Before paying an employment agency to find work in Punggol, verify the agency and the individual recruiter in MOM’s official Employment Agencies and Personnel Search, then ask for the written fee basis and a receipt. Singapore agencies are licensed; legitimate job placements do not automatically justify any fee a recruiter chooses. The current cap on fees charged to a jobseeker by a Singapore employment agency is generally no more than one month of the worker’s fixed monthly salary for each year of service, capped at two months’ salary.

There is an even simpler first check: a Singapore employment agency must not collect placement fees from a candidate before successfully securing the placement. MOM reaffirmed that rule in an agency alert, including for overseas placements. An unsolicited contact demanding a “registration deposit”, “quota activation” or advance placement fee before a real job is secured is not behaving consistently with that rule.

The correct sequence is identify agency → verify individual recruiter → check the real job and employer → understand the actual placement agreement → distinguish worker and employer fees → review any lawful payment and refund conditions → keep receipts and use MOM’s complaint channel if needed. This guide explains the specific fee and licensing system as of October 2026. For impersonation of genuine recruiters and companies, our separate Punggol job-scam verification guide goes deeper into identity theft. This article focuses on employment agency rights and fees.

The agency-fee rules at a glance

Question	General Singapore 2026 answer	Practical check
Must an employment agency be licensed?	Usually yes when doing licensable job placement work, subject to stated exemptions	MOM EA Directory
Does the recruiter personally need registration?	Personnel performing EA work generally must be registered	Search the individual, not just the agency
Is a website licence number proof?	No; it can be copied	Check MOM’s live directory and contact independently
Can a Singapore agency charge before successful placement?	No for ordinary candidate placement fees	Ask when, why and to whom money is due
What is the worker fee cap?	Generally one month fixed monthly salary per year of service, capped at two months	Contract and fixed salary
Can an agency demand six months of wages?	That would exceed the stated Singapore EA cap	Preserve request and seek MOM advice
Must the agency issue receipts?	Yes, itemised fee receipts under MOM’s published protections	Get records in your own name
If employment ends within six months?	Relevant agency fee refund of at least 50% may apply	Termination and original payment proof
Are employer-paid MDW agency service fees the same?	No; distinct 50%-refund regime has its own conditions	Employer’s service agreement
Can employer transfer levy costs to the worker?	Not as an ordinary lawful salary deduction	MOM deduction and work-pass rules
Are all job boards employment agencies?	The regulatory classification depends on what service is actually provided	MOM licensing guidance
Where can you complain?	MOM’s official feedback and infringement channels	Keep agency details and evidence

Start with MOM’s Employment Agency Directory, which lets users search agencies for local workers, foreign workers and migrant domestic workers.

An employment agency is a different party from your employer

A recruiter may introduce you to a job, organise an interview or handle appropriate work-pass paperwork. That does not automatically mean the recruiter will pay your monthly salary after you start.

For an ordinary direct hire, the actual employer signs the employment contract and is responsible for relevant wages and work arrangements. The employment agency supplies recruitment services under its separate role.

In other arrangements, a staffing business may itself employ the worker and assign them to a client’s premises. The relationship should be identified accurately rather than inferred from the logo on a shopfront or building.

A person working at Waterway Point, One Punggol or Punggol Digital District may be employed by a retailer, tenant or service contractor. None of these sites should be assumed to operate one common recruitment process.

Ask three separate names: Who is the agency? Who is the individual agent? Who is the legal employer on the contract? When these are clear, the worker can better identify who is responsible for fees, wages, work-pass applications and any later dispute.

What the licensing rules actually cover

MOM’s Employment Agency Licensing Guide says a licence is normally required for placing jobseekers with employers, including placement for roles outside Singapore, subject to exemptions.

The rules distinguish agencies that match jobseekers with employers from other services that may not constitute licensable EA work. A business calling itself an “HR consultancy” is not automatically outside the law when it performs actual placement activities.

