Honest, practical guides for Hong Kong families navigating domestic helper hiring, visas, salaries, and compliance in 2026.
Need a helper soon? Compare route-specific planning ranges, see what Immigration controls, and prepare the documents most likely to prevent avoidable delay.
A source-led guide to hiring a domestic helper already in Hong Kong, with clear distinctions between completed contracts, early termination and exceptional cases.
A practical, balanced comparison of digital hiring platforms and traditional agencies for Hong Kong employers, including support, costs, timing, and compliance.
Run a safer, more structured interview with 50 job-relevant questions, answer prompts, reference checks, practical observations and a fair scoring framework.
HelperChoice helped make fee-free online recruitment more visible in Hong Kong. Here is what employers should check in 2026 before choosing its self-service model.
HelperPlace offers a large, app-based marketplace for finding domestic helpers. This review separates its discovery features from the checks, contracts, visas, and origin-country steps employers must still confirm.
Ending a helper contract requires more than a termination letter. Follow the notice, settlement, Immigration Department, departure, and replacement-hiring steps.
Compare Fair Employment Agency with SeekHelpers, direct-hire platforms and traditional agencies on ethics, service model, tools, pricing and practical fit.
A dated, source-led comparison of eight ways to find and hire a domestic helper in Hong Kong, from DIY listings to full-service agencies.
HelperLibrary and JollyHelper both help Hong Kong employers find domestic helpers, but their DIY subscription and full-service agency models suit different needs.
What employers should do when a domestic helper is pregnant: current legal rights, pay, reimbursement, safe duties, healthcare and a practical checklist.
You've been thinking about hiring a domestic helper in Hong Kong for weeks, maybe months. This guide exists to end the confusion and answer every real question honestly.
The current MAW and food entitlement are the starting point for every Hong Kong domestic helper contract. This guide explains DH salary, DH pay, and the employer's real monthly obligations in 2026.
Covers all three contract situations, POLO/Indonesian consulate requirements, e-visa changes, fees, and realistic timelines for 2026.
Neither nationality is inherently better. Compare each candidate's communication, care experience, cooking, references and case-specific hiring route.
368,000 foreign domestic helpers work in Hong Kong. Thousands of new hires happen every month. But which method gets you the right person — without the stress, the overcharging, and the waiting?
EC insurance is mandatory, but it does not remove an employer’s broader medical-treatment obligation. Compare cover, gaps and policy terms before Day 1.
Build a realistic helper budget from the legal wage and food rules, then add insurance, route-specific processing, travel and the service plan you choose.
Whether your helper's contract is ending and you want to renew, or you need to terminate early — this guide covers every rule, form, cost, and timeline you need to know.
Elderly care helpers are the fastest-growing hiring segment in Hong Kong. But not every helper is suited for this role. Here's what separates an excellent elderly care helper from a general helper.
Traditional agency matching relies on staff scrolling 500+ profiles by gut feel. AI considers 50+ factors simultaneously, explains every recommendation, and gets smarter with every placement.
Transfer helpers can start in 4–6 weeks and cost HK$706 in mandatory fees. Overseas helpers take 8–14 weeks and cost HK$2,000–6,000+ more. But the right choice depends on factors beyond the numbers.
The Hong Kong Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) and the Standard Employment Contract govern every FDH employment. Most employers don't read them. The ones who do avoid legal complaints, LD investigations, and costly disputes.
Infant care is a specialised skill set that general housework experience does not cover. A helper who has managed a household for 3 years may have zero experience with a newborn. Here's how to hire the right person.
Most employer-helper breakdowns are not sudden crises. They build gradually — small concerns that aren't addressed, small adjustments that never happen. Catching the pattern early and responding correctly protects everyone.
Hong Kong employer-side agency fees range from HK$8,000 to HK$23,000 for a single hire. There's no legal cap on what agencies can charge employers. Here's what's included, what's a markup, and how to evaluate the cost.
