Working in Hong Kong as a domestic helper
Pay, rest, leave, medical costs, ending a contract and where to get help, for foreign domestic helpers and their employers in Hong Kong. Checked against official pages on 25 October 2026; where those pages disagree or say nothing, this guide says so plainly.
Sources checked ·
What is the lowest wage a foreign domestic helper can be paid?#
The Minimum Allowable Wage (MAW) for foreign domestic helpers is HK$5,220 a month, with effect from 3 October 2026. The Labour Department says it applies to all helper contracts signed on or after 3 October 2026. The Government announced on 2 October 2026 a rise of 2.35 per cent from HK$5,100.
The Statutory Minimum Wage (HK$43.1 an hour from 1 May 2026) does not cover live-in domestic workers, the Labour Department's 2026 guide says. For helpers, the wage floor is the MAW.
Can a contract at the old wage of HK$5,100 still go ahead?#
As of 25 October 2026, yes, for a short time. The Government said on 2 October 2026 that contracts signed on or before 2 October 2026 at HK$5,100 are still processed by the Immigration Department (ImmD) if the applications reach ImmD on or before Friday 30 October 2026. ImmD's FAQ, dated 2 October 2026 at its foot, repeats this.
Contracts signed from 3 October 2026 need at least HK$5,220.
Does the employer have to give food or a food allowance?#
The employer should provide free food. If not, a food allowance must be paid (clause 5(b) of the Standard Employment Contract). The Government said on 2 October 2026 that the allowance stays unchanged at no less than HK$1,236 a month. The Labour Department portal says this rate applies to contracts signed on or after 30 September 2023.
The contract does not say what food or how much. As a general guide, the Labour Department says at least three suitable meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) should be provided.
How many rest days does a helper get, and can the helper be made to work on one?#
At least one rest day in every period of seven days, the Labour Department says: a continuous period of not less than 24 hours. The employer appoints the days; if they are not regular, the employer must tell the helper before each month begins. With the helper's consent a rest day can be swapped.
Except in unforeseen emergencies, the employer must not make the helper work on a rest day. A rest day worked needs a substitute within 30 days, and the helper must be told within 48 hours. Forcing work on a rest day, or not granting rest days, carries a fine of up to HK$50,000.
Which holidays does a helper get, and what if one falls on the helper's rest day?#
A helper gets statutory holidays whatever the length of service. There are 15. Easter Monday was added from 2026, Good Friday joins from 2028 and the day after Good Friday from 2030. The Labour Department posts each year's list. General holiday dates: see the guide on typhoons and public holidays.
If a statutory holiday falls on the helper's rest day, the helper is granted a holiday on the next day that is not itself a holiday or a rest day. The Department's 2026 example: Ching Ming fell on Sunday 5 April, so a helper with Sunday rest days gets Tuesday 7 April, because Monday is Easter Monday.
How much paid annual leave does a helper get?#
Paid annual leave starts after each 12 months of service. The Labour Department's handbook says it rises from 7 days (years one and two) to a maximum of 14 days (nine or more years).
The employer chooses the time after consulting the helper, with written notice at least 14 days in advance. A rest day or statutory holiday that falls inside the leave counts as leave and must be replaced. Untaken leave is paid in lieu when the contract ends.
What does a helper get when sick?#
Sickness allowance is payable when sick leave lasts at least four consecutive days, enough paid sickness days have built up, and an appropriate medical certificate supports it, the Labour Department says. A helper builds up 2 paid sickness days for each completed month in the first 12 months, then 4 a month, up to 120.
The daily rate is four-fifths of average daily wages. An employer who fails to pay faces a fine of up to HK$50,000.
Who pays when a helper is ill or hurt, including at a public hospital?#
Under clause 9(a) of the standard contract, the employer must provide free medical treatment when a helper is ill or injured during employment, whether or not it comes from work. This covers consultation, hospital maintenance and emergency dental treatment. It does not apply while the helper is away from Hong Kong by choice for personal purposes. The helper must accept treatment by a registered medical practitioner the employer provides.
The Hospital Authority charges Eligible Person rates to Hong Kong ID card holders (except a card resting on an expired permission) and some others; everyone else pays Non-eligible rates. Fees: health fees guide. Helpers and ID cards: last section.
What do the official pages say about typhoons and black rainstorms for helpers?#
The Labour Department's handbook for helpers (edition 10/2026) gives general advice only. With a black rainstorm signal, people should stay indoors or take shelter in a safe place; with Signal No. 8 or above, stay indoors for safety. It does not link this to rest days.
The Department's Code of Practice (May 2026) says an employer cannot reduce annual leave, statutory holiday or rest-day entitlements to make up hours lost to Signal 8 or above or the Black Rainstorm Warning. The Code text we read does not mention domestic helpers or households. The rules for ordinary staff are in the typhoon and holidays guide.
Is a rest day lost to a typhoon replaced? May a helper go out?#
No official page we read says whether a rest day that falls on a Signal 8 or Black Rainstorm day is replaced. None says whether the helper may go out that day, or whether the employer may require the helper to stay in.
We searched the Labour Department's FAQ, handbook, Practical Guide, employer guide, leaflet and the Code of Practice on 25 October 2026.
How can a contract be ended early, and what is owed?#
Under clause 10, either side may end the contract with one month's written notice, or one month's wages in lieu. Within seven days of the termination date, both must notify the Director of Immigration (form ID 407E, a letter, or the online service on GovHK).
