Complete Guide — Form ID407E
How to terminate a domestic helper contract in Hong Kong
Your complete guide to filling out Form ID407E for Foreign Domestic Helper Contract Termination in Hong Kong — covering early termination, non-renewal, and step-by-step submission methods.
Updated
In short
Either party may end a Hong Kong foreign domestic helper contract by giving one month's written notice or paying one month's wages in lieu. The employer and the helper must each notify the Immigration Department within 7 days of the termination date, using Form ID 407E. The helper must leave Hong Kong within 14 days of termination or when her limit of stay expires, whichever is earlier.
- If you are the employer:
- The sequence below is yours to run: give notice, settle the final payment, file your ID 407E.
- If you are the helper:
- The same three obligations are symmetric. You may also give one month’s notice, you are owed a settlement on your last working day, and you must file your own ID 407E — the employer’s form does not cover you.
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Fill in Form ID407EThe Rules
Either side can end the contract with one month's written notice, or one month's wages in lieu of that notice. The employer and the helper must each notify the Immigration Department within 7 days of the termination date, on Form ID 407E, free of charge. The helper then has 14 days to leave Hong Kong, or until her limit of stay expires — whichever comes first.
Show all 12 rules, with sources
| Requirement | What applies |
|---|---|
| Notice required, either party | One month in writing, or one month's wages in lieu of notice (Source: ID 407 Clause 10)Source: ID 407 Clause 10 |
| Who must notify Immigration | Both the employer and the helper — one shared form or two separate ones. A copy of the other party’s written acknowledgement of the termination goes to Immigration too (Source: ID 407 Clause 12)Source: ID 407 Clause 12 |
| Notification deadline | Within 7 days of the termination date (Source: ID 407 Clause 12)Source: ID 407 Clause 12 |
| Form to use | ID 407E (06/2024 revision) — two pages, A4, bilingual (Source: Immigration Department)Source: Immigration Department |
| Cost to file | Free of charge (Source: Immigration Department)Source: Immigration Department |
| How to submit | Upload at gov.hk/fdhtermination, fax 2157 9181, by post, or in person (Source: Immigration Department)Source: Immigration Department |
| Helper must leave Hong Kong by | 14 days after termination, or expiry of her limit of stay — whichever is earlier (Source: Immigration Department)Source: Immigration Department |
| Return passage | Air ticket to the place of origin, plus a travel allowance of HK$100 per day of the journey (Source: ID 407 Clause 7)Source: ID 407 Clause 7 |
| Severance payment | Two-thirds of a month's wages per reckonable year, after 24 months' service, where the helper is dismissed by reason of redundancy, laid off, or a fixed-term contract expires unrenewed by reason of redundancy (Source: EO Cap. 57)Source: EO Cap. 57 |
| Long service payment | Same formula, after 5 years' service. Non-renewal at expiry counts, unless the employer offered renewal in writing at least 7 days before expiry and the helper unreasonably refused (Source: EO Cap. 57)Source: EO Cap. 57 |
| Payment caps | Monthly wages capped at HK$22,500 for the calculation; total payment capped at HK$390,000 (Source: EO Cap. 57)Source: EO Cap. 57 |
| How to complete the form | BLOCK letters, black or blue pen (Source: ID 407E)Source: ID 407E |
The Five Steps to Ending a Contract
Step 1 — Give one month's written notice
Either party may end the contract early by giving the other not less than one month's notice in writing, or by paying one month's wages in lieu of notice. Notice does not have to be accepted to be valid, but it does have to be in writing and dated.
The Labour Department’s rule is that the month starts on the day notice is given and ends the day before the corresponding date in the following month — notice on 13 February runs to 12 March. Where there is no corresponding date, or notice falls on a month end, it runs to the last day of the following month. If the last working day falls short, the shortfall is payable in wages. Keep a signed, dated copy.
What most people get wrong: Verbal notice, and counting the notice month as 30 days.
Step 2 — Work out the final settlement
On the last working day the employer owes outstanding wages, any wages in lieu of notice, pay for untaken annual leave, the return air ticket to the helper's place of origin, and a travel allowance of HK$100 for each day of the journey. Severance or long service payment may also apply.
