Maids

[nyc]

Can anyone tell me the process for finding/hiring a maid? I hear there is a tax to be paid to the gov't on top of the maid's salary...overall, what are the monthly expenses to be aware of? Also, how do you get health insurance for your maid? Thanks!

[only 1 answer]

I can't answer all of the questions you have, but I can repeat what I've heard time and time again about the 'real' cost of having a maid. After you add up the salary, govt. levy, food expenses, etc. most will tell you you'll spend about S$1000 per month. While that is less than it would cost you in Europe or the US to have live-in help, I don't consider it as 'cheap' as many will try to have you believe -- but that's just me.

[guest25]

What they call a levy here is what an economist would call a tax on the maid. It's about $340, depending on a few things. Really that money should go to the maid, as salary, instead of to the govn't as a windfall, cashcow tax. If there are about 150 maids here, and who knows how many hundred thousand other manual laborers here also paying levies. How much is the govn't reaping, my calculate doesn't go that high. They' ve been getting it month after month, year after year. They try to justify it, saying it's for social control reasons, etc. but that doesn't fool anyone.