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Hong Kong · Employment Ordinance s.25 · new minimum HK$5,220 from 3 Oct 2026

Helper contract terminated in Hong Kong? — final pay letter ready, 7-day deadline counted

Short answer. Your letter to the employer is open below: fill in the dates, your wage and each amount owed. Final pay after termination: As soon as practicable, not later than 7 days after the day of termination (Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), s.25(1)).

  • Last day for your employer to pay all termination sums (7 days after the day of termination): type the date
  • Last day for you AND your employer to notify the Director of Immigration in writing (within seven days): type the date
  • About the end of the two weeks you may stay after early termination (check the exact date with Immigration): type the date
  • Severance payment claim (if redundant after 24+ months): give written notice BEFORE this date — the 3 months begin with the termination day, so the last day is the day before: type the date

Check your own case.

Employment Ordinance s.25(1): any sum due on termination must be paid as soon as practicable and in any case not later than 7 days after the day of termination; interest runs on wages not paid within 7 days of becoming due (s.25A). Standard Employment Contract clause 12 (as explained by the Immigration Department): both parties notify the Director of Immigration within seven days of the date of termination. After premature termination a helper may stay for not more than two weeks; Immigration decides the exact date. Severance: written claim within 3 months beginning with the relevant date (s.31N). If the contract was ended by payment in lieu of notice, the Labour Department counts from the date up to which those wages are calculated. All periods are calendar days; do not wait for the last day.

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Enter your termination date, and I will show you the last day your employer must pay and the last day to tell Immigration.

Fill the table line by line. If you are not sure about an amount, write what you think is owed and keep your wage records — the Labour Department can check it with you.

An illustrated character, not a lawyer.

Deadlines

The rules, with the source

WhatDeadlineSource
Final pay after terminationAs soon as practicable, not later than 7 days after the day of terminationEmployment Ordinance (Cap. 57), s.25(1)
Interest on late wagesPayable on wages and termination wages not paid within 7 days of becoming dueEmployment Ordinance (Cap. 57), s.25A
Notice or payment in lieuOne month's notice in writing or one month's wages in lieuEmployment Ordinance s.7; Standard Employment Contract (Immigration Department FAQ)
Tell the Director of ImmigrationBoth employer and helper, in writing, within seven days of the termination dateStandard Employment Contract (ID 407), clause 12; Immigration Department FAQ
Stay after early terminationNot more than two weeksImmigration Department FAQ
Severance payment24+ months' service and dismissal for redundancy; written claim within 3 months beginning with the relevant dateEmployment Ordinance ss.31B, 31N
Long service paymentAt least 5 years' service and dismissal where no severance payment is dueEmployment Ordinance s.31R
New contracts from 3 October 2026Minimum Allowable Wage HK$5,220 a month; food allowance in lieu not less than HK$1,236HKSAR Government press release, 2 October 2026

Foreign domestic helpers have the same protection under the Employment Ordinance as local employees, plus the rights in the Standard Employment Contract (ID 407), such as free return passage and a food and travelling allowance for the journey home.

Step by step

What to do, in order

  1. 1

    Write down the dates

    Start date, termination date, and the date wages were last paid.

  2. 2

    List every amount

    Wages to the last day, notice pay, leave, holidays, ticket home, travel allowance.

  3. 3

    Give the letter

    Hand it over or send it by message and e-mail. Keep a copy and a photo of the signed page.

  4. 4

    Notify Immigration yourself

    Within seven days of termination, even if your employer says they will do it.

  5. 5

    Get a receipt

    Sign only for amounts you actually received, item by item.

  6. 6

    If not paid in 7 days

    Call the Labour Department (2717 1771) and ask for conciliation at the Labour Relations Division.

Questions

My employer says I get nothing because I resigned. Is that right?

No. Wages up to the last day, untaken annual leave and statutory holiday pay, and the contract items such as the ticket home are still due. Notice pay depends on who ended the contract and how.

Does the new HK$5,220 minimum apply to my old contract?

No. It applies to contracts signed on or after 3 October 2026. Contracts signed before keep their wage until they end.

Can the agency notify Immigration for me?

The Immigration Department says you should not leave your written notice with the employer or the agent. Send your own notice within seven days.

Official sources

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This is a ready document and a deadline calculation, not legal advice.