Salary and offer reading
The Indonesian placement portal (Kementerian Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia / BP2MI) publishes a reference monthly salary range of S$600–750 for domestic workers placed in Singapore, noting that ranges depend on experience, skills and work-pass type. This is a reference range from the portal’s salary section, not a verified mandatory minimum for every Indonesian contract, not a universal market average, and not an Apex Maids salary offer or package price. Checked 23 October 2026; no effective or update date was found for this row. Source: BP2MI country profile for Singapore. Ask Apex for the actual candidate’s agreed salary and full itemised quotation before committing.
Share your household duties and preferred start date. Apex provides the itemised quotation for the actual candidate and hiring route before you commit.
Biodata is hosted on SearchMaid and may require a login. You can request a shortlist directly on WhatsApp.
By APEX Maids Agency Pte. Ltd. · MOM EA Licence 25C3180 · UEN 202547196H. Based in Jurong West and serving households across Singapore. Our website is apexmaids.sg and our phone is 8405 6661.
MOM requires the monthly salary to be not below the amount declared on the work permit application, paid no later than seven days after each salary period. Where the helper requests it, payment must be by direct bank transfer. For cash payments, both parties sign the payment record and the employer keeps it. The employer must not hold the helper’s money, bank card or passbook. For the full record-keeping method, see the salary payment and records guide.
The agreed salary is one line in a larger monthly budget. Separate it from the levy (a government charge), food and accommodation (your legal responsibility), insurance (mandatory, paid as a premium for a coverage period) and any other recurring cost. The budget comparison planner helps you lay out the total. For upfront fee and loan arrangements, see the fee and loan comparison guide.
Before signing, separate the following items in the written offer. Leave blank columns for your own notes.
| Item | What to check | Your notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic agreed monthly salary | Confirm the currency, monthly amount and whether additional compensation is stated separately. Ask which applicable requirements were checked for this candidate. | ________________ |
| Relevant duties and demonstrated experience | The agreed duties and the candidate’s actual prior duties in comparable roles. Experience in the specific care or household task, not years employed alone. | ________________ |
| Rest day arrangement | Weekly rest days and any additional compensation. From 1 January 2023, at least one rest day per month cannot be compensated away. See rest day rules. | ________________ |
| Employer-paid charges | Agency fee, insurance, bond, permit, airfare, medical and other upfront items. Ask for the complete list and which are one-off versus recurring. | ________________ |
| Contract and IPA consistency | Compare the agreed salary with the amount declared to MOM and shown in the IPA. Record duties and other agreed terms in the employment contract; the documents do not serve identical purposes. | ________________ |
| Unresolved country-specific requirements | Ask whether additional Indonesian-specific requirements apply to this candidate’s contract and what documentation is needed. | ________________ |
Swipe sideways on a phone to read the remaining columns.
This comparison is hypothetical and uses labels only. Its purpose is to show that salary alone does not determine which offer suits your household.
| Factor | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Agreed rest arrangement | Weekly rest day taken | Some weekly rest days compensated by mutual agreement; at least one rest day per month is taken, not exchanged for pay |
| Main duties | Child care and cooking | Child care, cooking, cleaning and elderly support |
| Demonstrated experience | Illustrative evidence of prior infant-care duties | General household experience, no specific care evidence |
| Replacement terms | Within stated agreement conditions | Conditions to be confirmed in writing |
Swipe sideways on a phone to read the remaining columns.
The hypothetical duties and rest arrangements differ, so the offers cannot be compared on salary alone. Neither example establishes a salary premium, an assessment of a real candidate or that one nationality costs more. Compare duties, rest, evidence and written terms together. Use the biodata reading guide and interview checklist to check the candidate’s actual experience before comparing offers.
Source links above were checked on 23 October 2026. Confirm the current requirements for the actual contract before agreeing terms.
A published reference range is not a guaranteed salary, a verified minimum or an Apex quotation. Read the actual offer for the candidate you are considering.
Questions
No verified minimum is established by that portal row alone. It is a published monthly reference range. Confirm the applicable current requirements for the candidate and hiring route instead of treating its lower end as a legal floor.
No. The monthly salary is one part. Levy, insurance, the security bond premium, agency fees, airfare, permit charges, food, accommodation and medical costs are separate items. See the full cost breakdown and the budget comparison planner.
Ask for it in writing before signing. From 1 January 2023, at least one rest day per month cannot be compensated away under MOM rules. The rest arrangement affects working conditions and your household planning. See the rest day rules for the full requirements.
Send your household duties, preferred start date and care needs to Apex on 8405 6661. Apex provides the itemised quotation for the actual candidate and hiring route, including the agreed salary, before you commit. Do not rely on a published reference range as a quotation.
Compare each candidate’s actual salary, duties, demonstrated experience, rest arrangement and employer-paid charges. Apply the relevant nationality requirements separately: a reference range and a published minimum are different kinds of information. Do not assume either nationality always costs more or less.
The reference is not a salary cap or proof of a legal floor. An offer above it is not automatically wrong. This guide does not advise offering below any lawful contractual requirement; check the actual candidate and route.
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Send your household duties and preferred start date. Apex provides the full itemised quotation before you commit.
