

Most honest confusion lives in everyday situations, so here is how to stay on the right side of the line.

A family gathering at your home

If you host Chinese New Year, a birthday or a dinner at the residence on her permit, your helper can cook and clean for that event. It is still domestic work at the correct address. That is fine.

The same event at a relative's home

Bring her to your parents' house to cook and serve for the same gathering, and you have crossed into work at another address. Even one afternoon counts. If you need help there, the host should arrange their own helper or a licensed part-time service for the day.

Helping a relative who lives with you

If your elderly parent lives in your home, caring for them is squarely within scope; they are part of your household at the registered address. The problem only arises when the care happens at a different address.

Accompanying the family on an outing or short trip

Helping with the children at a park, a restaurant or on a local family day out is incidental to her domestic role and is generally fine. The test is whether she is doing your household's domestic tasks, not working for someone else or at fixed commercial premises. When in doubt, ask us or check MOM before you assume.

Frequently asked questions

Can my helper work at my second home on weekends?

No. Only the residential address on her Work Permit is permitted. A second property you own is still a different address, so deploying her there is illegal. Apply for a separate helper or use a licensed part-time or HSS arrangement for that home.

Can I lend my maid to my sister for a month while she is between helpers?

No. You cannot lend or hire out your helper to anyone, including family, paid or unpaid. Your sister should arrange her own helper, a transfer, or a licensed part-time service.

Can my helper work in my home-based business?

No. Domestic work for your household is in scope, but tasks that support a business (packing orders, baking for sale, serving customers) are not, even from your own home. That is non-domestic work and counts as illegal deployment.

Can my helper help at my hawker stall during a busy period?

No, not even occasionally. A Work Permit for a domestic helper does not cover commercial work of any kind. Staff the stall with workers on the correct pass instead.

What happens if MOM finds out my helper is working elsewhere?

You can face a financial penalty, a ban on hiring a helper in future, and prosecution in serious cases, as of 2026. Your helper may also lose her permit and be sent home. Always confirm scope with MOM before deploying her in any new way.

My parents are elderly and need care. What is the legal way to get help at their place?

If they are eligible employers (at least 21 years old, as of 2026), they can hire their own helper and hold the permit in their name. Alternatively a licensed part-time or HSS service can clean and assist at their home. Our eldercare helper service can advise on the best fit.

Does my helper need to live at the address on her permit?

Yes, she must reside at the registered address and you must provide proper accommodation there. Live-out arrangements are not permitted for a standard Work Permit helper; see our explainer on a live-out helper in Singapore for why.

Can I change the address on my helper's Work Permit if we move house?

Yes. If your household relocates, you update the residential address with MOM so the permit reflects where she actually works and lives. The rule is one current, correct address, not a frozen one.

Need help at more than one address?

If your family genuinely needs support across two homes, or you are caring for parents at a separate address, there is almost always a compliant way to do it. Upwill is a MOM-licensed agency (EA Licence 24C2628) placing experienced Indonesian, Filipino and Myanmar helpers, and we will steer you to the legal option rather than the risky shortcut. Explore our maid placement and eldercare helper services, review the FDW levy and hiring process, or contact us on 8043 9823 to talk through your situation.