If you employ a helper, you have to buy maid insurance before her Work Permit is issued, and the cheapest compliant plan is not always the smart one. To compare maid insurance properly in 2026, start from what the Ministry of Manpower actually mandates: at least $60,000 a year in medical coverage, at least $60,000 in personal accident cover, and a $5,000 security bond unless your helper is Malaysian. Everything above that floor, the medical cap, the dental limit, the wage payout while she is hospitalised, is optional padding you choose based on your household. Of the insurers that still publish 26-month prices, Tiq's entry plan costs $490.63 after its current 34% discount, and MSIG's top plan with a $120,000 medical cap costs $728.12, both for a helper aged 50 and below. This guide walks through every figure so you pay for cover you will use, not cover that looks impressive on a brochure.
Three things are legally compulsory, and no insurer can issue you a non-compliant policy for a Work Permit. The minimum medical insurance is an annual claim limit of at least $60,000 for inpatient care and day surgery. The minimum personal accident cover is $60,000, paid to your helper or her family for permanent disability or death from an accident. On top of those, you post a $5,000 security bond for any helper who is not Malaysian, which most insurers fold into the personal accident plan at no extra premium by issuing a guarantee to MOM instead of a cash deposit.
The $60,000 medical floor took effect in two stages. Stage 1 applied to policies starting on or after 1 July 2023, raising the old $15,000 cap to $60,000. Stage 2 applied to policies starting on or after 1 July 2025, adding direct billing so hospitals are paid by the insurer, plus a standardised exclusion list and age-banded pricing. Both stages are now live, so any 2026 plan you compare already meets them.
Two policy mechanics matter for your wallet. The first is the co-payment: the insurer fully covers the first $15,000 of an eligible bill, and on the portion above $15,000 the employer pays 25% while the insurer pays 75%, up to the annual cap. The second is the Letter of Guarantee. Since 1 July 2025, insurers reimburse the hospital directly once a claim is admissible, so you no longer front a five-figure bill and wait for a refund. Knowing your deductible and co-share exposure is the real point of comparing plans.
The co-payment trips up most employers, so here is a worked example. Say your helper needs an appendectomy and the final bill is $23,000. The insurer covers the first $15,000 in full. On the remaining $8,000, you pay 25% ($2,000) and the insurer pays 75% ($6,000). Your out-of-pocket is $2,000, and thanks to the Letter of Guarantee you settle that with the hospital rather than paying the whole $23,000 upfront and chasing a claim.
Several insurers let you buy down the co-payment to 10% or 0% at the point of purchase, or build a lower share into their top tiers. That is the single biggest reason to read past the headline premium. Taking your share to 0% costs $155.87 to $192.93 extra over 26 months at MSIG and $99.28 at Tiq, and it can save you thousands on one major admission. This is the same logic as a co-insurance feature on your own health plan.
Update, 14 October 2026: only MSIG and Tiq, Etiqa's online brand, still publish 26-month premiums, and both are well above the prices this table showed before. Income Insurance (formerly NTUC Income), FWD, Great Eastern and AIG now quote only through their online forms. Most employers buy a 26-month policy to match a two-year Work Permit plus a buffer, which works out cheaper per month than renewing 14-month plans. The figures below are 26-month premiums including GST for a helper aged 50 and below, bond included, grouped by tier. Premiums move with promotions and jump with age (MSIG charges $1,127.06 to $1,400.65 for a helper aged 51 to 60), so pull a live quote before you pay. Checked against insurer product pages as of October 2026.
| Insurer | Entry tier | Mid tier | Top tier | Top medical cap | Dental/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Insurance Domestic Helper | Quote only | Quote only | Quote only | Not published | None listed |
| FWD | Quote only (14 months from $313) | Quote only | Quote only | $120,000 | None listed |
| MSIG MaidPlus | $585.33 | $644.19 | $728.12 | $120,000 | $500 (after an injury) |
| Great Eastern GREAT Maid Protect | Quote only | Quote only | Quote only | $90,000 | None listed |
| Tiq by Etiqa Maid Insurance | $490.63 (after 34% off) | $530.19 | $591.35 | $85,000 | None listed |
| AIG Domestic Helper | Quote only (from $0.81 a day) | Quote only | Quote only | $100,000 | None listed |
Every plan clears the same $60,000 floor, so the price gap buys you these five variables. Match them to how your household lives, not to the longest feature list.
Top tiers raise the annual medical limit to $85,000, $90,000, $100,000 or even $120,000. This matters most for older helpers and those caring for elderly parents, who statistically face more falls, back injuries and longer admissions.
Entry plans often cap outpatient cover near $500 a year; richer tiers stretch to $2,000 to $3,000. If your helper sees a GP often or you want specialist consults covered, this line is worth paying up for.
Some plans pay a daily allowance, often $10 to $50 a day capped at 30 to 60 days, while your helper is hospitalised, and reimburse the cost of a temporary replacement helper, up to $750 on MSIG's top plan and $200 to $500 on most others. This is the benefit that helps a dual-income family keep functioning during a long admission.
Repatriation covers sending your helper home for serious medical reasons or in the event of death. A waiver of counter-indemnity means the insurer will not chase you to repay the $5,000 bond if MOM forfeits it for certain breaches, which is a genuine financial backstop.
Pick by who the helper looks after and how exposed you are to a big bill, then compare premiums only within that band. A short personal budget check confirms the annual cost fits before you commit.
| Household | Tier to compare | Rough 26-month cost | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget, fit young helper, no kids | Entry | $490.63 to $585.33 | MOM minimum is enough; default 25% co-pay acceptable |
| Young children or frequent travel | Mid | $530.19 to $644.19 | Higher outpatient, dental, wage cover while you are away |
| Eldercare or helper aged 50+ | Top | $591.35 to $728.12; $1,400.65 at MSIG for ages 51 to 60 | $85k to $120k cap and 0% co-pay buy-down cut big-bill risk |
You buy online: get a quote, pay, and the insurer sends the $5,000 bond details to MOM, which MOM says takes up to three working days. Renew well before expiry, since MOM sends its renewal letter about eight weeks ahead, and a lapse can invalidate the Work Permit and leave you uninsured for any admission in the gap.
Switching mid-policy is allowed but rarely worth it. Insurers refund only part of the premium, on a scale that shrinks the longer the policy has run, and any pre-existing condition exclusions reset on the new plan. Compare thoroughly at renewal instead, when you can move freely. For the wider cost of employing a helper, see our breakdown of the cost of hiring a maid in Singapore, and for the MOM-rules angle on this same topic our FDW insurance requirements explainer.
You must hold at least $60,000 a year in medical insurance, at least $60,000 in personal accident cover, and post a $5,000 security bond unless your helper is Malaysian. Most insurers bundle the bond into the personal accident plan at no extra charge by guaranteeing it to MOM.
The insurer fully covers the first $15,000 of an eligible bill. On the amount above $15,000, up to the annual cap, you pay 25% and the insurer pays 75%. Some top-tier plans let you buy this down to 10% or 0% at purchase.
For a young, healthy helper with no eldercare duties, an entry-tier plan meets every MOM rule and is usually fine; among insurers that publish prices, that is $490.63 for 26 months at Tiq or $585.33 at MSIG. For older helpers or eldercare, a top tier with a higher cap and lower co-payment cuts your big-bill risk.
Since 1 July 2025, insurers reimburse the hospital directly once a claim is admissible, using a Letter of Guarantee. You no longer pay a large bill upfront and wait for a refund; you settle only your co-payment share with the hospital.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).