Older cost guides and calculators still add HK$400 a month, but Hong Kong abolished the foreign domestic helper employer levy in 2013.
Sick leave, annual leave, and rest days are statutory rights under Cap. 57, not perks. Getting them wrong — even accidentally — can result in back-payment orders, fines, and damaged trust. Here's everything you need to know.
Every foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong works on a specific FDH visa. As the employer, you are the visa sponsor — which means you are legally responsible for the application, the conditions, and compliance throughout the 2-year contract.
Many employers assume MPF works the same way for domestic helpers as it does for office workers. It doesn't. FDHs are specifically exempt from the Mandatory Provident Fund Ordinance — but employers still have significant long-term financial obligations they must plan for.
Every employer of a foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong must either provide free food or pay HK$1,236/month. Here's everything you need to know about the food allowance — what it covers, who pays, and what happens if you get it wrong.
Traditional Hong Kong domestic helper agencies typically charge HK$10,000–20,000 in placement fees on top of mandatory government costs. SeekHelpers (EA 82832) charges significantly less — passing through only ImmD and POLO/MWO government fees. This post compares both models across 8 dimensions with data verified against Hong Kong Labour Department and Immigration Department sources.
Most Hong Kong employers search for a helper online and get overwhelmed. This guide covers every route, what to look for, and the red flags that cost families thousands.
The 2-week rule is one of the most misunderstood immigration conditions in Hong Kong's domestic helper system. Get the facts — what it means, when it applies, and how to avoid costly mistakes.
Many employers are unclear on how public holidays work for domestic helpers in Hong Kong — particularly the difference between statutory holidays and general holidays, and what to do when a holiday falls on a Sunday.
Pregnancy is one of the most legally sensitive situations in a domestic helper employment contract. Here is what every Hong Kong employer needs to know.
Rest day rules for domestic helpers in Hong Kong are stricter than most employers realise. Getting them wrong exposes you to fines and Labour Tribunal claims.
A clear job description is the single most effective way to reduce mismatches and helper turnover. Here's how to write one that works.
Larger families sometimes need more than one helper. There is no legal restriction on hiring two — but the paperwork, costs, and accommodation obligations double.
Paying a domestic helper's wages in cash is allowed, but most employers and helpers prefer direct bank transfer. Here is what you need to know about bank account requirements.
The notice period for domestic helpers in Hong Kong is clearly set out in the Standard Employment Contract. Here is what employers and helpers need to know before ending a contract.
Medical insurance requirements for domestic helpers in Hong Kong are stricter than many employers realise. Here is exactly what the law requires and what you should add on top.
Every domestic helper in Hong Kong must be employed under the government's Standard Employment Contract, Form ID407. Here is what every employer needs to understand before signing.
A practical 2026 guide to domestic helper annual leave and sick leave in Hong Kong: days by service year, pay calculations, sickness allowance, protection and unused leave.
Every Hong Kong employer must pay HK$1,236/month or provide free adequate meals. This guide explains every rule, the cash vs meals decision, documentation requirements, and what happens if you get it wrong.
Ending a domestic helper contract early is legal — but only if you follow the correct notice period, settle all outstanding entitlements, and file the right paperwork. This guide covers every step.
Hong Kong has announced a HK$120 increase in the foreign domestic helper Minimum Allowable Wage. Find out which contracts use HK$5,220, what stays unchanged and how the 30 October transition deadline works.
Direct Hire commonly starts with a helper you have already identified. SeekHelpers Self Hire adds candidate discovery before the processing stage.
These are mostly market labels, not official Hong Kong legal categories. Use this glossary to ask providers the right questions.
A processing-only Direct Hire package normally starts with a named helper, but you still have employer-led and agency-led ways to find one.
Start with the helper’s exact status, then confirm eligibility, sign ID 407 and follow the applicable MWO, consular and Immigration steps.
Ready to hire?
Post a job in under 2 minutes. No payment required to browse or contact helpers.