Written Answer to PQ on MDW levy concession for young child

NOTICE PAPER NO. 10 OF 2025 FOR THE SITTING ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2025
QUESTION NO. 43 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Gabriel Lam

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in the past five years, how many families have benefitted from the concessionary Migrant Domestic Worker (MDW) levy for parents with children under 16 years old; (b) what proportion of these families were first-time parents; and (c) whether the Ministry has studied demand from first-time parents for MDWs in the months leading up to childbirth.

Answer:

Between 2020 and 2024, an average of 100,000 employers benefitted annually from the concessionary Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) levy for households with children under 16 years old. This concession is a reduction of the MDW levy from $300 to $60 per month for the first MDW and is given to all households with a Singapore Citizen below 16 years old. MOM does not track whether these employers are first-time parents.

2. Households that hire MDWs in the months leading up to childbirth would be eligible for a concessionary levy when the Singaporean child is born. The application process and expected timelines to process work permit applications for MDWs is available online on the MOM website. This supports households to plan for the arrival of their newborn.