1. What is the Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Concession for Persons with Disabilities scheme?The
Foreign Domestic Worker, or FDW for short, Levy Concession scheme enables families to pay a lower monthly levy when employing FDWs as full-time caregivers of their loved ones with disabilities.
This scheme is administered by the Centre for Enabled Living, or CEL for short.
2. How is this scheme different from the existing FDW levy concession?The existing levy concession scheme applies to employers with children below 12 years old and elderly aged 65 and above, who live at the same registered address.
This scheme is now extended to families of persons with disabilities.
3. How much is the levy concession?The levy concession is $95 per month. Employers who have received approval of the concession under this scheme will pay a levy of $170 per month, instead of the normal levy of $265 per month.
4. What are the eligibility criteria?To qualify for this scheme, the person with disabilities must require assistance in at least one of the six Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs for short, which are – bathing, feeding, toileting, transferring, dressing, and mobility.
He/she must be the employer of the FDW or related to the employer – for instance, be the child, grandchild, spouse, sibling, sibling-in-law, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, or grandparent-in-law of the employer.
He/she should also be a Singapore Citizen.
If the person with disabilities is not the employer, then he/she should be staying with the employer at the same NRIC-registered address.
5. How do I apply for this scheme?Please download the
application form and a
prescribed assessment report. You then need to seek an
appointed medical practitioner to assess the person with disabilities, using the prescribed assessment report provided by CEL.
You may submit the completed Application Form, the Medical Assessment Report and the required supporting documents to CEL via one of these methods :
a) Via email at schemes@cel.sg (documents scanned and attached in PDF or jpeg)
b) Via fax to +65 6226 2366
c) Via mail to No 7 Maxwell Road, #05-08, Annexe B, MND Complex, Singapore 069111
6. Can I see my family doctor for the medical assessment report?No. The medical assessment report must be filled up by an
appointed medical practitioner.
7. How much time is needed to process the application?
The application will be processed within 15 working days from the date of receipt of the complete application (ie with all the required supporting documents in place).
8. How will I know if my application is successful?CEL will only inform you of the outcome of your disability assessment. If the assessment supports your application for the levy concession, CEL will send your application to the Ministry of Manpower, or MOM for short, for processing.
MOM will inform you of the outcome of your levy concession application.
9. Will I be reimbursed for the cost of seeking medical assessment?No. Applicants to the scheme need to pay for the full cost of the medical assessment. This cost will not be refunded even if your application is not supported or approved.
10. If my application for the levy concession is approved, when will the concession take effect?The concession will start from the 1st of the following month after the approval has been issued.
For example, if your application for the concession is approved on 15 January, the concession will take effect the next month, from 1 February onwards.
11. If I employ more than 1 FDW and have received approval under this scheme, will I get a levy concession for all my FDWs employed?You are eligible for a levy concession for only one FDW for each person with disabilities in your household.
Also, each household is only eligible for levy concessions for employing up to two FDWs at any one time. This includes concessions granted for households with young children aged below 12 and elderly aged 65 and above.
12. Will I automatically qualify for employing a FDW if I have already obtained approval for the concession?Obtaining approval for the concession does not automatically qualify you to employ a FDW. Whether you can employ a FDW will be subject to MOM’s criteria and approval.
13. I currently have not employed a FDW. But I intend to hire one as I have a person with disabilities staying with me. I would like to know whether I qualify for the concession before I apply with MOM to employ a FDW. Can I apply for the concession first, before applying for a FDW? It is advisable that you seek MOM’s approval to employ a FDW before you submit an application for the levy concession. This is because the cost incurred in obtaining a medical assessment for the person with disabilities will not be refunded to you if your application for the concession is not supported or approved.
14. I am not staying with the person with disabilities, but I would like to engage a FDW. Do I qualify for the levy concession?If you are not staying with the person with disabilities, you will need to apply directly to MOM under its sponsorship schemes. You can contact MOM at 6438 5122.