If you employ a maid or cleaner directly in Thailand, you are an employer under Thai labor law: since 2012 a domestic worker is entitled to at least one day off a week, 13 paid public holidays a year and paid annual leave after a year of work. A worker who is not Thai also needs a work permit. If you book a cleaner through a company or app instead, the company is normally the one dealing with those obligations.
Plenty of long-stay residents in Thailand pay for help at home, from a cleaner who comes for a few hours a week to a live-in housekeeper. It is affordable compared with many countries, which makes it easy to forget that the arrangement is a job with rules. This page is written from the employer's side: the choice between a service and your own employee, what the domestic-worker regulation says, how to agree pay, and the paperwork for workers from neighboring countries. It is general information, not legal advice; for your own case, ask a Thai lawyer or the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.
The general rules on foreigners working in Thailand, including your own work permit if you have a job here, are in our guide to the Non-B visa and work permit. This page is only about the person you hire to work in your home.
Domestic workers in Thailand: the basics (October 2026)
- The rule
- Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2555) under the Labour Protection Act, in force since 9 November 2012
- Weekly rest
- At least one day off a week
- Public holidays
- 13 traditional paid holidays a year
- Annual leave
- 6 paid days after one year of work
- Minimum wage
- Not extended to domestic workers by the 2012 rule (2012 reports)
- Non-Thai workers
- Need a work permit; ask your provincial employment office
A cleaning service or your own employee?
There are two basic ways to get help at home, and they put you in different legal positions.
A cleaning company or booking app. You book a cleaner for a few hours, pay the company, and the cleaner works for or through that company. You are a customer, not an employer, and questions of pay, days off and permits sit with the business. This suits people in a condo who want a weekly clean and no paperwork. Read the company's terms on who is responsible for breakages, cancellations and the worker's status, because they differ.
Your own maid or housekeeper. You find the person yourself, often through a recommendation from neighbors, the condo office or a previous employer, and pay them directly. That gives you more control and a long-term relationship, and it makes you the employer. A live-in housekeeper who sleeps in your home is always this kind of arrangement.
Booking a cleaning service
- No employer duties for you
- Easy to cancel or change
- A replacement if the regular cleaner is ill
Employing someone directly
- You must give days off, holidays and leave
- A non-Thai worker needs a permit you help arrange
- More trust and continuity, but more responsibility
What the 2012 domestic-worker rule says
Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2555) was issued under the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 and took effect on 9 November 2012. The International Labour Organization (ILO) notes that it applies to employers who hire workers for domestic work that does not involve running a business. If your maid also works in your shop or guesthouse, that is a different situation and you should ask a lawyer.
The Bangkok Post's report on the regulation, published on 14 November 2012, listed these rights:
- At least one day off each week.
- 13 traditional paid public holidays a year.
- Six days of paid annual leave after one year of work.
- Paid sick leave, which the report gave as three days a year.
- Wages of workers under 18 must be paid to the worker directly, and paying wages to a third party, including a broker, is banned.
According to the same report, employers can be fined up to 20,000 baht for not giving a weekly day off or for not paying sick leave, and face up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht for not paying for work done on holidays.
Online claims about sick leave do not agree. Some websites say domestic workers get 30 days of paid sick leave; the 2012 press report says three. We could not read the regulation's Thai text or find a later amendment, so check the current rule with the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare before you write it into an agreement.
Pay, hours and the minimum wage
The 2012 rule did not extend the minimum wage or the working-hours rules of the Labour Protection Act to domestic workers, according to the Bangkok Post, which quoted the Lawyers Council. For context only, the general daily minimum wage set by Notification No. 14 from 1 July 2025 is 337 to 400 baht a day depending on the province and sector. Check for any later change before relying on the domestic-worker exception.
We do not print typical maid salaries. We found no official survey of domestic-worker pay in Thailand, and the figures on forums and agency sites vary widely by city, hours, duties and whether the job is live-in. The fair way to set pay is to ask a few people in your building or neighborhood what they pay for similar hours, and to agree it in writing.
