Domestic Worker Levy Concession for Disability Caregivers in Singapore

For families caring for a person with a significant disability — particularly those managing complex physical care needs or severe intellectual disabilities that require constant supervision — hiring a Migrant Domestic Worker (MDW) is often not a luxury. It is the practical infrastructure that allows other family members to remain employed, maintain their own health, and avoid complete caregiver burnout.

The standard MDW levy in Singapore is $300 per month. For families where the primary purpose of hiring the MDW is to care for a person with disability, the government provides a significant concession: the levy drops to $60 per month. That is a saving of $2,880 per year, sustained for as long as the concession applies. For families already managing high out-of-pocket care costs — therapy, equipment, transportation — this saving is meaningful.

Who Qualifies for the Concession

The MDW Levy Concession is administered by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). Eligibility is based on the care recipient, not the employer.

To qualify, the person being cared for must:

1. Be a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident
2. Have a medical condition that results in dependence on assistance with at least one Activity of Daily Living (ADL) — as certified by a registered doctor

The six ADLs assessed are: washing, dressing, feeding, toileting, walking/moving around, and transferring (getting in and out of bed or a chair). A person who requires assistance with even one of these activities due to a chronic disability or medical condition may qualify.

Importantly, this assessment does not require the person to be severely disabled in the CareShield Life sense (three or more ADLs impaired). A young adult with severe autism who requires physical prompting for bathing, or a person with cerebral palsy who needs assistance with dressing, may qualify on the basis of a single ADL.

The concession applies per household. A household that has both an elderly parent requiring ADL assistance and an adult child with disability requiring ADL assistance can still only apply the concession rate once per MDW (assuming one MDW is hired for the household).

How to Apply

The application is straightforward. The process runs through the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) portal.

Step 1: Obtain a medical certification from the care recipient's registered doctor (family physician, specialist, or hospital-based doctor) confirming the disability and the specific ADL impairment. The form used is the standard Disability Verification for MDW Levy Concession form, available through AIC.

Step 2: Submit the completed form and supporting documentation through the AIC's online portal (aic.sg) or in person at an AIC Link care centre.

Step 3: Once approved, the concession rate applies to your next MDW levy cycle. MOM updates the levy automatically — there is no need to separately notify MOM once AIC approval is confirmed.

The concession must be renewed periodically when the medical certification expires. Keep track of the renewal date on the certification document to avoid an automatic reversion to the standard levy rate.

Concurrent Concessions

If the care recipient is also a PWD who holds a certified PWD status under MSF (through the Disability Assessment for Assistance Schemes process), the concession eligibility is generally straightforward. Families who have not yet obtained a formal disability certification through MSF or SG Enable may find that initiating the MDW levy concession process prompts them to pursue the broader DVF (Disability Verification Form) process — which is also the gateway to adult disability services like Day Activity Centres and Sheltered Workshops.

For families approaching the post-18 transition, the DVF process and the MDW levy concession documentation can share the same underlying medical assessment — meaning a single comprehensive specialist report can serve both purposes. Ask the assessing doctor to specifically document ADL impairments and the nature of the disability in terms compatible with both the MSF DVF and the AIC levy concession form.

Where the Levy Concession Fits in Broader Caregiver Support

The $60 levy concession is one of several financial tools for caregivers in Singapore. In combination:

• MDW Levy Concession: Reduces monthly MDW levy from $300 to $60
• Handicapped Child Relief or Dependent Relief (Disability): Reduces annual income tax chargeable
• Caregivers Training Grant (CTG): Subsidizes training for MDWs to improve their caregiving skills — particularly relevant for MDWs caring for adults with intellectual disabilities who need specific handling, communication, and behavioral support techniques
• Home Caregiving Grant: Provides monthly cash payouts to lower-income households where a family member is caring for a severely disabled person at home

Each of these sits in a different administrative silo. The MDW levy concession is through AIC/MOM. Tax reliefs are through IRAS. The Caregivers Training Grant is through NTUC. The Home Caregiving Grant is through AIC. No single portal consolidates the application sequence.

For families planning the post-18 transition, understanding all the caregiver support tools simultaneously — rather than discovering them one by one under pressure — is part of the financial planning work that the Singapore Post-School Transition Roadmap addresses in one place.

Practical Considerations for MDWs Caring for Disabled Adults

Hiring an MDW specifically to care for an adult with a significant intellectual disability or behavioral complexity requires additional preparation that families often underestimate:

• MDWs typically arrive with no training in disability care, communication with non-verbal individuals, or behavioral de-escalation
• The Caregivers Training Grant subsidizes training programmes run through NTUC and approved community agencies — this training is worthwhile even for experienced MDWs new to disability care
• Consider working with a Social Service Agency or occupational therapist to develop a structured routine guide and care manual for the MDW — covering communication strategies, behavioral triggers, and daily activity schedule

The monthly financial saving from the levy concession is real, but the investment in proper MDW onboarding and ongoing support is what determines whether the arrangement actually works for the family.

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