Every maid agency worth using in Singapore has one thing in common: a licence from the Ministry of Manpower. Hiring a domestic helper through an unlicensed agency is not just risky, it is a decision with no safety net, because an unlicensed operator sits outside every rule MOM sets to protect you. So before I look at reviews or fees, I check one thing first: is this a genuinely MOM-approved maid agency, and how does its official record actually read?
That is what this guide is about. Not a general "best of" ranking (I keep that in my guide to the best maid agencies in Singapore), but the eight agencies that stand out specifically on the official signals MOM and CASE publish: licence standing, retention and transfer rates, demerit points, and CaseTrust accreditation. These are numbers you can verify yourself, and I will show you exactly how.
I have spent a lot of time researching how the maid industry here is regulated: how MOM licenses agencies, what its Employment Agencies Directory reveals, and why a CaseTrust badge means more than a wall of five-star reviews. Every agency below is MOM-licensed and earns its place on that verifiable record, not on marketing.
Key Takeaways
- 1 "MOM-approved" means the agency holds a valid Employment Agency licence from the Ministry of Manpower. Operating without one is an offence, so it is the first thing to verify.
- 2 Verify any agency yourself on the MOM Employment Agencies Directory (mom.gov.sg/eadirectory): licence status, retention rate, transfer rate and demerit points are all public.
- 3 A good retention rate is above 65 percent (the industry average is around 63 percent) and a good transfer rate is below 1 percent.
- 4 CaseTrust-EA accreditation is the voluntary layer above the licence: it caps your deposit at 20 percent and protects your money if the agency closes.
- 5 A licence makes an agency legitimate, not good. There are 1,000+ licensed agencies, so check the numbers too.
What a MOM-approved maid agency actually means
"MOM-approved" is shorthand for "holds a valid Employment Agency (EA) licence from the Ministry of Manpower." Every business that places domestic helpers for a fee must hold one, and operating without it is an offence. So the first filter is simple: no licence, no deal. Here is what to actually check, and where.
- A valid EA licence. Search any agency by name on the MOM Employment Agencies Directory. A licensed agency shows a licence number (the format looks like 14C717 or 24C2126) and its expiry. If it is not there, walk away.
- Retention rate. The MOM directory publishes each agency's retention rate, which reflects how often its placed helpers stay with the same employer. The industry average sits around 63 percent, so anything in the 70s is genuinely strong.
- Transfer rate. This is how often a placed helper ends up transferring to a different employer. Below 1 percent is excellent and points to careful matching. A high transfer rate is a warning sign.
- Demerit points and violations. MOM runs a demerit-point system for licensing breaches, and the directory shows an agency's record. Zero demerit points is what you want to see.
- CaseTrust-EA accreditation. This is a voluntary standard run by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) that sits on top of the MOM licence. Accredited agencies cap your initial deposit at 20 percent, hold a deposit performance bond, and use a standardised service agreement, so if the agency closes mid-contract your money is protected.
There are more than 1,000 licensed employment agencies in Singapore, so a licence alone does not make an agency good. It makes it legitimate. The eight below clear that bar and then stand out on the numbers above. If you want the wider view first, my best maid agencies guide ranks a broader field, and my affordable agencies guide covers budget.
1. Universal Employment Agency
If you rank purely on the single most-cited MOM number, Universal leads. Its retention rate of 75.35 percent is one of the highest I have seen and sits well above the roughly 63 percent industry average, which tells you its matching actually holds up over time. The agency has been licensed and operating since 1986, has served more than 10,000 families, and carries SME500 business-excellence recognition.
Universal is also the name I point transfer-maid hunters to, because it keeps one of the deepest transfer pools in the market, which means shorter waits and the chance to meet a helper already in Singapore before you commit. For a first agency to check on the MOM directory, its long, clean record is a strong benchmark.
Website: universal.sg
Location: Three branches island-wide
MOM signals: 75.35% retention rate, licensed since 1986, 10,000+ families served
Best known for: Market-leading retention and transfer-maid depth.
2. Nation Employment
Nation is the agency I would show someone who wants to understand what a clean MOM record looks like. Its retention rate is 69.42 percent, its transfer rate is an unusually low 0.35 percent, and it carries zero demerit points. Put together, that is about as tidy a regulatory profile as you will find, and it won the Singapore Prestige Brand Award in 2025 on the back of it.
Founded in 2009, Nation places close to 300 helpers a year and leans on structured, data-led matching rather than volume. On Facebook it holds a 92 percent recommendation rate across nearly 300 reviews. If you make decisions on verifiable numbers, Nation gives you the most to work with.
