HelperDoc Blog
Practical guides for hiring and employing a domestic helper — contracts, salary, visas, terminations, and more.
Tools
Wages
Helper minimum wage rises to HK$5,220 (2026): what employers must know
HK$5,220 for contracts signed on or after 3 October 2026, the 30 October transition for HK$5,100 contracts, renewals, the unchanged HK$1,236 food allowance and the cost impact.
Contracts
Renewing your helper’s contract in Hong Kong: forms, home leave, air ticket and timeline
The 8-week ImmD window, ID 988A / ID 988B / ID 407, home leave or deferral, who pays the ticket, the consulate step and a sample timeline.
Hiring
Transfer, finished-contract or terminated helper: what’s the difference and which should you hire?
What 轉約, 完約 and 斷約 mean under Immigration rules, why the 14 days is a deadline to leave rather than a job-hunting window, and how each choice changes your timeline.
Hiring
How to hire a domestic helper yourself in Hong Kong (2026): the complete direct-hire guide
Direct hire step by step: eligibility, checking candidates, ID 407 and the visa forms, consulate and home-country steps for Filipino and Indonesian helpers, insurance, arrival and HKID.
Forms
How to fill in ID 407, ID 988A and ID 988B: a field-by-field guide for employers
Which form is the helper’s and which is yours, what each part asks for, the signature and household-member rules, and the mistakes that get applications returned.
Hiring
Filipino or Indonesian helper? Language, experience, process and costs compared
A fact-based comparison: what Hong Kong law treats identically, how the Philippine and Indonesian processes and cost rules differ, and how to choose the person rather than the nationality.
Termination
Severance vs long service payment: which one do you owe your helper?
The two statutory lump sums explained — the shared formula, who qualifies for which, why you never pay both, and the deadlines that catch employers out.
Leave
Rest days, statutory holidays and annual leave for domestic helpers in Hong Kong
The three kinds of time off every helper is entitled to, what each one pays, the first-3-months holiday rule, and what unused leave costs at the end of a contract.
Hiring
The real cost of hiring a domestic helper in Hong Kong (full budget guide)
Beyond the minimum wage: food allowance, insurance, agency fees, flights, medical costs and the end-of-contract payments employers forget to budget for.
Termination
Your helper just resigned — the employer's step-by-step guide
What a valid resignation looks like, the notice money a helper may owe you, exactly what you still must pay, the 7-day ImmD notification, and hiring the replacement.
Termination
How to legally terminate a domestic helper contract in Hong Kong
Step-by-step guide for employers and helpers — notice periods, statutory payments, immigration paperwork, and the common mistakes that cost both sides money.