Cost analysis

Reading a Domestic-Helper Cost Quote: Fixed, Variable and Uncapped

A domestic-helper quote mixes three kinds of number: fixed statutory costs, variable amounts you influence, and an agency service fee that has no official ceiling. Telling them apart is how you compare quotes fairly.

The short answer

Split any quote into three parts. Statutory costs — the permit and visa fees, the FOMEMA medical, PERKESO — are largely fixed by rule. Variable costs — mainly salary and some optional items — depend on the arrangement. The agency service fee is the third part, and there is no official cap on what an agency may charge a household for its service, which is exactly why quotes vary and must be compared line by line.

At a glance

Statutory
Set by rulePermit and visa fees, the FOMEMA medical and PERKESO follow official requirements, not the agency’s discretion.
Variable
You influence itSalary and some optional items depend on the role and the agreement.
Agency fee
No official household capNo published cap governs what an agency charges a household, so this is where quotes diverge most.

The three parts behave differently

Statutory items are the closest to fixed: they come from government requirements, so two honest quotes should show similar figures there. If they differ wildly, that is a question to ask, not a discount to celebrate. One common confusion: the annual foreign-worker levy isn’t a fee to leave off the sheet — Immigration bundles it into the approval and PLKS-extension payment, so it belongs in the statutory bucket, not zero.

The agency service fee is the opposite. Research into the licensing framework found no official ceiling on what an agency may charge a household for its service, so this component is where quotes legitimately vary — and where a like-for-like written comparison matters most.

Compare written line items, not headline totals

A single total hides which part is doing the work. Ask each agency to itemise the statutory costs, the salary basis and its own service fee separately, in writing, so you are comparing the same lines rather than one number against another.

The full first-year cost breakdown is on the cost hub; this read is about how to interpret what you are handed. When a figure is missing or vague, treat the gap itself as the thing to clarify before paying.

Questions this page answers

Is there a legal cap on the agency fee to a household?

There is no official cap on what an agency charges a household for its service, which is why household-facing quotes vary. Compare written itemised quotes.

Which costs should look similar across quotes?

The statutory items — permit and visa fees, FOMEMA and PERKESO — since they follow official requirements rather than agency discretion. The annual levy belongs there too — Immigration bundles it into the approval and PLKS-extension payment, so it isn’t a line to expect at zero.

Why do totals differ so much between agencies?

Usually because of the service fee and the salary basis. Ask for an itemised written quote so you can see which part differs.

DomesticHelper editorial teamReviewed 17 August 2026Sourced from Malaysian government registriesIndependent of the hiring agenciesEditorial standards
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