Website: nation.sg
Location: Three branches
MOM signals: 69.42% retention, 0.35% transfer rate, zero demerit points, SPBA 2025
Best known for: The cleanest, most data-backed record on this list.
Contact Nation Employment directly
3. Status Employment (Status Maids)
Status pairs a high retention rate, around 75 percent, with real specialist depth in Myanmar and Indonesian helpers. It started as a supplier to other agencies before going direct to families, so its reputation was built on the quality of the helpers it sourced rather than on advertising. More than 20 years and 30,000-plus households later, that shows in the numbers.
Placement is fast, often 7 to 10 days for a transfer maid, and the team is known for being straight about fees. On the MOM directory its retention figure is the headline worth checking.
Website: statusmaids.com
Location: Central Singapore
MOM signals: ~75% retention rate, 30,000+ households served, 20+ years licensed
Best known for: Myanmar and Indonesian sourcing with fast placement.
4. Best Home Employment Agency
Best Home is here for one specific reason: it is one of only around 19 maid agencies in Singapore with CaseTrust-EA accreditation. That is the layer above the MOM licence, run by CASE, and it is what caps your deposit at 20 percent and puts a performance bond behind your money. If the agency were ever to close mid-contract, your deposit is protected, which a licence alone does not guarantee.
In business since 1996, Best Home runs a consultative process rather than pushing the first available candidate, and it holds a loyal client base across three branches. If deposit protection is your priority, this is the accreditation to look for and Best Home is the clearest example of it.
Website: besthome.com.sg
Location: Three branches
MOM signals: CaseTrust-EA accredited (1 of around 19), licensed since 1996
Best known for: Deposit protection through CaseTrust accreditation.
5. Green Employment
Green Employment posts one of the lowest transfer rates around, under 0.4 percent, on a placement volume of about 305, which is a strong low-risk signal on the MOM directory. It also holds accreditations from the Embassies of Indonesia and the Philippines, which speaks to the quality of its sourcing channels.
Its whole model is built around first-time employers, so the consultants take time to walk you through your obligations under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Across its Toa Payoh and Serangoon branches it holds a 4.9 Google rating. For a low-risk, well-guided first hire, its record checks out.
Website: greenemployment.sg
Location: Toa Payoh and Serangoon
MOM signals: Sub-0.4% transfer rate, embassy-accredited sourcing, 4.9 Google rating
Best known for: A low-risk record and first-time-employer guidance.
Recommended reads
6. A1 Employment Agency
A1 backs a low-risk MOM record with an extra financial guarantee. Its transfer rate is about 0.75 percent across 19 years of operation, which is genuinely low, and its Ultimate Maid Assurance Policy goes beyond MOM's regulated 50 percent refund by offering both a refund and a replacement if a placement does not work out.
Serving more than 10,000 families since 2007, A1 sources from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar with structured pre-deployment training. If you want the reassurance of strong guarantees on top of a clean directory record, A1 is a solid pick.
Website: a1maid.com.sg
Location: Singapore
MOM signals: 0.75% transfer rate over 19 years, 10,000+ families since 2007
Best known for: Refund-plus-replacement guarantee on a low-risk record.
Contact A1 Employment Agency directly
7. Maidcity
Maidcity has been part of MOM's Advance Placement Scheme (APS) since its 2016 pilot, which is a meaningful signal in itself: APS agencies let you interview a helper face-to-face before you commit, which cuts mismatches. Over more than 25 years it has built its name on getting the match right the first time rather than chasing volume.
It has been named a Top Maid Agency by ThreeBestRated for three years running and holds strong five-star Google reviews across its Toa Payoh, Kovan, and Clementi branches. If long-term retention matters more to you than the fastest possible placement, Maidcity's track record supports it.
Website: maidcity.com.sg
Location: Toa Payoh, Kovan and Clementi
MOM signals: MOM Advance Placement Scheme since 2016, 25+ years licensed
Best known for: Careful matching for long-term retention.
8. JForce Employment Service
JForce rounds out the list on transparency. It is MOM-licensed under licence number 14C717, holds a 4.9 Google rating over more than a decade in business, and is unusually open about money: it publishes helper salaries by nationality rather than making you ask. That openness is a good proxy for how an agency will treat you after placement.
