Release Letter for Domestic Helper 2027: Samples, Rules & Pay

A release letter is a signed letter from a domestic helper's current employer confirming the date her contract expires or ends, and the Immigration Department lists it as a required document when a helper applies to change employer inside Hong Kong at the end of her two-year contract. It is not a government form: the official step when a contract ends early is for both employer and helper to notify the Immigration Department in writing within 7 days, using Form ID 407E or a letter. Either side can end the contract with one month's written notice or one month's wages in lieu. After an early termination, the helper must normally leave Hong Kong within two weeks or by the end of her contract, whichever is earlier.

This guide covers what to put in a release letter, two samples you can copy, the notice and final pay rules, and how a helper changes employer. If you're renewing rather than ending a contract, read our guide to domestic helper contract renewal instead.

What Is a Release Letter for a Domestic Helper?

A release letter is your written confirmation, as the employer, that your helper's contract with you has ended or will end on a stated date, and that you are releasing her to work for someone else. You write it yourself on plain paper. There is no official template.

It does matter officially in one situation. The Immigration Department's checklist of documents for domestic helper applications lists a "release letter from current employer showing the date of expiry/termination of the contract" for change of employer applications. Its Guidebook for the Employment of Domestic Helpers from Abroad (ID(E) 969) says the same: when a helper applies to change employer in Hong Kong at the end of her two-year contract, a release letter from the current employer is required.

What a release letter is not:

• Not a termination notice. The notice is what ends the contract. A release letter confirms the end date for a future employer.
• Not the Immigration notification. Telling the Immigration Department within 7 days of an early termination is a separate legal duty.
• Not a reference. You can add a line about her work, but a release letter only has to confirm the dates.

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Does Immigration Require a Release Letter?

It depends on how the helper is moving on.

Source: Immigration Department checklist and Guidebook ID(E) 969, 2025; Labour Department FAQ, 2026.

So the "no release letter, no new job" line you hear in agency offices is partly true. For a change of employer inside Hong Kong, Immigration wants it. For a helper who finishes, flies home and is hired afresh from abroad, it isn't on the Immigration checklist, though many agencies ask for one anyway because it proves she left on proper terms.

When Do Employers Give a Release Letter?

In practice, in three situations.

1. The contract is finishing and you're not renewing. Your helper has found a new employer who will apply for a change of employer visa before her contract runs out. Give the letter promptly: the Immigration Department's Guidebook says the application can be made within four weeks before the contract expires.
2. You are ending the contract early by agreement. Common when you're leaving Hong Kong. Agree the last working day, put it in writing, and give her a release letter with the same date.
3. She is ending the contract early. If she has given proper notice, there's no good reason to refuse a letter confirming the date. Refusing doesn't keep her in your employment; it only makes life harder for both of you.

My advice: give the release letter at the same time as the final payment receipt. That way the dates in every document match.

What Should a Release Letter Include?

Keep it factual. The Immigration Department needs to see the date of expiry or termination; a new employer and agency want to identify the contract.

• Helper's full name as in her passport, and her passport and Hong Kong Identity Card numbers.
• Your full name as the employer on the contract, with HKID number and address.
• The contract number on her ID 407 Standard Employment Contract.
• Start date and end date of the contract, and whether it ended on completion or early.
• A release statement that you have no objection to her taking up employment with another employer.
• Notice details if it ended early, including who gave notice and the date the Immigration Department was notified.
• Your signature, date and phone number so Immigration or the new employer can verify.

Sample release letter for a domestic helper

Copy and adapt this. Replace everything in brackets.

[Date]

To whom it may concern,

Re: Release of [helper's full name], passport no. [number], HKID no. [number]

I, [employer's full name], HKID no. [number], of [address], am the employer of the above foreign domestic helper under Standard Employment Contract no. [contract number], which commenced on [start date].

This contract [expires on / was terminated on] [date]. [If early: The termination was by (mutual agreement / one month's notice given by the employer / one month's notice given by the helper), and the Immigration Department was notified on (date).]

