Infant Care vs Hiring a Helper

When a baby arrives and both parents work, many families weigh infant care against hiring a foreign domestic worker (helper). The honest answer is that it depends on your income, your subsidy, and how many young children you have. Here are the official costs, plus the other things to budget for.

Infant care: the official costs

Infant care (for babies aged 2–18 months) at a government-supported centre is subject to a fee cap of about S$1,235/month before GST at Anchor Operators (S$1,290 at Partner Operators). Private centres can charge more.

Subsidies apply only to a Singapore Citizen child enrolled in an ECDA-licensed centre. For such a child, the childcare subsidy then reduces what you actually pay (subject to a minimum co-payment and your household/per-capita income):

• Basic Subsidy (working mother): S$600/month.
• Additional Subsidy (working mother, household income up to S$12,000): up to a further S$710/month.
• So a lower-income working family with a Singapore Citizen child can get up to S$1,310/month off the infant care fee, leaving a small net fee.

A helper: the official costs

The main official cost is the FDW levy paid to MOM:

Households with a Singapore Citizen child below 16 generally pay the S$60 concessionary levy; other concession routes (eligible elderly or persons with disabilities) also exist.

Levy type	Monthly rate
Normal (1st helper)	S$300
Normal (subsequent helper)	S$450
Concessionary	S$60

Households with a Singapore Citizen child below 16 generally qualify for the concessionary S$60/month levy; for a parent employer it starts automatically from the child’s birth. (Eligible elderly people and persons with disabilities are other concession routes.)

But the levy is only part of the picture. A helper’s total monthly cost also includes:

• Salary — set by the market, typically a few hundred dollars a month and rising with experience (illustrative, not an official figure).
• Mandatory medical insurance and personal accident insurance, plus a S$5,000 security-bond guarantee for a non-Malaysian helper — normally arranged through a bank or insurer, so budget for the premium rather than S$5,000 as a routine upfront payment.
• Food and lodging in your home.
• Possible one-off agency fees and Work Permit costs, and — if the helper is working in Singapore for the first time — the Settling-In Programme fee.
• One rest day per week; if both parties agree, some rest days may be worked for at least one day’s salary, but at least one rest day each month must be taken and cannot be compensated away.

Putting it side by side (illustrative)

	Infant care (government-supported)	Helper
Headline cost	~S$1,235/month before GST	Salary + S$60 levy (concessionary)
Reduced by	Up to S$1,310/month subsidy	— (no childcare subsidy)
Also budget for	Registration, deposit	Insurance, food, lodging, agency fees
Covers	One child, structured early learning	The whole household, flexible hours

This table is illustrative. For a single baby in a lower-income household, subsidised infant care can be very cheap. For a family with two or more young children, or one needing flexible hours, a helper’s fixed cost may compare well because she can care for all the children and help at home.

Things beyond money

• Infant care gives structured early learning and social time, with trained staff and set ratios.
• A helper offers flexibility and help with the wider household, but you take on the responsibilities of an employer and the child is cared for at home.
• Many families use a mix — for example infant care plus some help at home.

Related

• Childcare subsidy calculator
• Childcare subsidy explained
• Types of preschools in Singapore
• Newborn essentials checklist

General information, not financial advice. Helper salaries and agency fees are market-set; confirm levy and subsidy figures with MOM and ECDA.