MOM publishes different employment agency licence types: Comprehensive Licence (All), Comprehensive Licence (Local), Comprehensive Licence (non-MDW) and Select Licence.

A Select Licence concerns placements of workers earning more than the stated S$4,500 monthly threshold. The detailed licence category determines which worker types the agency can serve; a licence for local placements is not a licence to provide every other placement service.

Jobseekers need not memorise the licence categories, but they should check that the agency’s actual licence is valid and suitable for the service being offered.

Why a licence number in a message is not enough

An agency can be genuine while the person messaging you is an impersonator. A copied licence number, business logo, screenshot or staff photograph can appear convincing.

MOM’s EA Directory provides agency and personnel information through an official service. Search the agency name or licence details and check the individual recruiter’s identity as appropriate.

Then find the agency’s independently verified business contact channel. Do not rely only on the phone number inside the suspicious message you are attempting to authenticate.

If the actual agency says the person is not authorised or the role does not exist, stop the interaction. Preserve relevant messages and use the correct official reporting channel.

Even a legitimate agency licence cannot guarantee that every advertisement shared through a third-party social platform is authentic. Verify the job itself through a real employer or trusted official source too.

Agency personnel registration matters independently

MOM’s Register EA Personnel page says agency personnel performing employment agency work must be registered under the relevant licensing framework.

The agency may have several staff; do not assume someone is authorised merely because a colleague has a valid licence or because the business appears in MOM’s directory. Search the actual person where the service permits.

Certain comprehensive licence personnel are also subject to the Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI) requirement. This is an agency regulatory condition, not a reason to claim every applicant needs to buy a CEI certificate before accepting a normal job.

For a jobseeker, the immediate concern is whether the named individual is appropriately registered and whether the employer and proposed vacancy are genuine.

A registration search is a practical safety check; it is not a substitute for reviewing the written fees and work conditions.

Understand the fee cap before agreeing to pay

MOM says that Singapore employment agencies are generally allowed to charge jobseekers up to one month of fixed monthly salary per year of service, capped at two months’ salary. Its foreign-worker fee FAQ explains the protection.

The salary base is fixed monthly salary, not an unlimited speculative figure including every possible future commission or discretionary bonus. A worker should not accept “twenty percent of your first three years’ salary” without checking the statutory fee cap and actual terms.

Where the service period is less than a complete year, ask for the correct fee computation under MOM’s rule rather than making up a rounded charge.

The cap applies to the Singapore employment agency’s fee. Separate home-country recruitment costs can raise other regulatory questions; do not assume an overseas agent’s demand is automatically authorised by Singapore law.

The safe response is to obtain the actual amount, calculation, contract duration and itemised written terms before paying anything properly due.

Worked example: a two-year placement

Take an invented foreign candidate placed into a genuine two-year contract with S$2,400 fixed monthly salary. Under MOM’s general one-month-per-year rule, the upper Singapore agency-fee amount for a two-year placement would be two months of salary, or S$4,800, subject to the actual fee rules.

This is a maximum legal-fee illustration, not a recommended agency charge or evidence that every placement costs that much. An agency may charge less or be paid by the employer instead. The worker should not assume the entire cap is automatically payable.

If a recruiter demands S$7,200 for the same placement, that hypothetical three-month-salary fee exceeds the stated two-month cap by S$2,400.

The correct response is not to pay first and hope the recruiter is generous later. Preserve the demand, verify the agency and ask MOM for advice if it appears excessive.

Actual fees and employer conditions must be checked independently for any real job.

Worked example: a one-year placement

A fictional candidate is offered a one-year job with a S$3,000 fixed monthly salary through a licensed agency. One month’s fixed salary is S$3,000.

Under the general one-month-per-year cap, S$3,000 is the upper illustrative agency fee for that one-year service period. The two-month overall maximum is a separate cap, not permission to charge two months for any one-year job.

The candidate should still check whether there is any charge, who pays, when a placement is secured, what receipt will be provided and which refund condition applies if employment ends prematurely.

