Split the cost into what recurs and what does not
The panic behind a replacement is usually one question: am I paying twice? The calmer way to see it is to split the cost the same way any hire splits — statutory items, the agency service fee, and variable costs — and ask which of those recur for a new worker.
Statutory items attach to the individual worker, so a new helper can mean a fresh FOMEMA medical, PERKESO registration and permit or visa charges. The annual foreign-worker levy is part of that bundle too — Immigration includes it in the approval and PLKS-extension payment for each worker, so budget for it again rather than assuming it drops out. The agency service fee is the part that varies most: whether you pay it again is decided entirely by the replacement terms in your package — which is why reading that clause first is the single most useful thing you can do.
What to check before you assume the worst
Most of the fear comes from not knowing the clause. A few checks turn the worst-case guess into a real number.
- Read your replacement clause: window, number of replacements, and what is included.
- List which statutory items recur for a new worker.
- Confirm whether an agency service fee applies again under your package.
- Budget for the levy again too — Immigration bundles it into the approval and PLKS-extension payment for each worker.
- Get any replacement cost in writing before agreeing, not as a verbal figure.