MOM's rule is that you must provide your helper with 3 meals a day. A cash food allowance does not replace that duty: the employer stays responsible for her upkeep, including adequate food. If you do agree a fixed monthly allowance with her, MOM counts fixed monthly allowances as part of her monthly salary. So plan for meals first, and treat any allowance as an extra agreed in writing.
What MOM requires on food
- Three meals a day.
- Be sensitive to her needs. Do not force her to eat food she should not eat or is not comfortable with, for example because of religious beliefs, or a family diet such as vegetarian food or porridge that she is not used to.
MOM gives an example day for a woman doing moderate activity: breakfast of 4 slices of bread with spread; lunch and dinner each with 1 bowl of rice, three-quarter cup of cooked vegetables, a palm-sized portion of meat and fruit. Source: Rest days, health and well-being for MDWs.
Provided meals
- Simplest way to show you meet the 3-meals rule.
- Agree early which foods she cannot eat, and buy staples she is used to.
- Your grocery bill rises. There is no MOM-set amount, so budget from your own household spending.
A food allowance
- Some households give money for her own preferred food on top of meals. If it is a fixed monthly amount, MOM's definition puts it inside her monthly salary: basic salary plus fixed monthly allowances. See What counts as an MDW's monthly salary.
- That matters if you later want to stop it. Cutting her salary needs her written consent and an update to MOM in FDW eService first.
- Write the arrangement into the employment contract. MOM encourages agreeing terms in writing to avoid disputes.
Rest days and meals
On her weekly rest day she may go out or stay home, as MOM allows either. Agree in advance whether you provide meals or an allowance for days she is out, and write it down.
For a full monthly budget including salary, levy and insurance, see maid salary and total cost in Singapore.
Related guides
- Maid salary and total cost in Singapore
- Maid salary negotiation in Singapore
- Standard employment contract: what each clause means
This is a practical guide, not MOM. Rules and fees change, so confirm the current position on mom.gov.sg before you act. Last reviewed: 11 October 2026.
