Levies & quotas for hiring Foreign Workers

The Foreign Worker Levy, commonly known as 'levy' is a pricing mechanism to regulate the number of Foreign Workers (including Foreign Domestic Workers) in Singapore. While they are not required to pay Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions for Foreign Workers, employers are liable to pay monthly levies to hire employees who hold Work Permits or S Passes.

If a Foreign Worker on the Foreign Worker Levy Scheme is subsequently granted Singapore Permanent Resident status, he will be placed on the CPF scheme. This will take effect from the day he is granted Permanent Resident status.

For your information

• Read here to estimate the quota for Foreign Workers that apply to your industry and your company.
• Click here for a schedule of changes in Dependency Ratio and levy rates from Jul 2013 to Jul 2015.
• From 1 July 2013, Work Permit holders in the Services Sector who earned a fixed monthly salary of at least $1,600 AND have worked in Singapore for at least four years will be upgraded to Skilled status. Employers can update their worker's salary via WPOL. Read here for more information.