Hiring a Filipino domestic helper
Placement under Migrant Workers Office accreditation. What we charge, what her salary is, what the first year really comes to, and what happens if it does not work out.
The short answer
Filipino domestic helpers have to be placed through channels the Migrant Workers Office accredits. Migratesafe holds accreditation MWO-KL / 02-25. The Philippine government sets minimum employment standards for its nationals abroad, and it verifies the employment contract before anyone is deployed. A direct hire that skips that process is not lawful deployment, whatever the person arranging it calls it.
What does MWO accreditation involve?
The Migrant Workers Office, which replaced POLO, checks both the recruitment channel and your individual employment contract before she is deployed. You are assessed alongside us, which is why the process asks your household for documents and not just a signature.
What do you charge, and what is in it?
Two ways to hire. Full placement at RM17,800 means we source the candidate, train her to NCII standard and register her with the DMW. Direct hire means you have found someone yourself and we handle the legal side. A Filipino direct hire still includes training and DMW registration, because the Philippine side requires both whoever found her.
| Package | Fee | Processing time |
|---|---|---|
| Full placement. Our candidate, sourced, trained and certified. | RM17,800 | 12 to 14 weeks |
| Direct hire. Your candidate, processed by us. | Quoted per case | 12 to 14 weeks |
Filipino placements take longer than Indonesian ones, 12 to 14 weeks against 10 to 12, because the DMW verifies your household and the contract before she is cleared to fly. We have placed helpers with more than 173 households since 2022, and 84% of those placements are still running, measured as active placements against terminations.
- Full worker documentation
- Medical screening in the Philippines and again in Malaysia
- Work permit for the first year
- DMW contract registration, two years
- Personal accident insurance, 24 months
- Hospitalisation insurance, 12 months
- Travel to Sarawak
- Stamping and documentation fees
What do you pay her, and what does the first year come to?
A Filipino domestic helper's basic salary is RM1,800 a month, which includes one rest day a week. If she works a rest day, overtime is RM70 for that day. That is RM300 a month more than an Indonesian placement, and it is the main reason the two differ in running cost.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Placement and legalisation, before salary | RM17,800 |
| Salary, RM1,800 × 12 | RM21,600 |
| First year total | RM39,400 |
| Every year after | RM21,600 in salary, plus renewal |
So a Filipino helper costs RM17,800 + RM21,600 = RM39,400 in year one, against RM35,800 for an Indonesian placement. The setup fee is the same. The difference is entirely the wage, and it compounds every year you keep her.
What standards apply to the employment?
- A minimum salary set by the Philippine government for its nationals in the destination country.
- A weekly rest day.
- Employer-paid transport, medical screening and insurance.
- The helper retains her own passport.
- No recruitment fee charged to the worker.
What happens if the placement does not work out?
Some placements fail. A refund scale and a replacement window are what separate an agency that stands behind a match from one that takes the fee and stops answering. The Filipino scale is the more generous of the two we run.
| When it ends | Refund of the placement fee |
|---|---|
| First 30 days | 50% |
| Days 31 to 60 | 30% |
| Days 61 to 90 | 10% |
| After 90 days | No refund |
There is also a 90-day replacement window, with a replacement fee of RM7,500. A free replacement inside those 90 days applies in exceptional cases only, where there is clear evidence the helper broke the contract and none that you did. We give you the terms in writing before you sign.
To end the contract yourself, give her 30 days notice, and you do not need a reason. To end it immediately, pay a month’s salary in lieu. Where the problem is performance or conduct, issue a warning letter first so she has a chance to put it right. That is both fairer and a much better position to be in if the case is ever looked at.
Is the process different in Sarawak?
Yes. Sarawak issues the permit, so the immigration side runs through Sarawak Immigration instead of federally, and the household eligibility test is Sarawak’s. The Philippine-side requirements do not change, wherever in Malaysia you are.
| Service | What it covers | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Permit renewal | One-year permit renewal, excluding levy, medical and insurance. | RM1,200 in Kuching, RM1,300 in Miri, Sibu and Bintulu |
| DMW contract registration, first time | Two-year DMW registration with the Migrant Workers Office, for the OEC application. | RM2,800 |
| DMW contract renewal | Two-year renewal covering the third and fourth year of employment, for existing clients. | RM2,200 |
| Check Out Memo | Permit cancellation when the contract completes, or when a helper absconds. | RM350 |
Sources
- Migrant Workers Office, Kuala Lumpur Department of Migrant Workers, Republic of the Philippines
- PERKESO (SOCSO) Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial
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