A transfer helper costs less to start and can begin in days. A new helper from overseas usually costs less every month but takes one to three months to arrive. Over a full contract the totals land closer than most people expect, so the number at the bottom is rarely what should decide it.
Speed and certainty are what should decide it. With a transfer helper you can meet her this week, ask why her last placement ended, and have her working before the month is out.
What a transfer helper actually is
A transfer helper is a domestic helper already in Singapore who is moving between employers. In most cases her previous placement has ended and she is staying with her agency while a new household is found. She is on a Special Pass during that time, and the agency looks after her until she is placed.
That is worth understanding, because it explains almost everything else on this page: why she can start so quickly, why the list of available helpers changes week to week, and why the “no agency fee” route you may have read about usually does not apply.
The two ways a transfer happens
MOM treats these as two different processes, and which one you are in decides your cost, your timeline and your paperwork.
| Through an agency | Directly, employer to employer | |
|---|---|---|
| When it applies | Her placement has ended and an agency is looking after her, or her employer has asked an agency to take over | You already know the helper and have agreed the move with her current employer yourself |
| Who handles the paperwork | The agency | You and the current employer, through MOM’s eService |
| The current employer’s part | Authorises the work permit cancellation, then is out of it | Approves your transfer request, keeps paying the levy until your permit is issued, sends her for her medical if it is due |
| Typical time to start | Under a week when she is already with the agency | Longer, and tied to when her current permit expires |
| Agency placement fee | Yes | None |
| If it does not work out | Replacement cover applies | You carry it |
The short version: if you found her on a listing, you are in the first column. A helper who appears on any agency’s website is already under that agency’s care, so MOM’s agency transfer process applies. The direct route exists for a different situation, one where you already know the helper and her employer before any agency is involved. It is real and it is legitimate. It is just not the route you are in if you are browsing profiles.
Where the money differs
| Transfer helper | New helper from overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Placement fee | Lower. Local placement only, no overseas recruitment loan | Higher. Includes the sending country agency’s fee |
| Air ticket to Singapore | None. She is already here | Yes |
| Arrival medical examination | Not needed. She completed it when she first came to Singapore | Required |
| Settling-in Programme | Not required. It applies to first-time helpers only | Required |
| Monthly salary | Usually higher. She knows what the market pays | Usually lower at the start |
These are the same either way and should not sway the decision: the work permit application, the security bond, medical and personal accident insurance, the 6-monthly medical examination once she is working, and the monthly levy.
Why the upfront gap exists
Most of what a new helper costs is spent before she lands. Someone recruits her in Indonesia, Myanmar or the Philippines, trains her, processes her paperwork and flies her here. That is real work and it is charged for, usually as a loan she repays from her salary, which you advance.
A transfer helper skips all of it. She is here, she is trained, she has worked in Singapore before. There is no overseas agency in the chain, so there is far less to advance. If you want the loan and repayment side explained properly, we have written that up separately in placement fees and maid loans explained.
Why the monthly gap exists
A helper who has worked here knows the going rate for her nationality and experience, knows what a rest day is worth, and usually has an employer to compare against. She will ask for more, and she is not wrong to.
A first-time helper has no local reference point and generally starts lower. If she stays and does well, the gap narrows at renewal anyway.
So the fair framing is not that one is cheaper. You pay a new helper’s premium at the start, and a transfer helper’s premium across the contract.
How much you can find out before you commit
This is the real argument for a transfer helper, and it does not appear on any invoice.
You can interview her in person, this week. You can ask what her last household was like, what she was responsible for, and why it ended. If she has been staying with us, we have had her under our roof and can tell you how she actually is, not how she presents in a twenty minute video call.
What you cannot do is ring her previous employer. Data protection rules mean no agency should be handing out their contact details, and they are under no obligation to speak to you. What we can do is ask them for a written testimonial, and many are happy to give one when the parting was amicable. If there is one, ask to see it. If there is not, ask us why.
With a new helper from overseas none of this is available. You are relying on an assessment done by people you will never meet. Placements fail on fit far more often than on skill, so anything that lets you test fit before committing is worth real money even though nobody charges for it.
When a new helper is the better choice
Transfer is not automatically right. A new helper usually suits better when:
- You want to set the habits yourself. A helper with three years in another Singapore household has a way of doing things. Sometimes that is a head start, sometimes it is a weekly argument.
- Your budget is tighter monthly than upfront. If you can absorb the placement fee but need the salary low and predictable, a first-timer fits.
- You need a specific profile. The transfer pool is whoever happens to be available this month. It is small and it turns over quickly. The overseas pool is not.
- You are not in a hurry. If you have two months, the speed advantage is worth nothing to you.
The honest downsides of transfer
- Her last placement ended for a reason. Usually an ordinary one: the family moved, the children grew up, the contract finished. Sometimes not. Ask her, and ask us separately, and see whether the answers match.
- The pool is thin and moves fast. A helper between employers is on a Special Pass with limited validity, so good candidates are placed quickly and the list genuinely looks different week to week.
- Her expectations are already set. She knows what she had before. If your household runs differently, that conversation happens on day one.
Can I hire a transfer maid without an agency fee?
Sometimes, and it is worth knowing exactly when.
If you already know the helper and have agreed the move with her current employer, you can transfer her directly. Both of you handle it through MOM’s eService. Her current employer approves the request and keeps paying the levy until your permit is issued. You apply for consent, arrange the security bond and insurance, and issue the new permit. There is no placement fee because there is no agency in it.
What you take on instead is the sequencing, the deadlines tied to her existing permit, and the fact that if the placement does not work out there is nobody to call and no replacement. For an employer who has hired before and already knows the helper, that trade is often fine. For a first-time employer it usually is not.
What you cannot do is browse listings and then avoid the fee. A helper on any agency’s site is already in that agency’s care, which means the agency route applies. Anyone offering you a listed transfer helper with no agency involved is not describing a process MOM recognises.
We have written more on whether to hire a maid without an agency.
See who is available now
The comparison only becomes real when you look at specific people. We publish the transfer helpers we currently have, with nationality, age, experience and expected salary. Every one has been video interviewed before going up, and if she is with us you can meet her in person before you decide anything.
See transfer helpers available now
Or message us on WhatsApp at +65 8810 9000 and describe what you need. There is no charge for looking and no obligation to take anyone we send.
Common questions
Is a transfer maid cheaper than a new maid? Cheaper to start, usually more expensive monthly. Whether it is cheaper overall depends on the salary she agrees to and how long she stays.
How long does a transfer take? Under a week when the helper is already with us. A direct transfer between employers takes longer, because it has to fit around her existing permit.
Do I still pay a placement fee for a transfer helper? Yes, but a smaller one, because there is no overseas recruitment cost in it. See placement fees explained.
Does she need a medical examination? Not the arrival medical. She completed that when she first came to Singapore. Like every helper working here, she continues with the 6-monthly medical examination.
Does she need to attend the Settling-in Programme? No. That applies to first-time helpers who have no employment record with MOM.
Can I meet her before deciding? Yes, and you should. It is the main practical advantage of hiring a transfer helper.
What if it does not work out? Replacement cover applies to transfer placements the same as any new case: one change within the first twelve months. Ask any agency for their terms in writing before you sign, including ours.