The Labour Department says the employer normally owes outstanding wages, pay in lieu of untaken annual leave, severance pay or long service pay where the helper qualifies, and contract sums such as return passage. Severance and long service pay are (monthly wages x 2/3) x reckonable years.
When can the contract be ended without notice?#
The Labour Department's FAQ (current in October 2026) lists the grounds. Employer: wilful disobedience, misconduct, fraud or dishonesty, or habitual neglect of duty. Helper: reasonable fear of physical danger by violence or disease, ill-treatment by the employer, or, after five years' employment, a medical certificate that the helper is permanently unfit for the work.
The Immigration Department's note on the contract terms (page dated 26 November 2019) words it differently. For both sides it adds any other ground allowing ending without notice at common law, and it does not list the five-year ground. We do not choose between them; the Ordinance text was not readable.
What is the two-week rule?#
A helper must leave Hong Kong when the contract ends or within two weeks of its termination, whichever is earlier, the Labour Department says. Staying longer is an offence: a fine of up to HK$50,000, two years' imprisonment, removal, and no later permission to work in Hong Kong as a helper.
A Government reply of 26 March 2025 says helpers may not take any job, paid or unpaid, in the two weeks. Extension as a visitor is allowed only in exceptional circumstances, such as a tribunal hearing or helping a criminal investigation, with supporting documents. A helper who leaves may later return as an ordinary visitor.
Can a helper change employer?#
During the two-year contract, not as a rule. The Labour Department FAQ lists exceptions: the employer's transfer, migration, death or financial reasons, or evidence of abuse or exploitation. Otherwise the helper returns to the place of origin and a new visa application is made. Suspected abuse of early termination may lead to refusal.
At the end of the contract, ImmD says an application can be made in Hong Kong within four weeks before it expires, with a release letter from the current employer. The helper must still go back to the place of origin within the limit of stay before starting, unless ImmD allows a deferral.
What happens when the same employer renews the contract?#
ImmD accepts renewal applications within eight weeks before the contract expires. The helper normally goes home on vacation and returns on a new visa. Clause 13 requires a vacation of not less than 7 days before the new contract starts, at the employer's expense, unless ImmD has approved an extension of stay. Whether it is paid or unpaid depends on their agreement.
By mutual agreement, home leave can be deferred with an extension of stay of normally not more than one year. No further extension is allowed within the contract period.
How much can an agency charge, and must a helper use one?#
An employment agency may charge a helper at most 10% of the first month's wages received after placement. It may charge only after those wages are received, and nothing else, directly or indirectly. The Labour Department says the cap is in the Employment Ordinance and the Employment Agency Regulations.
The Hong Kong Government does not require helpers to find work through an agency. The helper's own government may, and the Labour Department tells helpers to ask their consulate.
Can an employer or agency keep a helper's passport or ID card?#
The Labour Department tells helpers that no one, including the employer or an agency, can compel them to surrender personal identification documents such as the Hong Kong identity card or passport, or properties such as an ATM card.
Its 2026 employer guide says employers must not retain a helper's passport, identity card, ATM cards, contract or Government leaflets, and that doing so may be a criminal offence. Its handbook says forced surrender should be reported to the Police. No page we read names a law or a penalty.
Which numbers can a helper or employer call?#
The Labour Department's dedicated helper hotline is 2157 9537, handled by 1823. It runs 24 hours a day in Cantonese, English and Putonghua. Interpretation in Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi and Urdu is available 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except public holidays. The department's general 24-hour hotline is 2717 1771.
For physical abuse or danger the Department tells helpers to call the Police on 999. For sexual or domestic violence or a family crisis it lists the CEASE Crisis Centre, 18281 (24 hours); for unplanned pregnancy, the Social Welfare Department, 2343 2255.
How is a pay or contract dispute settled, and which consulates are listed?#
The Labour Department's Labour Relations Division gives helpers and employers free consultation and free conciliation. Claims it cannot settle can go to the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board or the Labour Tribunal. Interpretation is arranged free, and a helper may bring their own interpreter.
The Department lists the consulates-general to contact in Hong Kong: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It prints no consulate phone numbers. Its Sunday information kiosks are held at places helpers gather, such as Victoria Park, Statue Square Gardens and Chater Garden.
How can a helper check that a money-sending service is licensed?#
The Labour Department says banks, remittance agents and electronic wallets are the usual ways to send money home. It tells helpers to compare services and use only a provider with a valid licence, checked in the Customs and Excise Department's Register of Licensees for Money Service Operators.
A remittance or money-changing service needs a licence from the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, in operation since 1 April 2023. Operating without one carries a fine of HK$1,000,000 and two years' imprisonment. No official page we read says any service is free or names the cheapest.
Does a helper get a Hong Kong ID card?#
ImmD says a new arrival aged 11 or over who is permitted to stay in Hong Kong for more than 180 days must register for an identity card within 30 days of arrival. First registration is free and made in person at a Registration of Persons Office.
No page we read applies that rule to helpers by name. What official sources say about helpers and the ID card is in the last section.
What could we not confirm?#
Partly checked, so not relied on above. A Government reply of 11 February 2009 says that, according to the Hospital Authority, helpers with a Hong Kong ID card are Eligible Persons. No current HA page mentions helpers, and HA's wording excludes a card based on an expired permission. A 2017 reply says employers bear public hospital costs, with no cap. The Home Affairs Department's undated guide says helpers cannot get a permanent ID card.
No official page we read states: working hours or overtime; whether a visitor can switch to helper work; consulate rules (consulate sites could not be read).