I confirm that I have no objection to [helper's name] taking up employment with another employer in Hong Kong from the date above. All wages and other payments due under the contract have been paid in full, as acknowledged in the attached receipt.

[Optional: During her employment she was responsible for (duties), and she was honest and reliable.]

Please contact me on [phone number] if you need to verify this letter.

Yours faithfully,

[Signature]

[Employer's full name]

How Do You Terminate a Domestic Helper Contract?

With one month's written notice or one month's wages in lieu, whichever side ends it. The Labour Department's Practical Guide confirms either party may terminate this way, and both must then notify the Immigration Department.

Summary dismissal without notice is only for serious misconduct. The Labour Department's FAQ calls it "a serious disciplinary action", and some dismissals are illegal, for example during a confirmed pregnancy or paid sick leave. For the wider legal picture, read our guide to dismissal and termination rights in Hong Kong.

Sample termination notice (employer to helper)

The Labour Department publishes its own fill-in sample, the Sample Letter of Termination of Employment Contract Initiated by the Employer, with a version for helpers too. A plain version following the same structure:

[Date]

Dear [helper's full name],

I, [employer's full name], wish to terminate your employment contract as domestic helper under Domestic Helper Contract no. [contract number].

I am giving you one month's notice in writing. [Or: I will pay you one month's wages in lieu of notice.]

Your last working day will be [date].

Reason for termination (optional): [for example, my family is relocating overseas].

Yours sincerely,

[Employer's signature, name and date]

Acknowledged receipt by employee: [helper's signature, name and date]

Ask your helper to sign the acknowledgement and keep a copy each. The Immigration Department asks that a copy of the other party's written acknowledgement be sent with the notification.

How to Notify the Immigration Department Within 7 Days

Both employer and helper must notify the Director of Immigration in writing within 7 days of the termination date. This comes from Clause 12 of the ID 407 contract. You can use Form ID 407E, Notification of Termination of an Employment Contract, or a letter.

According to the Immigration Department, you can submit it:

• Online through GovHK's termination notification service.
• By fax to (852) 2157 9181.
• By post to the Foreign Domestic Helpers Section, 4th Floor, Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O.
• In person at the Ground Floor of the same building.

The Immigration Department says it will inform the employer in writing once the notification is verified, and may contact either side for more information. You don't need to tell the Labour Department.

What Final Payments Does a Helper Get?

Pay everything on or before the last day and get a signed receipt. The Labour Department's Practical Guide and its sample receipt list these items.

Source: Labour Department Practical Guide and Immigration Department FAQ, 2026; HKSAR Government announcement, October 2026.

A helper can't receive both severance and long service payment. The Immigration Department's FAQ gives the formula as monthly wages times two thirds times reckonable years of service, with part years pro rata. Our severance and long service payment guide covers the caps and worked examples, and our domestic helper holidays guide explains how annual leave and statutory holidays build up.

Wages are based on the contract, not today's rate. The Labour Department's FAQ says the Minimum Allowable Wage is HK$5,220 a month for contracts signed on or after 3 October 2026, so older contracts may be on HK$5,100. Our domestic helper salary guide covers the full pay picture.

Two practical points. Cancel or transfer your helper insurance once she leaves, and use the Labour Department's sample receipt so every item, date and amount is signed for.

How Long Can a Helper Stay in Hong Kong After Termination?

Two weeks from the termination date, or until the end of her contract, whichever is earlier. The Immigration Department states this on its termination page and in its Guidebook.

She can't extend as a visitor to look for work. Overstaying is an offence: the Labour Department's FAQ puts the maximum penalty at a HK$50,000 fine and two years' imprisonment, with possible removal and a bar on returning as a helper.

If your helper asks you not to report the termination so she can stay longer, say no. The Immigration Department's FAQ warns that an employer who agrees could be prosecuted for aiding and abetting an overstay.

Can a Helper Change Employers Inside Hong Kong?

Only in limited cases. Helpers are admitted for a specific job with a named employer, and the Immigration Department's Guidebook says applications to change employer within the two-year contract "will not as a rule be approved". She normally has to return to her place of origin and apply for a new visa from there.

