Waiver of foreign worker levies for Migrant Workers and Migrant Domestic Workers during their Stay-Home Notice from January till September 2021

1. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will waive foreign worker levies for all S Pass and Work Permit holders, including Migrant Domestic Workers (MDW), for the duration of their Stay-Home Notice (SHN) from January till September 2021. This is to help employers manage the increased costs associated with the Government’s updated measures to reduce the risk of importing COVID-19 into the community.
2. Since January 2021, the Government has put in place additional border measures and safeguards to reduce the risks of importation of COVID-19 into the community. This includes limiting entry approvals for work pass holders and requiring newly-arrived S Pass and Work Permit holders (including MDWs) to undergo on-arrival testing and serve an SHN. While employers have cooperated with these measures in the interest of public health, some have given feedback that these additional measures have also translated to increased costs.
3. For employers who have already paid levies for their workers for the duration of SHN in January and February 2021, the waivers will be effected as an adjustment and used to offset June 2021’s levy (payable in July 2021). Employers with workers serving their SHN from March to September 2021 will not be required to pay levies for the duration that their workers are on SHN.