Whatever you agree, put these points on paper, in Thai and English if you can:
- Duties, such as cleaning, laundry, cooking or childcare, and what is not included.
- Days and hours, the weekly day off and how public holidays work.
- Pay, the pay day and how you pay it. A bank transfer gives both of you a record; our guide to opening a Thai bank account covers your side.
- For a live-in job: the room, meals, utilities and visitors.
- Notice on either side, and what happens when you travel.
Our page on the cost of living in Thailand puts household help alongside rent, power and the other monthly costs.
Hiring a worker from Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia
Some domestic workers in Thailand come from neighboring countries. Any worker who is not a Thai national needs a work permit before starting work. For workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, Thailand recruits through government-to-government agreements (MOUs) with each country, and the Ministry of Labour runs an online e-WorkPermit system. The office to ask is your provincial employment office; in Bangkok, the city's area employment offices.
We could not read the Department of Employment's current pages on domestic workers in October 2026, so we do not give the steps, fees or whether a foreign employer can sponsor a worker. Ask your provincial employment office before you agree anything; our guide to government office hours explains queue tickets and lunch breaks. Be careful with brokers: the 2012 rule bans paying a worker's wages to a third party, and you remain responsible for what your worker is owed.
Never keep your worker's passport or ID card. Their documents belong to them, even if you helped pay for the permit. Make a copy for your records if you need one, and give the original back the same day.
Paperwork when someone lives in your home
A live-in worker changes some of your own paperwork. If the worker is a foreign national and stays at your address, the house owner or head of household is the one who must notify immigration of where a foreigner is staying, using the TM30 form; our article on the TM30 notification explains who files it. If you rent, tell your landlord, because the lease may limit who can live in the unit; our guide to renting a condo or house covers lease terms.
Social security is another question to ask about. The Social Security Office runs the system for employees in general, and our guide to Thai social security explains it for foreign employees. We could not confirm how it applies to a domestic worker hired by a private household, so call the SSO hotline, 1506, and ask before you assume either way.
Working well together
Most problems between households and their helpers come from things that were never said. Agree on a short trial period, show where cleaning products and equipment are kept, and explain anything unusual, such as delicate surfaces or a pet's routine. If you want rubbish sorted a certain way, show it once; our page on rubbish and recycling in Thailand explains what goes where.
Keep valuables and cash out of sight, not as a sign of distrust but so that nobody is put in a difficult position. Pay on time, every time. A few phrases help on both sides; our essential Thai phrases are a start. When you leave Thailand or end the job, give the notice you agreed, pay what is owed, including unused leave if your agreement or the law requires it, and write a short reference.
Frequently asked questions
Do maids in Thailand get a day off?
Yes. Under Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2555), in force since 9 November 2012, a domestic worker is entitled to at least one day off each week, 13 traditional paid holidays a year and six days of paid annual leave after one year.
Does the minimum wage apply to maids in Thailand?
The 2012 domestic-worker rule did not extend the minimum wage to domestic workers, according to press reports at the time quoting the Lawyers Council. We could not find a later change, so check with the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.
Can a foreigner hire a maid in Thailand?
Many foreign residents use a cleaner or housekeeper. A worker who is not Thai needs a work permit, and the rules for who may act as the employer are set by the Department of Employment, so ask your provincial employment office before you hire.
Do I need a contract for a cleaner in Thailand?
A written agreement is strongly advisable, even for a part-time cleaner. Set out duties, hours, the weekly day off, pay and notice, in Thai and English if possible, so both of you can point to what was agreed.
Sources
- International Labour Organization – Thailand: new Ministerial Regulation offers better protection of domestic workers' rights (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Post – Housemaids get days off, paid leave (14 November 2012) (checked October 2026)
- Social Security Office – Home page (hotline 1506) (checked October 2026)