PERKESO is mandatory; EPF is not — the distinction that trips households up
PERKESO/SOCSO registration is mandatory for a domestic helper, the same scheme that applies to other foreign workers. For a foreign helper the coverage is Act 4 — the Employment Injury Scheme, plus the Invalidity Scheme since 1 July 2024 — but not Act 800’s Employment Insurance System (a widely-quoted split-contribution rate you may see elsewhere describes the Malaysian/PR rate under both Acts, not this one). Non-compliance carries a real penalty — up to RM10,000 or two years, which is reason enough to register before the first payment rather than after a question comes up.
EPF/KWSP works differently for foreign domestic workers: contribution is optional. Both employer and helper may choose to contribute, but neither has to, and opting out is not a compliance issue the way skipping PERKESO would be. Households sometimes assume both schemes work the same way. They don’t — sorting out which is which before the first payroll run avoids over- or under-contributing.
- PERKESO: mandatory — Act 4 Employment Injury and Invalidity Scheme cover for a foreign helper — confirm the current schedule with PERKESO.
- EPF/KWSP: optional, by election, for foreign domestic workers.
- Confirm current rates directly with PERKESO and KWSP before the first payment.
What a salary payment record should contain
Whatever the payment method — bank transfer or cash — the record that matters is the same: the amount paid, the date, the period it covers, and (for cash) a signed or acknowledged receipt. A payslip-style note takes minutes to prepare and is the single easiest thing to produce if a payment question ever comes up.
Keep records on both sides, not just the employer’s. A domestic helper who also keeps a copy of each payment has the same protection the record is meant to provide, and a household that can produce a full year of dated records has a much easier time with any official query than one relying on memory.
Where the national minimum wage fits in
The national minimum wage, RM1,700 a month as of 2025, is the floor to check any agreed salary against regardless of the helper’s route or nationality — a figure worth confirming is still current before finalising a salary, since minimum-wage figures are reviewed periodically. It is not itself a maid-specific rate; treat it as the baseline a salary discussion starts from, not the number to agree to without further comparison.
Route-specific market ranges exist on top of that floor, but the minimum wage is the one figure that applies regardless of which route a household is considering.