A person should not treat the maximum as the market norm. Comparing actual genuine agency services and employer offers may reveal less expensive or no-fee routes.

The two calculations show why reading both “per year” and “up to two months” is necessary; quoting only one part of the rule is misleading.

Fees must not be collected upfront before placement

MOM’s June 2024 agency alert says the collection of agency fees or other placement fees from candidates is permissible only after successful placement. Charging placement fees before job placement contravenes the Employment Agencies Act framework.

MOM says the rule applies even to placing candidates overseas. For overseas job placement, the agency must not collect the fee from the candidate before they have obtained the appropriate work visa from the destination country.

The alert advises keeping receipts for genuine pre-employment government costs and, where appropriate, having the applicant pay the responsible foreign authority directly. That is not the same as a private “job reservation charge”.

A recruiter claiming that an applicant must pay a deposit merely to obtain an interview should be examined against this rule. A popular employer name and attractive salary are not proof that the fee is lawful.

Seek official advice instead of agreeing to private transfers out of urgency.

Itemised receipts make fee disputes easier to resolve

MOM’s 8 November 2024 employment agency enforcement explanation confirms that agencies must provide itemised receipts, making the basis of jobseeker fees clear.

A receipt should enable the worker to identify what was paid, to whom and for which service. Keep the original receipt and relevant agreement in a secure place.

Do not accept a transaction reference saying only “miscellaneous admin” when the large payment is actually a placement fee. The classification matters for cap and refund checks.

Where appropriate, match the receipt against MOM’s work-pass in-principle approval (IPA) letter, which can record fixed salary and agency fees for a foreign candidate.

A personal spreadsheet can help reconcile payments, but the actual receipt and agency records are the underlying evidence.

What if the job ends within the first six months?

MOM says that where a foreign worker’s employment ends within the first six months, the worker is entitled to a refund of at least 50% of the agency fees paid to the Singapore EA, under the relevant conditions.

The MOM refund FAQ also explains that an agency that closes must still fulfil outstanding fee-refund obligations.

This is a significant protection because a worker may have paid a fee expecting employment long enough to recover it. However, do not claim that every kind of job change, candidate resignation or contractual arrangement automatically produces the same remedy; confirm the actual condition.

Save the original fee receipt, employment start and end dates, legal employer name, reason and circumstances of termination and relevant correspondence.

Contact MOM promptly if an agency refuses a refund that appears required by the rules.

Worked example: refund of a worker’s agency fee

Imagine a fictional worker paid S$3,000 of lawful agency fee to a registered Singapore agency, then the employer terminated the employment within the first six months under conditions qualifying for the mandated worker refund.

At 50%, the illustrative minimum refund is S$1,500. The correct claim is based on the actual agency fee paid and the governing rule, not the worker’s latest monthly gross wage or a fee another worker happened to pay.

If an agency says it has closed, that fact alone does not erase the agency’s responsibilities under MOM’s guidance. The worker can ask MOM what recovery assistance or process may apply.

An invoice for a genuine separate government charge or service may require different treatment; do not assume every fee item on a receipt is the agency placement fee.

The case is a hypothetical teaching calculation, not a statement about a real Punggol recruiter or an award already determined.

Employer-paid MDW agency fees have their own refund rule

The rules for a household employer hiring a migrant domestic worker (MDW) include a distinct agency service-fee refund. MOM’s refund-of-EA-service-fee page says qualifying service agreements signed from 1 June 2022 require a refund of at least 50% of service fees paid by the employer when the MDW’s employment ends within the first six months.

This is not a second payout automatically added to the worker’s agency-fee refund. The employer’s service fee and the worker’s placement fee or placement loan are different categories.

MOM lists exemptions, including agencies providing only administrative work without matching service and certain cases where the employer breached employment law or committed an offence against the worker.

The employer must notify the agency of the intended cancellation or other end-of-employment step within a reasonable time according to the rules. The scheme also governs how many qualifying replacement placements are covered.