Severance payment arises after 24 months where the helper is dismissed by reason of redundancy or laid off. Long service payment arises after 5 years where the helper is dismissed other than for redundancy and not summarily dismissed for serious misconduct, where a fixed-term contract expires without being renewed, where she resigns on grounds of ill health or at 65 or above, or where she dies in service. Both are two-thirds of a month’s wages per reckonable year, with the monthly wage capped at HK$22,500 and the total at HK$390,000.
What most people get wrong: Assuming a helper who did not renew is owed nothing. Expiry of a fixed-term contract without renewal is itself a long service payment trigger at 5 years. She loses it only if the employer offered renewal or re-engagement in writing at least 7 days before expiry and she unreasonably refused — all three limbs, and all three are about what the employer did.
Work out every component of the final payment — wages owed, wages in lieu, untaken leave, the air ticket and the HK$100-a-day travel allowance — and have severance and long service checked against your own dates.
Open the settlement calculatorStep 3 — Pay, and get it acknowledged in writing
Pay the settlement on or before the last working day and have the helper sign a receipt itemising every component. Both parties should keep a copy.
An itemised receipt records what was settled. List each line separately — wages, notice, annual leave, airfare, travel allowance, severance or long service payment — rather than a single lump sum, so both parties can see afterwards which entitlements the payment covered and which it did not.
What most people get wrong: A single figure with no breakdown, or paying in cash with no signature.
The same calculator produces an itemised settlement receipt you can print and have signed, free, with no sign-up. Bring the dates you worked out above.
Open the settlement calculatorStep 4 — File Form ID 407E within 7 days
Both the employer and the helper must give the Director of Immigration written notice of the termination within 7 days of the termination date, using Form ID 407E. It is free. They may use the same form or complete separate ones.
The fastest route is uploading at gov.hk/fdhtermination. You can also fax it to 2157 9181, post it, or deliver it in person to Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O. A copy of the other party’s written acknowledgement of the termination has to reach Immigration as well. If you have already submitted online or by fax, do not also post the original — the form says so explicitly. The Immigration Department sends a written acknowledgement by e-mail or post.
What most people get wrong: Assuming the employer's form covers the helper. It does not. Clause 12 puts the obligation on each party separately, and the form provides a signature box for each.
Step 5 — The two-week rule
After a contract is terminated the helper may stay in Hong Kong for 14 days from the termination date, or until her existing limit of stay expires, whichever is earlier. Within that window she must either leave or have a new employer's visa application approved.
The 14 days run from the termination date, not from the date the Immigration Department processes the notification, so filing late does not extend anything. Changing employer inside Hong Kong after a premature termination is the exception, not the alternative: the Immigration Department states that such applications “will not as a rule be approved” and that the helper must return to her place of origin to apply. Where an application is made, she may not start work until it is approved.
What most people get wrong: Counting the two weeks from the day the form was filed — and treating an in-Hong-Kong transfer as the normal alternative to leaving.
Fill in Form ID407E
Free tool to instantly generate your ID407E Termination Form — filled out and ready to sign.
Additional Tools for Employers
Simple calculators that save you the hassle!
Settlement calculator
Works through every component of the final payment, checks severance and long service eligibility against your dates, and produces an itemised receipt you can print and have signed.
Open the calculatorJust hired a replacement? See your key dates and get ahead of the deadlines.
Helper employment timeline
Maps a two-year contract onto a calendar — the renewal window, leave-year anniversaries, statutory holidays, limit of stay, passport and insurance expiry — and exports the lot to your own calendar.
Open the timeline planner
Need a replacement helper?
We have placed helpers from our Sha Tin office since 2003. Tell us your helper's last working day and we will tell you honestly whether we can fill the gap in time.
Talk to usCommon questions
Do I need a reason to terminate a domestic helper contract in Hong Kong?
