{"id":2262,"date":"2019-12-16T16:40:38","date_gmt":"2019-12-16T08:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.helperchoice.com\/?p=2262"},"modified":"2026-01-21T00:51:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T16:51:03","slug":"helper-bonus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/helper-bonus\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I Give My Domestic Helper a Bonus or Increase the Salary?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your domestic helper has been with you for a while and you may wonder if you should increase her salary or give her a bonus. What do other employers do?<\/span><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/helper-bonus\/#When_should_I_give_my_domestic_helper_a_bonus_or_salary_increase\" >When should I give my domestic helper a bonus or salary increase?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/helper-bonus\/#Should_I_give_my_domestic_helper_a_bonus_or_a_salary_increase\" >Should I give my domestic helper a bonus or a salary increase?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/helper-bonus\/#How_much_bonus_should_I_give_my_domestic_helper\" >How much bonus should I give my domestic helper?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/helper-bonus\/#A_word_on_bonuses_for_Christmas_Chinese_New_Year_and_other_special_days\" >A word on bonuses for Christmas, Chinese New Year and other special days<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is no golden rule or a standard practice when it comes to giving your domestic helper a bonus or increasing her wage. But don\u2019t pull your hair out yet, we went out and asked what others do.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_should_I_give_my_domestic_helper_a_bonus_or_salary_increase\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When should I give my domestic helper a bonus or salary increase?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is absolutely no consensus on this, but many employers consider this question for the first time after six months of employment. And indeed, employers feel it is a \u201cpersonal decision based on your family\u2019s financial means and also on your domestic helper\u2019s performance.\u201d Needless to say, it is your decision and no one can decide for you what to do. However, it is important to manage your domestic helper\u2019s expectations. Let her know that she shouldn\u2019t expect to get something every six months if this is not feasible, but that you are doing this based on how things are going at this particular moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_give_my_domestic_helper_a_bonus_or_a_salary_increase\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Should I give my domestic helper a bonus or a salary increase?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is always tricky when you are an employer and deciding whether or not to increase the salary of your employee. When you are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/how-to-handle-domestic-helper-problems\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">managing your domestic helper<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, this question may be even more challenging. Most domestic helpers only get paid with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/helper-minimum-wage\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">minimum wage<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, even if they have years of experience. It is completely up to you what you do, but the general practice in Hong Kong is to give a bonus or something extra rather than increasing the salary regularly. When you are at the end of the first year or at two years and renewing her contract, you should consider giving her an increase especially if you can afford it and if her performance justifies it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_bonus_should_I_give_my_domestic_helper\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How much bonus should I give my domestic helper?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This depends entirely on you and your income. There is no industry standard for a salary increase or a bonus. Some employers will give a whole month\u2019s salary as a bonus whereas others prefer to give a gift card. It will be entirely up to you, but do <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/manage-your-new-helper\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">think about your domestic helper<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and her preferences. If she is not into healthcare products, it is better not to give her a spa day. Wherever possible, show gratitude for the hard work she has been doing for you. So if you don\u2019t have a lot of money to spend, you could give her a coupon to go get a manicure with a friend.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_word_on_bonuses_for_Christmas_Chinese_New_Year_and_other_special_days\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A word on bonuses for Christmas, Chinese New Year and other special days<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most employers give something to their domestic helpers for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/christmas-in-hong-kong-with-your-domestic-helper\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Christmas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/happy-chinese-new-year-to-you-and-your-helper\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese New Year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Ramadan or other special days. The same goes here: you decide. However, do keep in mind that most employers will give their domestic helpers something, so most domestic helpers will indeed expect something. Again, it doesn\u2019t have to be money or a very expensive gift. To many domestic helpers, the thought of being appreciated is very important.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your domestic helper has been with you for a while and you may wonder if you should increase her salary or give her a bonus. What do other employers do? There is no golden rule or a standard practice when it comes to giving your domestic helper a bonus or increasing her wage. But don\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":5572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"Bonus or salary raise? Learn typical employer practices in HK\/SG and how to appreciate your helper respectfully. Click to hire ethically with HelperChoice","title":"Should I Give My Domestic Helper a Bonus or Increase the Salary? - HelperChoice Blog"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[383,343],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manage-helper","category-salary-finances"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/domestic-helper-bonus-gift-christmas-chinese-new-year.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2262"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14876,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2262\/revisions\/14876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}