A family hiring an MDW should not assume a general promise of “free unlimited replacement” is identical to MOM’s statutory refund protection. Read the actual service contract and official requirements.

The MDW employer’s refund timing

MOM says the employment agency must provide a qualifying refund within fourteen working days after the employer’s written request or the MDW work pass cancellation, whichever is later.

That timing rule is specific to the statutory MDW employer-service-fee refund framework. Do not paste it into every ordinary worker fee dispute without checking the applicable legal rule.

The MOM refund page identifies which charges count as refundable service fees and which are excluded, including specified government and third-party costs or the MDW placement loan.

A useful employer receipt separates these components from the beginning. A contract that puts everything in one unexplained total can make the eventual refund difficult to assess.

If a family is negotiating the agency contract, ask for a written itemisation, replacement policy and the statutory refund condition before paying.

Worked example: an MDW employer’s service fee

An invented Punggol household pays a licensed agency S$2,000 in qualifying matching-service fees, excluding government costs and a worker placement loan. The MDW employment terminates within the first six months under conditions where the employer’s statutory service-fee refund applies.

The illustrative minimum refund of the eligible service fee is S$2,000 × 50% = S$1,000. It is not necessarily half of every dollar the household spent on the entire recruitment and arrival process.

Suppose the household also paid S$350 of genuine excluded statutory or third-party expenses. The existence of those costs does not automatically make an additional S$175 refundable under the matching-service-fee rule.

The household should make a timely written request and preserve receipts. The agency then follows the official timeline based on the appropriate request or work-pass cancellation.

This is a calculation exercise, not a ruling on a genuine household dispute or a guaranteed refund for every contract.

Do not confuse a worker placement loan with an agency service fee

An MDW may have a placement loan or other lawful financial arrangement described in the recruitment process. MOM’s employer fee-refund page expressly distinguishes the placement loan from the agency’s service fees.

The employer and worker need to understand who has paid what, whether any amount is a repayable loan, what the real balance is and which repayment conditions apply under lawful agreements.

Do not assume an agency can freely deduct any amount from an MDW’s wages simply by writing “loan” in a spreadsheet. Salary and recovery conditions must comply with applicable rules.

A household employer should not keep a domestic worker’s personal bank card or money in order to control repayment. MOM’s MDW salary guidance prohibits employers from holding their workers’ money and bank access.

Our forthcoming companion guide addresses MDW salary, rest days and the employer’s broader responsibilities rather than conflating them with agency-service contracts here.

Why an employer’s foreign-worker levy is not the agency’s fee

Singapore’s foreign-worker levy is a statutory employer obligation related to certain work passes. It is not an unrestricted charge a recruiter can impose on the candidate as a personal “quota tax”.

MOM’s salary deductions guidance and Work Permit conditions prohibit shifting specified employer costs to workers through inappropriate deductions.

If a recruiter says a migrant worker must make a large private transfer so the employer can “buy quota” or “pay the company’s government levy”, verify with MOM before sending money.

Work-pass application costs and genuine administrative fees may exist under particular lawful rules. The correct question is which costs legally belong to the employer, which can legitimately be charged by a licensed agency and which are payable to a government authority.

A quotation that simply labels everything “processing” is insufficient to answer those questions.

An IPA letter is a valuable evidence document

For a migrant worker, MOM’s In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter can show employment and agency-fee information relevant to the approved work-pass application, including fixed salary and any Singapore EA fee amount recorded.

Compare the IPA with the actual offer, agency receipts and salary expectations. Material inconsistencies should be clarified before travel or job commencement.

A worker should not assume an IPA authorises every form of work indefinitely. The correct work pass must be issued and conditions met before the relevant commencement, as required by MOM.

Do not send a copy of the IPA containing personal identity numbers to strangers in an open messaging group. Provide documents through legitimate channels when necessary.

