Permits and rights

Maid Insurance and Cover

Insurance coverage for a foreign domestic helper is required — but which named scheme applies isn’t settled by any single official document.

The short answer

Every FDH-specific official document is clear that some insurance is required: the JTKSM/ILO employer guide states the contract requires "adequate insurance coverage for medical treatment, hospitalisation, compensation and repatriation expenses," and the model contract itself commits the employer to cover medical treatment and risk compensation. What isn’t settled is the specific scheme name. A separate, general-purpose JTKSM contract template names SPIKPA and FWCS specifically, but that naming appears nowhere in the FDH-specific documents. And Immigration’s general extension checklist that lists them sits under a sector table that doesn’t include domestic helpers at all.

At a glance

Coverage required
Yes — medical, hospitalisation, compensation, repatriationThe JTKSM/ILO employer guide names all four categories directly; its own model FDH contract clause is narrower, committing the employer to medical treatment and risk compensation specifically. Neither names a specific scheme.
Named schemes elsewhere
SPIKPA and FWCSNamed in JTKSM’s separate general-purpose contract template and Immigration’s general extension checklist — neither is FDH-specific in its own title.
A separate, confirmed layer
PERKESO Employment Injury SchemeA foreign domestic worker is covered under PERKESO’s Act 4 Employment Injury Scheme (from 1 June 2021, employer-paid); from 1 June 2026 a phased employer-and-worker contribution is added under the LINDUNG 24 Jam scheme — a different agency and mechanism from SPIKPA/FWCS.
Cost figure
No official premium foundOnly conflicting insurance-broker marketing figures exist for SPIKPA/FWCS — none traced to a government or insurer primary source.

What’s clearly required, and what isn’t named

The FDH-specific documents are consistent on the substance: the JTKSM/ILO employer guide states the contract of employment requires adequate insurance covering medical treatment, hospitalisation, compensation, and repatriation expenses. Its own model contract, in Annexe 1, commits the employer specifically to provide insurance covering medical treatment expenses and risk compensation. Neither document names a specific scheme by brand — the language throughout is generic "insurance."

That’s a genuine gap worth naming rather than papering over: a household reading only the FDH-specific guidance has a clear substantive obligation but no named product to ask an insurer for by that exact term.

Where SPIKPA and FWCS come from, and why the fit isn’t confirmed

JTKSM’s separate, general-purpose Contract of Employment template — not titled for domestic workers specifically — names two schemes directly: the Foreign Worker’s Compensation Scheme (FWCS) under the Workmen’s Compensation Act 1952, and, "if applicable," the Foreign Workers Health Insurance Scheme (SPIKPA). Immigration’s general Foreign Worker extension checklist separately lists both as required documents for extension — but that checklist sits under a sector table covering manufacturing, construction, plantation, agriculture, and services, which does not include domestic helper placement, and the FDH page’s own extension document list doesn’t repeat either scheme.

A further layer, established separately: since 1 June 2021, a foreign domestic worker has been covered under PERKESO’s own Act 4 Employment Injury Scheme (employer-paid), with a phased employer-and-worker contribution added under the LINDUNG 24 Jam scheme from 1 June 2026 — under a different agency and law entirely from SPIKPA/FWCS. Whether that PERKESO coverage substitutes for, duplicates, or sits alongside a separate SPIKPA/FWCS obligation isn’t addressed by any official source found. The honest position: coverage is required, and the exact scheme applicable to a specific household’s FDH is worth confirming directly with the appointed agency or Immigration, rather than assuming SPIKPA is automatically the answer.

On cost — why no figure is stated here

No official premium or cost figure for SPIKPA or FWCS was found on Immigration’s, JTKSM’s, or PERKESO’s own published pages. The only cost figures found come from insurance-broker marketing pages, and they don’t even agree with each other — describing two different named products at two different price points. Neither is traceable to a government or insurer primary source.

If a specific premium matters for household budgeting, the reliable route is confirming it directly with an appointed insurer or Immigration, not treating either broker figure as an official number.

The rules and figures here follow official Malaysian sources as at the review date, and your own situation can differ. Check what applies to your own case with the Immigration Department of Malaysia for permits and passes, or the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia for agency licensing and employment terms, before you act on it.

Questions this page answers

Is insurance required for a foreign domestic helper?

Yes — the JTKSM/ILO employer guide states the contract requires coverage spanning her medical care, time in hospital, compensation, and the cost of sending her home; its own model FDH contract clause is narrower, committing the employer specifically to medical treatment and risk compensation.

Is SPIKPA the specific scheme I need to buy?

It’s named in a separate general-purpose contract template and Immigration’s general extension checklist, but neither the FDH-specific guide nor the FDH-specific extension document list names it — this isn’t settled by any single official source. Confirm directly with Immigration or an appointed insurer.

Does PERKESO coverage already handle this?

PERKESO’s Act 4 Employment Injury Scheme has covered foreign domestic workers since 1 June 2021 (employer-paid), with a phased employer-and-worker contribution added under LINDUNG 24 Jam from 1 June 2026 — but no official source addresses whether this substitutes for or sits alongside a separate SPIKPA/FWCS requirement.

How much does the required insurance cost?

No official premium figure was found on any government page. Only conflicting insurance-broker marketing figures exist, at different price points for different named products — neither should be treated as an official cost.

What does the required coverage need to include?

The JTKSM/ILO guide names four categories directly: her medical treatment, time spent in hospital, compensation, and the cost of repatriation.

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DomesticHelper editorial teamReviewed 14 August 2026Sourced from Malaysian government registriesIndependent of the hiring agenciesEditorial standards
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