Not to make the termination effective — one month’s written notice or wages in lieu ends the contract either way, and Form ID 407E asks for a reason the other party need not agree with. But from 24 months’ continuous service a helper may claim remedies for unreasonable dismissal if she is dismissed other than for a valid reason under the Employment Ordinance, so “no reason needed” is not the whole picture. Summary dismissal without notice is different again and requires a Clause 11 ground.
Does the helper have to file her own ID 407E?
Yes. Clause 12 of the standard employment contract obliges both the employer and the helper to notify the Director of Immigration within 7 days. They may use one shared form signed by both, or file separately.
How long can a helper stay in Hong Kong after termination?
14 days from the termination date, or until her existing limit of stay expires, whichever is earlier. Within that period she must leave Hong Kong or have a new employer's visa application approved.
What counts as terminating with good reason?
The Immigration Department lets a helper change employer inside Hong Kong, without first returning home, only where the employer cannot continue the contract because of an external transfer, migration, death or financial reasons, or where there is evidence she has been abused or exploited. Every other early termination follows the ordinary route: she returns to her place of origin and a new employer applies for her afresh. Even on those grounds approval is discretionary, and she may not start work for anyone new until it is granted.
The employer has died — what happens to the helper?
If she wants to keep working for the employer's spouse or a family member, an application for change of employment sponsored by that person must be submitted within two weeks of the termination. The Immigration Department says it processes these applications expeditiously. In our experience the death certificate is asked for with the application, so it is worth having a certified copy ready before anything is filed.
We are moving overseas — can our helper transfer to a new employer in Hong Kong?
Migration is one of the recognised grounds, so in principle yes: she may apply to change employer here rather than returning home first. In our experience the Immigration Department wants to see that the move is real — flight bookings, a relocation letter from the employer's company, or notice ending the tenancy. Nothing is automatic, and she cannot begin work for a new employer until the application is approved.
We can no longer afford a helper — does that count as a good reason?
A genuine change in the employer's financial circumstances is one of the recognised grounds. In our experience the Immigration Department telephones the employer to confirm the position before deciding, so expect a call and be ready to explain the change plainly. Approval remains at the Department's discretion.
Is there a fee for submitting Form ID 407E?
No. The Immigration Department issues and accepts the notification free of charge. You can upload it at gov.hk/fdhtermination, fax it to 2157 9181, post it, or deliver it in person.
What does an employer owe a helper on termination?
Outstanding wages, wages in lieu of any shortfall in notice, pay for untaken annual leave, a return air ticket to her place of origin, and a travel allowance of HK$100 for each day of the journey. Severance payment applies after 24 months where the reason is redundancy, and long service payment after five years where she did not resign and was not summarily dismissed.
Add it up with the settlement calculatorCan I hire a replacement helper while the current contract is being terminated?
You can begin the search immediately. A new employer’s visa application is normally processed once the existing contract has ended, though at the end of a two-year contract it may be made in Hong Kong within four weeks before expiry. In our experience a replacement placement takes three to six weeks — that is our own figure, not a government one — so starting during the notice period is what keeps the gap short.
Ask us about a replacement helperCommon Mistakes
Only one party files the ID 407E
Clause 12 obliges the employer and the helper separately. One form signed by both satisfies it; one form signed by the employer alone does not.
Using a superseded version of the form
The 06/2024 revision has no address field and two reason boxes. If a tool asks you for the employer's address, it is filling an older form.
Paying long service payment to a helper who resigned
Long service payment requires that the helper was not summarily dismissed for serious misconduct and that the dismissal was not by reason of redundancy. It is still payable when a fixed-term contract simply expires unrenewed, when she resigns on grounds of ill health or at 65 or above, or when she dies in service.
Missing the travel allowance
The return passage is the ticket plus HK$100 for each day of the journey — per day, not per leg. A multi-day journey home is worth more than HK$100.
Counting the two-week rule from the filing date
It runs from the termination date. Filing on day six leaves the helper eight days, not fourteen.
Sources
This article is general information about employing a domestic helper in Hong Kong. It is not legal, immigration or professional advice, and the rules do change. For your own situation, check the official sources below or talk to us.