EC for Domestic Helpers: The Funeral Expenses Limit, Explained
Employees’ Compensation insurance is mandatory from a helper’s first day of work. The funeral expenses cap inside it is the detail most Hong Kong employers never look at — until they need to.
Hiring a domestic helper in Hong Kong is one of those moments when the paperwork suddenly multiplies. Contract, visa, medical check, insurance — it arrives all at once, and it is tempting to treat the insurance line as a box to tick.
The good news is that once you understand the statutory part, everything else becomes much easier to compare. Below is what the law requires, where the funeral limit sits, and how the Navigator team usually helps clients choose between the main options.
What the law requires
Every employer of a domestic helper in Hong Kong must take out Employees’ Compensation (EC) insurance under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (Cap. 282). This applies whether the helper is local or foreign, and the obligation begins on day one of employment — not at the end of a probation period, and not once the visa clears.
If a helper dies as a result of an injury or accident arising out of and in the course of employment, the employer must reimburse reasonable funeral and medical attendance expenses actually paid — regardless of who paid them.
For accidents between 13 April 2023 and 16 April 2025, the applicable cap is HKD 94,690. Which figure applies depends on the date of the accident, not the date the policy was written.
This sits separately from statutory death compensation, which is also the employer’s liability and is payable to the helper’s surviving family members. That amount is calculated as a multiple of earnings, subject to minimum and maximum figures set out in the Ordinance. The two are distinct obligations, which is why it is worth getting the EC layer right before looking at anything on top.
The three setups most employers choose
The right one depends on how simple you want the cover to be, and how much support you want beyond the legal minimum.
Four pitfalls worth avoiding
Leaving EC until after the helper startsCover must be in place from day one. Arranging it late — or not at all — exposes the employer to penalties under the Ordinance and to personal liability for a claim the policy was meant to absorb.
Assuming the arrangement can be flexibleA foreign domestic helper visa is normally issued on a full-time, live-in basis for a single employer. Working part-time across multiple households, or living out, does not match those conditions — and the insurance needs to reflect the actual, lawful arrangement.
Treating EC and helper insurance as interchangeableEC covers the employer’s legal liability for work injuries and occupational diseases. Helper insurance adds everyday benefits — medical expenses, personal accident cover, repatriation. Buying one does not replace the other.
Comparing on premium aloneTwo policies at similar prices can behave very differently when a claim goes in. Claims support, policy wording, and renewal timing rarely appear on a price comparison, but they are what you actually experience.
Comparing the main insurers
If you are weighing up domestic helper insurance in Hong Kong, these five names come up most often. The better choice depends less on brand than on how the plan fits your household, your helper’s duties, and how much support you want beyond EC.
| Provider | Generally good for | Worth checking | Standout feature | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AXA | Clear domestic helper cover with easy-to-compare plan structures. | Whether the plan is basic or comprehensive, and which benefits are included rather than optional. | Simple structure and familiar brand. | Employers who want a clean, mainstream starting point. |
| QBE | Practical cover for employers who want core protection without extras. | Medical limits, repatriation terms, and whether the plan targets local or foreign domestic helpers. | Functional cover focused on the essentials. | Employers who want a no-fuss policy that does the job. |
| Blue Cross | More benefit-rich plans where broader household protection matters. | Claim limits, waiting periods, and whether the extras are ones you would actually use. | Often strong on wider cover and household-style benefits. | Employers comparing a more comprehensive package. |
| AIG | Several tiers combining EC and employer’s liability with medical and personal accident benefits. | Which tier includes teleconsultation and outpatient cover, and whether a waiting period applies. | Teleconsultation support on selected plans. See AIG’s plans | Employers who want added convenience and medical access support. |
| Allied World | MaidGuard-style cover with panel-doctor access via a medical card. | Whether you prefer the panel-doctor route or reimbursement-based claims, and how the network works in practice. | Medical card access that reduces upfront payment friction. MaidGuard leaflet | Employers who like a structured claims and doctor network setup. |
Broadly: AXA is often the easiest starting point, QBE suits a functional and practical structure, Blue Cross is worth comparing for broader benefits, AIG appeals where teleconsultation and stronger medical support matter, and Allied World stands out for panel-doctor access and the medical card.
As an independent broker, Navigator places cover across all of these insurers. That means we can put the actual current benefit schedules side by side for your household, rather than working from general positioning.
Premium still matters. But on domestic helper insurance the real differences show up in medical limits, repatriation, liability support, teleconsultation, and how the insurer handles claims and documentation once a file is open.
What actually changes between plans
Comparing plans usually comes down to three things: how claims are handled, the scope of additional benefits beyond the statutory EC requirement, and how cleanly the EC policy fits with the helper insurance you already hold or plan to buy.
That last point is the one most people miss. A policy can look perfectly adequate on paper, but if the wording is awkward or the claims process is slow, that becomes a problem at exactly the moment you need it to be simple. Our team looks at both cover and claims experience when helping clients decide.
For a typical Hong Kong household, the question is not whether to buy EC — the law requires it. The question is whether you want the most basic version or a bundled setup that gives you more support and less admin.
Two details worth checking
Check the accident date against 17 April 2025. The cap on funeral and medical attendance expenses rose from HKD 94,690 to HKD 98,950 on that date. Which figure applies turns on when the accident occurred, so it is worth checking accident dates and policy periods carefully at renewal or when dealing with an older case.
Match the policy to the actual household. Wording that describes a different arrangement to the one you really have is the kind of thing nobody notices until a claim is being assessed. Worth five minutes at renewal.
Let Navigator do the comparison for you
Send us your current EC policy — or tell us you are hiring for the first time — and our team will put the basic EC wording next to one or two bundled EC-plus-helper-insurance options, with the real benefit limits and claims terms filled in.
We handle the placement, the renewal dates, and the application with whichever insurer fits your situation best.
