Domestic Helper Annual Leave & Public Holidays Guide

Annual leave, public holidays, weekly rest days and overseas home leave are four different arrangements for a migrant domestic worker (MDW). Confusion starts when an employer copies rules for Employment Act employees or treats every day away as a weekly rest day. The practical answer is to preserve the mandatory MDW rest-day floor, then agree the other leave terms clearly in the employment contract.

First principle: MDWs are not covered by the Employment Act

MOM’s Employment of Foreign Manpower Act overview states that MDWs are covered by the EFMA and are not covered by the Employment Act. MOM’s MDW contract guidance explains that domestic-work hours and work on public holidays are not regulated through the Employment Act and encourages a mutually agreed written contract to avoid disputes.

Weekly rest days remain the non-negotiable floor

Under MOM’s MDW rest-day guidance, a helper is entitled to one rest day each week. If she agrees to work on a rest day, the employer must pay at least one additional day’s salary. At least one rest day every month cannot be compensated away. Rest days can be taken as one full day or two half-days, and a rest day may be deferred by up to one month in the stated circumstances.

A public holiday does not erase that entitlement. If the normal rest day falls on a public holiday, write down whether that day serves as the agreed weekly rest day and how any separate public-holiday benefit in the contract works. Avoid relabelling an ordinary rest day as annual leave after the fact.

Public holidays: agree a household rule in advance

Singapore’s public-holiday entitlement page sets out 11 paid holidays for employees covered by the Employment Act and says that, for someone not covered by the Act, entitlement follows the employment contract. Because MDWs are not covered, do not present the Employment Act formula as an automatic MDW entitlement. Instead, agree a fair rule that your household can consistently apply.

• List the public holidays that will be days off and how far ahead changes must be discussed.
• State whether a helper who agrees to work receives additional pay, a replacement day or another agreed benefit.
• Explain arrangements for multi-day celebrations, travel, visitors and intensive meal preparation.
• Keep religious observances separate from assumptions based on nationality.
• Add a backup-care plan so childcare or eldercare needs do not cancel agreed leave at short notice.
• Review the arrangement each contract year and record amendments in writing.

Annual leave: write the missing detail into the contract

MOM does not publish an Employment Act annual-leave ladder for MDWs. Set a clear and fair entitlement instead of leaving it to goodwill. Check the employment-agency contract and any applicable embassy or origin-country standard contract, which may add requirements. If different documents apply, resolve inconsistencies before signing or renewing.

Home leave adds travel and salary questions

MOM’s article on paying salary on time and in full says employers do not have to pay salary while an MDW is on home leave unless the employment contract says otherwise. Therefore, write whether the leave is paid, partially paid or unpaid before booking. Also agree who pays for the flight and transit costs, and do not disguise an employer-requested trip as the helper’s unpaid leave.

For overseas leave, follow MOM’s travel preparation guidance: check passport and home-country immigration requirements, ensure the helper has her digital work pass or card for re-entry, and retain a copy of the itinerary. Levy continues to be charged first; a qualifying overseas-leave waiver is applied for after return. A 6ME may need an approved deferral rather than being missed.

What about sick days?

Do not force a helper to work while unwell or treat medical care as annual leave by default. MOM makes the employer responsible for the helper’s medical needs, including medical costs and required insurance. Put a practical sick-day process in the contract: how to report illness, which clinic to use in a non-emergency, how duties will be covered and how salary is treated. Seek medical attention promptly when needed.

Build a leave calendar that survives real life

At the start of each year or contract, mark school terms, family travel, medical appointments, major festivals and the helper’s preferred leave. Planning is not permission to cancel agreed time off; it is a way to arrange backup. Give both parties a copy, record changes and check monthly that rest days were actually taken and paid correctly where work was mutually agreed.

How this guide avoids overlap

This guide owns the planning intent “annual leave and public holidays for a helper”: the Employment Act distinction, contract clauses and home-leave pay. For the statutory weekly floor and compensation, use the rest-day rules guide. For cross-border documents and accompanying the employer, read the overseas-trip guide. For monthly wage mechanics, use how to pay a helper’s salary.

Sources and review note

Reviewed on 15 September 2026 against MOM’s EFMA, contract, public-holiday, weekly rest-day, salary and overseas-leave guidance. Embassy and origin-country contract requirements can differ; verify every document that applies to the individual employment relationship.