Childcare in Hong Kong for expats: helpers and nurseries
A live-in helper at the HK$5,100 minimum wage plus allowance costs less than a private nursery at HK$8,000 to HK$20,000 a month, which is why most expat families with two jobs go that way. Both take months to arrange, so the decision belongs in the second trimester. Checked 22 September 2026.
Decide on a helper, and start the paperwork
Many expat families in Hong Kong employ a live-in foreign domestic helper rather than use a nursery. Checked against immd.gov.hk on 22 September 2026.
Paperbump schedules this usually between week 20 and week 24 of the pregnancy. What this step involves · immd.gov.hk
Put your name down at nurseries and playgroups
Centre-based care for babies is scarce. The Social Welfare Department's day child care service covers children from birth to under 3, and fees at registered centres have to be approved by the SWD; the one fee the SWD does publish is for occasional child care, at HK$64 for a full-day session. Checked against swd.gov.hk on 22 September 2026.
Paperbump schedules this usually between week 22 and week 26 of the pregnancy. What this step involves · swd.gov.hk
Confirm the helper's start, or the nursery place
14 weeks of maternity leave usually starts 2 to 4 weeks before the due date, so in practice you are back at work around 10 to 12 weeks after the birth — earlier than the headline number suggests. Checked against labour.gov.hk on 22 September 2026.
Paperbump schedules this between 6 weeks and 3 months after the birth. What this step involves · labour.gov.hk
Get these dated from your own due date — free, nothing is sent to us