Singapore legislation
Regulation 4
Regulation 4
Exemption for domestic employees
Subregulation 1
Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the employer (Y) of a domestic employee (X) employed under a domestic employment contract (called in this paragraph the current contract) is exempt from paying the following contributions in respect of wages payable to X under the current contract for any month after 31 May 2026 if, in every period of 7 consecutive days falling within that month, X’s domestic employment by Y under the current contract does not exceed 14 hours:
any contribution to the Fund under section 7 of the Act;
any contribution to a fund for the educational, social or economic advancement of any community approved by the Minister for the purposes of section 76(3) of the Act.
Subregulation 2
Sub-paragraph (1) applies if —
X is a citizen or permanent resident of Singapore;
either or both of the following contracts were entered into before 1 June 2026:
the current contract;
a domestic employment contract between X and Y that is a prior connected contract in relation to the current contract; and
X’s domestic employment under at least one of the contracts that satisfies sub-paragraph (b) —
started before 1 June 2026; and
does not exceed 14 hours —
where the domestic employment started on or after 25 May 2026 — in the period beginning on the date on which the domestic employment starts and ending on 31 May 2026 (both dates inclusive); or
where the domestic employment started before 25 May 2026 — in every period of 7 consecutive days falling within any one calendar month of the period beginning on the date on which the domestic employment starts and ending on 31 May 2026 (both dates inclusive).
Subregulation 3
In sub-paragraph (2)(b)(ii), a domestic employment contract between X and Y (called in this sub-paragraph contract A) is a “prior connected contract” in relation to the current contract if —
contract A is a prior contract in relation to the current contract; and
either or both of the following apply:
X’s domestic employment by Y under the current contract starts not more than one month after the expiry or termination of contract A;
between the expiry or termination of contract A and the start of X’s domestic employment by Y under the current contract, X is employed by Y under one or more other prior contracts in relation to the current contract without any continuous break of more than one month in X’s domestic employment by Y.
Subregulation 4
In this paragraph —
Definition
“domestic employee” means a cook, a domestic maid, a butler or any other house servant, a nurse, a valet, a watchman, a gardener, a driver or a cleaner of any vehicle licensed for private use, or any other employee, who is employed by an individual —
exclusively in, or in connection with, the work of that individual’s private domestic household; and
not in connection with any trade, business or profession carried on by the individual in that household;
Definition
“domestic employment” means employment as a domestic employee;
Definition
“domestic employment contract” means a contract of service or other agreement under which an individual is employed as a domestic employee;
Definition
“prior contract”, in relation to the current contract, means any domestic employment contract under which X is employed by Y before the start of X’s domestic employment by Y under the current contract.