With three branches in Boon Keng, Ang Mo Kio, and Jurong East and a responsive WhatsApp line, it is easy to reach, and it helps eligible families tap the concessionary maid levy. For a licensed, well-reviewed, no-hard-sell agency, JForce is an easy one to verify and shortlist.
Website: jforce.com.sg
Location: Boon Keng, Ang Mo Kio and Jurong East
MOM signals: MOM licence 14C717, 4.9 Google rating, 10+ years
Best known for: Fee transparency with salaries published by nationality.
How to check a maid agency is MOM-licensed, step by step
You can verify any agency yourself in about two minutes. Here is exactly how I do it before shortlisting one:
- Search the MOM directory. Go to the MOM Employment Agencies Directory and search the agency by name or licence number. If it does not appear as licensed, stop there.
- Read the licence status and expiry. Confirm the licence is current, not suspended or expired.
- Check the retention and transfer rates. Aim for retention above 65 percent and transfer below 1 percent, and compare against the roughly 63 percent industry average.
- Look at demerit points and violations. Zero is ideal. A pattern of infractions is a reason to look elsewhere.
- Check for CaseTrust-EA accreditation. Not every good agency has it, but if deposit protection matters to you, the CASE accreditation is the one to look for.
Do this for any agency, not just the eight here. The whole point of a MOM-approved maid agency is that its record is public, so use it. Once you have shortlisted, my best maid agencies guide covers how to choose between strong options and the full cost breakdown for 2026.
How do I check if a maid agency is MOM-approved?
Search the agency by name on the MOM Employment Agencies Directory at mom.gov.sg/eadirectory. A MOM-approved agency shows a valid Employment Agency licence number (formatted like 14C717), its licence status and expiry, plus its retention rate, transfer rate, and any demerit points. If an agency does not appear there as licensed, it is not MOM-approved and you should not hire through it.
What is the difference between a MOM-licensed and a CaseTrust-accredited maid agency?
A MOM licence is mandatory: every maid agency must hold one to operate legally, and it is the baseline. CaseTrust-EA accreditation is voluntary and sits on top of the licence. Run by CASE, it adds protections a licence alone does not, mainly a 20 percent cap on your initial deposit and a performance bond, so your money is safeguarded if the agency closes mid-contract. All CaseTrust agencies are MOM-licensed, but only a minority of licensed agencies are CaseTrust-accredited.
What is a good retention rate for a maid agency in Singapore?
A good retention rate is above 65 percent, and anything in the 70s is genuinely strong. The retention rate, published on the MOM directory, reflects how often an agency's placed helpers stay with the same employer, so it is a direct measure of matching quality. The industry average sits around 63 percent. Pair it with the transfer rate, where below 1 percent is excellent, for the fuller picture.
Are all maid agencies in Singapore required to be MOM-licensed?
Yes. Any business that places domestic helpers for a fee in Singapore must hold a valid Employment Agency licence from the Ministry of Manpower, and operating without one is an offence. There are more than 1,000 licensed agencies, so the licence is a legitimacy filter, not a quality guarantee. Always check the retention rate, transfer rate, and demerit record alongside the licence.
What happens if I hire a maid through an unlicensed agency?
You lose every protection MOM and CASE provide, which is the real risk. Unlicensed operators are not bound by the fee caps, refund rules, or dispute-resolution channels that licensed agencies must follow, so if something goes wrong you have little recourse. With a licensed agency you can escalate a dispute to MOM, or to CASE for a CaseTrust agency. With an unlicensed one, you are on your own, so always verify the licence first.
A MOM-approved maid agency is the floor, not the ceiling. The licence tells you an agency is legitimate; its retention rate, transfer rate, demerit record, and any CaseTrust accreditation tell you whether it is actually good. The eight above are the ones whose public record I would trust, from Universal and its market-leading retention to Best Home and its rare CaseTrust deposit protection.
Verify the record yourself, then match the agency to your situation. For my wider ranking, see the best maid agencies in Singapore. For a specific need, I have guides to the best agencies for Filipino, Indonesian and Myanmar helpers, plus transfer maids, elderly care, newborn care and affordable hiring.
And if you run a maid agency, a clear, fast website with strong local SEO is what turns Google searches into real enquiries. That is exactly what I do at Terris. Take a look at my web design services or get in touch for a free consultation.
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Terris
Chief Recommender · I do the digging so you don't have to
Terris is a Singapore-based web designer and digital strategist who has spent 8+ years building websites for local businesses. His Terris Recommends series shares personal picks for the best service providers across Singapore, informed by his experience working with businesses across industries.
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