Renewing a Work Permit is one of those tasks that feels simple right up until it is urgent.
It is genuinely straightforward if you start when the letter arrives. It is also the one moment in two years when it is worth stopping to ask whether this is still the right arrangement for your household.
The renewal calendar
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| About 3 months before expiry | Planning time. Talk to her, decide together whether you are both carrying on, and agree the terms. Nothing can be submitted yet. |
| About 8 weeks before | MOM's renewal letter arrives. This is the starting gun. You cannot renew until you have it. |
| Once the letter is in hand | Renew online. Processing is immediate. |
| Before the expiry date | It has to be done. There is no grace period. |
| After renewal | The permit usually runs another 2 years. It can be shorter if the insurance runs under 26 months, or if she is approaching 60. |
Renewing as soon as the letter arrives costs you nothing in permit time. The renewed permit still runs a full term from the current expiry date, so there is no reason to sit on it.
Decide together
Renewal is also her decision, so it should be a joint decision. She may have plans of her own, family reasons to go home, or a view about staying that she has not raised because nobody asked.
Ask her early and plainly. It is a better conversation at eight weeks than at two.
Settle the terms, in writing
Agree all of it before you renew.
| Term | What to agree |
|---|---|
| Salary | The figure for the new term, and the date it starts. |
| Off days | She must have at least one rest day a month that cannot be compensated away. The remaining weekly rest days can be paid in lieu only if she agrees. Agree the pattern for the new term. |
| Home leave | Paid home leave is standard in Singapore. The usual arrangement is 14 days of paid leave for every two years worked. |
| Air ticket | You pay for her flight home. Agree who books it. |
| Travel dates | Fixed against your own calendar now. |
| Reimbursement | If she takes cash instead of the trip or the ticket, write down the amount and when it is paid. |
Repatriation is separate. Whenever her employment ends for good, you pay to send her home, including the flight and connecting transport.
If she is away for at least 7 consecutive days you can claim a levy waiver, capped at 60 calendar days a year. Apply when she returns, with her flight or ferry ticket as support. Her six-monthly medical can be deferred while she is away.
MOM's letter arrives
About 8 weeks before her permit expires. Until it arrives there is nothing to submit, so everything above is planning. If you have a WPOL account you can view and print the letter there instead of waiting for the post.
Get the documents ready
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Renewal form | MOM's renewal notice, the letter itself. Nothing can be submitted without it. Print it from WPOL if you would rather not wait for the post. |
| Passport page | A scan of the personal particulars page. |
| Medical form | Only if your renewal letter asks for it. |
| Security bond | S$5,000. Not required for Malaysian helpers. |
| Personal accident insurance | Minimum sum assured S$60,000, covering the new term. |
| Medical insurance | At least S$60,000 a year for in-patient care and day surgery. |
| Levy | In good standing. It is due by the 17th of each following month. |
Her passport does not have to be valid
Her passport is no longer tied to her Work Permit duration. You can renew even if it has already expired, or has less than two years left on it.
This rule changed and a lot of advice online has not caught up, so employers still rush embassy appointments they do not need before renewing. She will need a valid passport to travel, so it is worth sorting out, but it is not holding up the renewal.
Renew online before it expires
Submitted through the FDW eService, the renewal itself is processed immediately.
The six-monthly medical runs on its own clock
Separate from renewal, you must send your helper for a medical examination every six months throughout her employment. It screens for pregnancy and for infectious diseases including syphilis, HIV and tuberculosis.
Miss the six-monthly medical and her Work Permit is revoked.
You can check when her next one is due on the FDW eService. If she is 50 or above she is exempt from the six-monthly examination, but she still needs a medical when you renew.
If your household has changed
Two years is long enough for a household to change completely. A helper who was right for two school-age children is not automatically right for a newborn or for a parent who now needs real care.
If that is your situation, say so rather than renewing by default. We have written separately on what a helper trained in infant care actually does, and on what an eldercare helper does day to day.
Starting at the 8-week letter rather than the final fortnight is what gives you a real choice. Leave it late and the only option left is to renew.
Rules and figures here are set by the Ministry of Manpower and can change, so confirm the current position on the MOM website or ask us and we will check it with you.
Permit coming up for renewal
Tell us your helper's expiry date and we will track the timeline, tell you what is needed and when, quote you the cost, and handle the paperwork. If your household has changed, browse who is available at unistarr.com.sg/helpers or talk it through with a consultant at either branch.
Bukit Timah +65 9723 4920
Katong +65 9647 4781
Mon-Fri 11am-7pm · Sat-Sun 11am-5pm
Unistarr Employment Pte Ltd · MOM EA Licence 15C7448
As featured on CNA + 8world, June 2026