If a recruiter attempts to substitute a completely different salary after the official document appears, seek prompt advice rather than signing an unexplained change.

Job adverts, recruiters and agencies are three separate identities

A job advert is a claim about a vacancy. An agency is a registered recruitment business. An individual recruiter is the person communicating with you. The employer is the actual party hiring or paying the worker.

A candidate may verify an authentic agency licence but still be speaking to a criminal who copied its details. The worker therefore needs to confirm all three or four parts, rather than treating one check as sufficient.

MOM’s EA Directory shows licensed agencies and personnel, including a tab for agencies under revocation, suspension or surveillance. Use current records, not a screenshot shared by the recruiter.

Next contact the employer or agency through an independently found official channel. Ask whether the described job, interviewer and proposed employment terms are real.

If an offer is legitimate, the salary, work location and conditions should be understandable in writing without pressure to surrender account passwords.

What if an agency uses a copied licence number?

Singapore Police and MOM have warned of recruitment impersonation in which criminals use genuine employment-agency identities, licence numbers or business branding.

A victim may be asked to change Singpass settings, disclose login codes or make payments to release an alleged job. None of those actions becomes legitimate because a valid EA number is displayed.

Do not rely on the message’s sender ID alone. Find the agency in the official directory and contact it by its independent published channel. Verify the recruiter’s name and status.

If identity access has been compromised, follow official account-recovery and scam-reporting guidance promptly. Do not negotiate privately with a scammer about a fee refund as though it were an ordinary service dispute.

See our job offer and recruiter verification guide for the fuller scam-prevention framework.

Punggol Digital District branding does not prove hiring authority

A recruiter might mention JTC’s Punggol Digital District or the SIT campus to make a job seem attractive. Those are real institutions and locations, but their presence in a message does not prove that a private company is actively recruiting.

A district can have many tenants, contractors and service providers with different employers. Ask for the exact organisation and role and verify through its genuine careers channel.

The Punggol Digital District is an economic and education development, not a single agency that administers all employment offers in the area.

Do not make advance payment because someone claims to have “priority access” to a strategic-industry role without independent evidence.

A job that is actually at Punggol Coast should also have a verifiable worksite, ordinary reporting arrangement and lawful contract.

Licensed does not mean every fee or practice is proper

A legitimate employment agency can still make an administrative mistake or breach conditions. Licensing gives you an official route to verify and seek enforcement; it does not replace reading every agreement.

Check whether the person charging a fee is authorised, the amount is within the cap and the timing follows the placement rule. Require itemised receipts and accurate employment information.

If a worker’s early termination qualifies for a refund, the agency must follow the relevant legal obligation even if its promotional literature is silent or tries to impose an inconsistent fee schedule.

MOM’s Employment Agency regulatory pages also describe licence conditions, demerit points, regulatory action and situations involving suspension or revocation.

A worker should be careful and factual rather than treating every agency as fraudulent or every complaint as proof of a criminal offence.

How to report possible excessive agency fees

First, preserve the agency’s legal name, licence details, personnel name, the employment agreement, receipts, messages, IPA where applicable and a clear timeline of payment and placement.

Second, calculate the maximum under MOM’s published rule using actual fixed monthly salary and intended service period. Separate legitimate fees charged by other authorities from the Singapore EA fee.

Third, ask the licensed agency for a written explanation if appropriate and safe. If the demand or refusal appears inconsistent with the law, use MOM’s EA Directory feedback or relevant infringement reporting channels.

A worker should not publicly upload identity documents or other employees’ records to make a point. Submit the evidence to authorised agencies.

If money has already been transferred to a suspected scammer rather than a real employment agency, the appropriate police and bank-response channels may also be relevant.

Agency misconduct and salary disputes are different questions

A foreign employee might be charged an unlawful recruitment fee and subsequently experience unpaid wages. The two issues are related to the overall employment story but involve different legal responsibilities.

