( Home employee falls sick ) Employers must pay medical payments? Authorities outpatient charges? How is sick depart calculated?

*The above data is for reference solely as of April 17, 2026. All data is topic to the bulletins of the related insurance coverage corporations.

Is there a system for calculating paid sick depart for international home helpers?

In keeping with Hong Kong regulationOverseas home helpers can accumulate 2 days of paid sick depart for every full month of employment throughout the first 12 months of employment; thereafter, they will accumulate 4 days of paid sick depart for every full month of employment, with a most of 120 days of paid sick depart.

So long as the home helper can present a correct physician’s certificates, the employer can…It’s obligatory to permit home helpers to take paid sick depart. Throughout sick depart, a home helper’s wages are equal to four-fifths of their common every day wage, and have to be paid no later than the conventional payday.

What do you have to do in case your home helper contracts a critical sickness?

Can a home helper be dismissed because of sickness?

Cannot. In keeping with Hong Kong regulationit’s unlawful for an employer to dismiss a home helper on the grounds of sickness. As soon as convicted, the employer could also be fined as much as $100,000. The home helper might also search compensation from the employer for wrongful dismissal.

Medical repatriation: Assure for international home helpers to return residence for medical therapy when significantly sick

In keeping with the usual employment contract, if a home helper turns into significantly sick and is unable to work and must be despatched again to her hometown for therapy, the employer should bear her airfare and transportation prices. Most home helper insurance coverage insurance policies cowl the price of sending a home helper again to her nation of origin when she is significantly sick.

What must be executed if a home helper turns into pregnant or miscarries?

Below Hong Kong regulation, home helpers who’ve served their employers for 40 weeks or extra below their contract are entitled to 14 weeks of paid maternity depart; those that have served lower than 40 weeks are entitled to unpaid maternity depart. Employers can’t dismiss a home helper because of being pregnant, but when the helper deliberately hid her being pregnant on the time of employment, the employer shouldn’t be obligated to pay maternity depart wages. For any questions concerning a home helper’s being pregnant, you possibly can search help from Path Finders and associated organizations.

Learn how to deal with a pregnant home helper

1. Home helpers should notify their employers of their being pregnant and procure affirmation from a physician, offering a medical certificates with the anticipated due date (EDC). With out a legitimate purpose, employers can’t dismiss home helpers on the grounds of being pregnant.

2. Employers can communicate with the pregnant home helper and perceive her ideas. For instance, whether or not it’s essential to return to the native land to provide start and postpartum plans, and so forth.

3. Modify the work content material of pregnant home helpers based on their bodily situation, and keep away from assigning them harmful or bodily demanding jobs, comparable to climbing or lifting heavy objects.

4. Organize maternity depart for home helpers, which often begins 2 to 4 weeks earlier than their due date.

5. Some complete home helper insurance policy cowl the extra bills incurred by employers when hiring abroad home helpers throughout their maternity depart. If obligatory, employers can evaluate the phrases and situations of the bought insurance coverage plan to make a declare.

Strategies for dealing with miscarriages of home helpers

If a home helper suffers a miscarriage throughout being pregnant, the employer ought to deal with it as sick depart and grant the helper sick depart based mostly on a physician’s certificates. Through the related sick depart interval, the employer could not terminate the employment contract. If the international home helper is employed by “Steady Contracts” and has amassed sufficient paid sick depart, Employers should present international home helpers with a sick depart allowance equal to 4/5 of their common every day wage.

Employers aren’t required to pay for bills associated to the home helper’s being pregnant.

Overseas home helpers are entitled to entry Hong Kong’s public medical companies throughout their employment contract interval, having fun with the identical prenatal and postnatal checkups as residents, and also can give start in public hospitals; if the home helper presents a legitimate physician’s certificates, the employer ought to deal with it as sick depart, however Employers aren’t required to pay any bills associated to the home helper’s being pregnant or childbirth. For instance, examination charges or child provides.

Relating to miscarriages of home helpers, until there’s a physician’s certificates or different proof that the miscarriage was brought on by work-related causes, the employer shouldn’t be required to bear the associated bills. Most complete home helper insurance coverage insurance policies don’t cowl all problems associated to the home helper’s being pregnant, miscarriage, abortion, and childbirth. Employers must rigorously evaluate the coverage phrases and situations.

Are Indonesian and Filipino home helpers reluctant to see docs because of sickness? How ought to employers reply?

Some Filipino and Indonesian home helpers often solely take over-the-counter medication or wait for his or her our bodies to get better on their very own, and infrequently search medical therapy on their very own, as a result of in search of medical therapy in hospitals of their hometowns may be very costly.

Nonetheless, in Hong Kong, if a home helper is sick and refuses to hunt medical therapy, the employer can clarify the scenario in Hong Kong to the helper. If they’re afraid of taking medication, the employer and the helper can go to a clinic or hospital collectively in order that the physician can clarify the sickness and the need of taking the treatment. The employer also needs to patiently talk with the helper to make them perceive that taking medication will assist them get better sooner, relatively than merely blaming them.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions

Can an employer dismiss a home helper who’s on sick depart or pregnant?

No. In keeping with Hong Kong regulation, apart from home helpers who’re instantly dismissed for critical misconduct, it’s unlawful for an employer to dismiss a home helper on the grounds of sickness or being pregnant. Upon conviction, the employer could also be fined as much as HK$100,000, and the home helper might also search compensation for unreasonable dismissal from the employer.

If a home helper will get sick or injured throughout her depart, is the employer required to pay for her medical bills?

Sure, it’s required. In keeping with Hong Kong’s Normal Employment Contract, if a home helper turns into sick or injured throughout employment, no matter whether or not it’s work-related, the employer is obligated to offer free medical care, together with session charges, hospitalization charges, and emergency dental care. This doesn’t apply if the home helper turns into sick or injured whereas voluntarily leaving Hong Kong for private causes.

Do home helper insurance coverage insurance policies embrace essential sickness protection?

Most home helper insurance coverage insurance policies don’t cowl essential sickness, solely offering primary hospitalization and outpatient medical protection. If employers want to cowl critical diseases comparable to most cancers or coronary heart illness for his or her home helpers, they will add non-obligatory upgrades comparable to “essential sickness protection” or select a higher-level insurance coverage plan based mostly on the protection particulars.

Can a maid who sees a dentist declare insurance coverage?

Overseas home helpers are usually solely eligible to assert reimbursement for emergency dental care, comparable to tooth extractions, fillings, or ache reduction. Most of those claims have annual reimbursement caps or limits per go to. Nonetheless, if the helper’s dental issues aren’t emergencies, comparable to easy tooth cleansing or whitening, the regulation doesn’t mandate employers to pay for therapy, and insurance coverage won’t cowl such instances.