The main routes to change employer without leaving:

• At the end of the contract. The new employer applies in Hong Kong within four weeks before the current contract expires, with a release letter from you.
• Exceptional early termination. The Labour Department's FAQ lists transfer, migration, death or financial reasons of the original employer, or evidence of abuse or exploitation.
• Death of the employer. The Immigration Department's FAQ says the contract ends on the date of death, and a spouse or family member who wants to keep the helper must apply for a change of employment within two weeks.

The Immigration Department's Guidebook says processing normally takes four to six weeks once all documents are in. Officers look closely at helpers who end contracts early to switch jobs, and the Labour Department's FAQ warns that suspected job-hopping can lead to refusal, with records kept for future applications.

Common Mistakes When Ending a Helper Contract

1. Missing the 7-day notification. Both sides have to do it. Do it the day the notice is signed.
2. Writing a release letter with the wrong date. It must match the termination notice and the ID 407E, or Immigration will query it.
3. Paying in cash with no receipt. Use a signed receipt listing every item.
4. Forgetting the return ticket and travel allowance. These are contract terms, not favours.
5. Dismissing during sick leave or pregnancy. Both are restricted and can lead to prosecution.
6. Agreeing to delay notifying Immigration. That exposes you to an aiding and abetting charge.
7. Refusing a release letter out of frustration. It doesn't keep her in your employment and only delays everyone.

FAQs: Domestic Helper Release Letter

Is a release letter required by Immigration?

Yes, for a change of employer application made in Hong Kong. The Immigration Department's checklist lists a release letter from the current employer showing the date of expiry or termination. It isn't on the checklist for a new helper applying from abroad, but agencies often still ask for one.

Is Form ID 407E the same as a release letter?

No. ID 407E is the official Notification of Termination of an Employment Contract sent to the Immigration Department within 7 days of an early termination. A release letter is your own letter confirming the end date for a future employer.

Can an employer refuse to give a release letter?

There's no legal rule forcing you to write one. But if your helper has served her contract or proper notice, refusing only delays her next application and doesn't change the termination. Most employers give one.

What is the notice period for a domestic helper in Hong Kong?

One month's written notice, or one month's wages in lieu, from either side. Summary dismissal without notice is reserved for serious misconduct.

How many days does a helper have to leave Hong Kong after termination?

Two weeks from the termination date, or the end of her contract if that comes first. Overstaying can lead to a fine of up to HK$50,000 and two years' imprisonment.

Does the employer have to pay for the helper's flight home?

Yes. The contract provides free return passage to her place of origin, plus a food and travelling allowance of HK$100 a day for the journey.

Can my helper transfer to my friend's household?

Only at the end of the two-year contract, or in exceptional circumstances such as your relocation, death or financial hardship. Mid-contract transfers are not normally approved, and your friend's application could be refused if it looks like job-hopping.

Do I need to tell the Labour Department when the contract ends?

No. The Labour Department's Practical Guide says only the Immigration Department needs to be notified.

Is a helper entitled to severance pay?

Only if she is made redundant after at least 24 months' continuous employment. After 5 years' continuous service she may instead qualify for long service payment, but not both.

Who writes the release letter, the employer or the agency?

The employer. An agency can help with wording, but the letter must be signed by the employer named on the contract.

Key Takeaways

• The Immigration Department requires a release letter showing the contract's end date for change of employer applications made in Hong Kong.
• Early terminations must be notified to the Immigration Department within 7 days by both employer and helper, using Form ID 407E or a letter.
• Either side can end the contract with one month's written notice or one month's wages in lieu.
• A helper must normally leave Hong Kong within two weeks of termination or by the end of her contract, whichever is earlier.
• Final pay includes wages, untaken leave pay, free return passage and a HK$100 daily food and travelling allowance.
• Severance needs 24 months' service and redundancy; long service payment needs 5 years.
• The Minimum Allowable Wage is HK$5,220 a month for contracts signed from 3 October 2026.

Leaving Hong Kong or Starting a New Role?

If you're ending your helper's contract because your own job is changing, browse English-speaking jobs in Hong Kong on ExpatJobBoard.