MOM can examine alleged breaches of employment agency fee rules. The actual employer remains responsible for paying wages under applicable law. Eligible employee salary claims may fall under TADM, while work-pass and levy violations can belong to MOM’s foreign manpower enforcement.

Do not assume recovering an agency fee automatically recovers unpaid salary or that a TADM salary claim resolves a separate agency licence issue.

A factual record should show each responsible party and amount separately. This prevents the same money being incorrectly counted twice.

Our Punggol TADM guide explains salary claim filing windows and tribunal procedures.

How an employer should select an agency

An employer looking for candidates can use the EA Directory to compare agency licence status and service performance information. Ask what kinds of placements the agency is licensed to conduct, how candidates are screened and which fees the employer will pay.

A written service agreement should identify matching services, candidate information, payment triggers, lawful refund or replacement terms and privacy controls.

If recruiting migrant workers, distinguish employer-side immigration and insurance obligations from agency service fees and worker-side placement arrangements. An employer should not pressure an agency to make false wage or qualification statements for an application.

A company hiring locally should also make sure the agency follows fair employment practices and that the job description contains genuine responsibilities and remuneration information.

Clear terms protect the employer and worker and can make recruitment more effective than choosing the agent promising the lowest price without explaining its method.

What a careful MDW household employer should ask the agency

An HDB household in Punggol considering an MDW may ask the agency to explain matching criteria, the worker’s actual experience and training, employer service fee, placement loan, work-pass procedures and termination support.

MOM expects agencies to supply relevant accurate MDW information on request and has enforced refund protections to encourage responsible matching. A caregiver’s prior experience should be described honestly, not inflated to secure a placement.

Ask what happens if the first placement ends during the initial six months, whether a replacement option is offered and whether the statutory refund rule applies to the relevant service contract.

Clarify which charges are genuine third-party or government costs and which are the agency’s service fees. An unexplained “all-in” amount can obscure the refund base.

The MDW remains a person with work rights and safety needs, not a product covered by an unlimited exchange guarantee. Consider fit, communication and appropriate training as seriously as the fee schedule.

A hiring family’s first-week agency documents folder

Keep the service agreement, itemised fee receipt, actual MDW employment agreement, required safety agreement, work-pass records and any matching or training documentation lawfully supplied by the agency.

Do not store the worker’s private bank card, salary or identity credentials as a means of control. Appropriate recordkeeping does not mean taking away personal access.

If the household changes the arrangement, document lawful terms and the worker’s understanding. Notify the appropriate agency and MOM when the actual work-pass rules require it.

A dispute about service quality should be taken through the agency’s disclosed dispute-resolution mechanism; a serious worker abuse or other offence may need direct official intervention.

MOM’s MDW dispute resolution guidance explains these separate routes.

The first seven checks for a jobseeker

First: find the proposed agency in the live MOM directory. Second: verify the individual recruiter where appropriate. Third: confirm the genuine employer and vacancy through a separate channel.

Fourth: read the offer and identify fixed monthly salary and intended contract term. Fifth: ask who pays recruitment fees and what itemised receipt will be given.

Sixth: ensure the agency is not demanding a placement fee before successful placement. Seventh: retain employment and agency documents so the fee cap and any qualifying refund can be assessed later.

Do not allow a recruiter to rush the process by saying only a deposit guarantees the interview. A genuine opportunity should survive reasonable identity and document verification.

For overseas work placements, verify destination-country work visa and relevant agency requirements separately. A job outside Singapore can involve additional laws not covered by a Singapore-only summary.

This checklist is not an official appointment or placement guarantee.

Five questions before paying a legitimate placement fee

Ask: Which agency and personnel are responsible for this placement? Has a successful placement occurred under the relevant law? What fixed monthly salary and period were used for the fee calculation? What amount will appear on the itemised receipt? What fee-refund rules would apply if employment ended within six months?

These questions are direct and professional. They do not assume every agency is exploitative; they help distinguish a real regulated service from unsupported claims.

