Domestic Helper Salary in Hong Kong: HK$5,100
Cross-agency · employment
Quick answer
The Minimum Allowable Wage for foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong is HK$5,100 a month, for contracts signed on or after 30 September 2025. The previous rate was HK$4,990. An employer may not agree a lower wage, and Immigration will not approve entry on a contract below the MAW.
Every figure on this page is from official published documents: Labour Department, Hong Kong SAR and Immigration Department, Hong Kong SAR.
Last verified 2 sources, listed below
Labour Department, Hong Kong SAR | Foreign Domestic Helpers, General Policy1 · Immigration Department, Hong Kong SAR | Foreign Domestic Helpers, Frequently Asked Questions2. PHGuides is independent and not affiliated with any agency.
Hong Kong sets a Minimum Allowable Wage for foreign domestic helpers, and it is a genuine legal floor rather than a guideline. It is HK$5,100 a month for contracts signed on or after 30 September 2025.
The rate
| Contract signed | Minimum Allowable Wage |
|---|---|
| On or after 30 September 2025 | HK$5,100 per month |
| Between 28 September 2024 and 29 September 2025 | HK$4,990 per month |
The increase between the two is HK$110 a month, which is HK$1,320 over a year. Both are arithmetic on the published rates.
The date that matters is the date the contract was signed, not the date you arrived or started work. A contract signed on 29 September 2025 is governed by the older rate for its whole term.
The Labour Department describes the MAW as wage protection that safeguards helpers against exploitation while protecting local workers from competition with cheap foreign labour. It is reviewed regularly by the Hong Kong SAR Government, having regard to the general economic and employment situation, and the Labour and Welfare Bureau announces the outcome, including a decision to hold the level unchanged.
You cannot agree to less
This is the part worth knowing before an agency suggests otherwise.
Employers must pay FDHs a salary that is not less than the prevailing MAW at the time of signing the contract.
Two consequences follow. The Director of Immigration will not approve the entry of a helper whose wage in the Standard Employment Contract is below the MAW. And after signing at or above the MAW, an employer cannot subsequently agree with the helper to pay less.
So a side agreement to accept a lower wage is not a private arrangement between two consenting people. It is unlawful, and it is the employer who carries the penalties.
What underpayment costs the employer
| Offence | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Underpaying wages, Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) | Fine of HK$350,000 and 3 years’ imprisonment |
| False representation to an Immigration Officer, Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115) | Fine of HK$150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years |
| Conspiracy to defraud, at common law and under the Crimes Ordinance | Imprisonment for 14 years |
Note the imprisonment terms. The immigration offences carry 14 years, well above the 3 years for the underpayment itself, because signing a contract at the MAW while intending to pay less is a lie told to the government, not only a wage dispute.
The window-cleaning rule
The Labour Department raised this after a fatal accident, and it is written into the Standard Employment Contract. Before an employer may require a helper to clean the outside of any window that is not on the ground level or adjacent to a balcony or common corridor on which it is reasonably safe to work, both conditions must hold:
- the window is fitted with a grille which is locked or secured in a manner that prevents it from being opened; and
- no part of the helper’s body extends beyond the window ledge except the arms.
An employer who asks a helper to clean outward-facing windows in breach of the contract is in breach of it. This is one of the few safety rules published as a hard, checkable pair of conditions rather than a general duty.
What this page does not carry
It does not carry the food allowance, the travel allowance, the levy an employer pays, contract length, rest day and holiday entitlements, or the termination payments due under the Standard Employment Contract. Those come from the Standard Employment Contract (ID 407) and the Labour Department’s practical guide, neither of which is reproduced here.
It also does not cover Hong Kong visa processing, which is the Immigration Department’s, nor what a helper actually receives after deductions.
The Philippine side
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| DMW processing, manual OEC through a landbased agency | ₱200.00 |
| OWWA membership | USD 25 |
| Pag-IBIG | ₱600.00 |
Charging above the allowable schedule is illegal recruitment under RA 10022, carrying 12 years and 1 day to 20 years and a fine of ₱1,000,000.00 to ₱2,000,000.00. A loan for placement fees may not bear interest above 8% per annum.
The recruitment agencies guide covers checking a licence, the deployment bans and placement fees guide covers when no placement fee may be charged at all, and the OEC guide covers the exit certificate.
Related
The PEOS guide covers the free pre-employment seminar, the kasambahay law guide covers the domestic worker law that applies inside the Philippines, and the working in Taiwan guide covers the other large East Asian destination, and the caregiver salary abroad comparison covers the four destinations that publish caregiver pay, and the domestic helper salary abroad guide covers the USD 500 Philippine floor that applies wherever you are deployed.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is a domestic helper paid in Hong Kong?
- The Minimum Allowable Wage is HK$5,100 a month, with effect from 30 September 2025, applicable to employment contracts signed on or after that date. It is a floor, so a contract may provide more.
- What was the previous rate?
- HK$4,990 a month, which applied to contracts signed between 28 September 2024 and 29 September 2025. Which rate governs your contract depends on the date it was signed, not the date you started work.
- Can I agree to accept less?
- No. Government policy is that foreign domestic helpers employed by local employers must be paid not less than the MAW, and the Director of Immigration will not approve entry where the wage in the Standard Employment Contract is below it. After signing at or above the MAW, an employer cannot later agree a lower wage with the helper.
- What happens to an employer who underpays?
- Underpayment of wages carries, on conviction under the Employment Ordinance, a maximum fine of HK$350,000 and 3 years' imprisonment. The employer may also be committing making a false representation to an Immigration Officer and conspiracy to defraud.
- How serious is the false representation offence?
- Very. Making a false representation under the Immigration Ordinance carries a maximum fine of HK$150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Conspiracy to defraud is also punishable by imprisonment for 14 years.
- How often does the MAW change?
- It is reviewed regularly by the Hong Kong SAR Government, having regard to the general economic and employment situation. The Labour and Welfare Bureau announces the outcome, including when it decides to keep the level unchanged.
- Am I allowed to clean the outside of windows?
- Only under conditions. The Labour Department requires that before an employer asks a helper to clean the outside of a window not on the ground level or next to a balcony or common corridor, the window must be fitted with a grille locked or secured so it cannot be opened, and no part of the helper's body may extend beyond the window ledge except the arms.
- Does the Philippine side still apply?
- Yes. You still need an Overseas Employment Certificate and OWWA membership, and you should be hired through a licensed agency or a qualifying direct hire.