MOM sends the renewal letter about 8 weeks before the permit expires. Renewal costs $35, is processed immediately once submitted, and gives you a permit that is usually valid for 2 years.
The renewal itself is quick. What catches people out is the paperwork that has to be in place before you can submit — insurance, the security bond, and sometimes a medical examination. This guide covers the sequence, the costs, and the deadlines that carry a penalty.
Renewal is $35. The larger ongoing cost is the monthly levy, which continues throughout employment:
The concessionary rate is available to families with a young child, an elderly member, or a person with disability — a substantial difference, and worth checking your eligibility rather than assuming. Levy is due by the 17th of the following month, usually by GIRO, and stops only when the permit expires or is cancelled.
This is a separate obligation from renewal, and an easier one to lose track of because it recurs on its own cycle. Your helper must be sent for a medical screening every six months, covering pregnancy and infectious diseases including syphilis, HIV and tuberculosis.
It is not a formality: MOM can revoke the Work Permit if the employer fails to send her on time.
Letting the permit lapse is the expensive mistake. You remain liable for the levy after expiry, and MOM may add levy penalties or an overstaying fine on top.
If you know you cannot renew in time — you are travelling, or the insurance has not come through — request an extension from MOM. An extension asked for in advance is an administrative step; a permit that quietly expires is a penalty.
Between them, these obligations produce three recurring dates that arrive on different cycles: Work Permit expiry every two years, the six-monthly medical examination, and passport expiry, which can quietly block a renewal if it is too close.
HAH! keeps all three in one place and shows them to both you and your helper, with the nearest ones surfaced on the home screen as they approach — so a renewal window does not depend on anyone remembering. If you also want the salary side handled, the salary calculator and the rest day rules guide cover that.
This guide summarises the Ministry of Manpower's published rules as at August 2026 and is not legal advice. The authoritative sources are MOM's pages on renewing a Work Permit, paying the levy, and the six-monthly medical examination. Rates and requirements change — check them before relying on anything here.