If the agency cannot answer the salary or fee basis, do not fill the gap using an invented figure. Request documentary clarification or MOM guidance.

Pay only through appropriate verified channels for amounts genuinely due. A personal transfer to an unrelated account can make later recovery and authentication harder.

The worker should keep proof in a secure location and monitor whether the agreed employment actually commences under the stated conditions.

Frequently asked questions

Must every recruitment business be licensed?

MOM normally requires licensing for businesses performing licensable job-placement work, subject to published exemptions. Business branding alone does not settle classification.

Where do I verify an employment agency?

Use MOM’s Employment Agencies and Personnel Search, not an image of a licence sent through chat.

Do individual recruiters need registration?

EA personnel performing relevant licensed recruitment work generally must be registered with MOM. Check the actual person.

Can an agency charge me to register for an interview?

The rule against collecting placement fees before successful placement is a major warning. Examine the exact request and seek MOM advice rather than assuming it is lawful.

What is the cap on Singapore agency fees charged to a worker?

Generally one month of fixed monthly salary per year of service, subject to a maximum of two months’ salary.

Can a two-year placement agency charge four months of wages?

No, that exceeds the stated two-month cap for fees charged to jobseekers by the Singapore EA.

Is the agency fee always equal to the legal maximum?

No. The cap limits what can be charged; it does not prescribe a standard fee or require every worker to pay it.

Must the agency give a receipt?

MOM says employment agencies must provide itemised fee receipts. Retain your own copy securely.

Can I recover fees when work ends within six months?

For qualifying workers and circumstances, MOM provides a minimum 50% refund of the fee paid to the Singapore EA. Check the actual rule and evidence.

What if the employment agency closes?

MOM says closure does not automatically remove the agency’s refund responsibilities. Workers needing assistance may contact MOM.

Is an MDW employer’s agency service refund the same as a worker fee refund?

No. It is a distinct statutory mechanism covering relevant service fees paid by the household employer, subject to conditions.

When does an MDW agency have to return a qualifying employer service fee?

MOM says within 14 working days after the written request or work-pass cancellation, whichever is later, under the stated scheme.

Does the employer’s levy count as a jobseeker’s agency fee?

No. The levy is an employer statutory cost under the relevant foreign manpower rules.

Does an IPA letter confirm every promised job condition?

It provides important official information but must be compared with the real employer, wage and application details. It does not replace every subsequent work-pass or employment condition.

Does Punggol Digital District hire everyone through one recruiter?

No. It includes many actual employers and contractors. A district affiliation or address does not authenticate a vacancy.

Can a licensed agency still breach fee rules?

Yes. Licensing does not eliminate the need to check conduct, and MOM regulates excessive or premature fees.

Where can a worker report an apparent overcharge?

Use MOM’s official agency feedback or infringement services and preserve the actual receipts and communications.

Fact-check desk and source boundaries

Confirmed October 2026: MOM’s EA licensing and personnel registration, the one-month-per-service-year worker fee cap with two-month maximum, prohibition on upfront placement fees, itemised receipts, qualifying worker fee refunds, and the separate MDW employer service-fee refund implemented in 2022.

Hypothetical examples: S$2,400 and S$3,000 candidate salaries, S$4,800 fee arithmetic, S$1,500 worker refund and S$1,000 household service-fee refund are invented, not a finding of misconduct or a required charge. Actual fee categories, placement terms and refund eligibility must be verified.

• MOM: Employment Agency Directory
• MOM: Employment agencies overview
• MOM: EA licence types
• MOM: EA personnel registration
• MOM: Fee cap for foreign jobseekers
• MOM: Agency fees only after placement, 2024 alert list
• MOM: Itemised receipts and fee protection, November 2024
• MOM: Worker fee refund even if EA closes
• MOM: MDW employer service-fee refund
• MOM: MDW employer and agency dispute guidance
• MOM: Prohibited salary deductions
• eduKatePunggol: Verify a recruiter and job offer
• Working in Punggol series archive