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Household staff in Bali: what is normal and what it costs
Daily help is common and, by regional-wage standards, inexpensive. A new national law now sets minimum rules for domestic staff, though not a minimum wage.
Updated 24 September 2026 · 5 min read
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The question to settle before moving in
Ambiguity about who employs household staff is the most frequent source of friction. If the owner pays, you cannot change the arrangement unilaterally; if you pay, you take on the obligations the new domestic workers law now spells out — a written agreement, THR, and social security. The rental contract should state which, along with the days and hours expected, before you move in, not after the first disagreement.
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What Indonesia’s new domestic workers law changed
Law No. 2 of 2026, effective 30 April 2026, is the first national law to formally govern domestic employment, which had previously sat outside standard labour law. It requires a written agreement covering identity, work address, scope of work, and wage arrangement, in Indonesian. Workers must be at least 18, hold an ID card, and provide a health statement from a healthcare facility.
It guarantees rest periods, leave, a religious holiday allowance, social security, and proper accommodation for full-time live-in staff — but it deliberately does not set a minimum wage. Legislators framed the relationship as familial rather than industrial, and left pay to agreement between employer and worker. Specific wage guidance and penalty details are left to implementing regulations, due within a year of the law taking effect, so treat the framework as still filling in as of late 2026.
What staff actually cost
There is no single verified rate — pay varies by role, hours, live-in versus live-out, and area, and no reliable published survey covers all of them. What is verifiable is the reference point: Bali’s UMP of IDR 3,207,459 a month is the formal-sector benchmark, and domestic pay is commonly set below it because food and, for live-in staff, lodging are treated as an offsetting benefit rather than cash. Ask other residents or a reputable villa-management company for current going rates in your specific area before offering a number — a rate far above local norms distorts the market for your neighbours as well as you, and a rate far below it invites the turnover you’re trying to avoid.
| Role | Common arrangement | What decides the rate |
|---|---|---|
| Daily cleaner | A few hours, several days a week | Hours, area, live-in vs live-out |
| Gardener / pool service | Weekly visit, sometimes shared across villas | Property size, whether there’s a pool |
| Cook / housekeeper | Full-time, occasionally live-in | Live-in vs live-out, experience |
| Driver | Full-time or on-call | Hours, whose vehicle is used |
Social security and ending the arrangement
BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, the employment and accident scheme, is inexpensive to add for a household worker — reported at under IDR 20,000 a month per person — and can be registered through the BPJS mobile app. BPJS Kesehatan, the health scheme, charges a modest premium that scales with the coverage class chosen; check current rates at bpjs-kesehatan.go.id rather than assume a figure, since enrolment is now the direction the law points even though it isn’t yet universally enforced for private households.
Severance has previously been guided, informally, at one month’s pay per year of service for staff employed a year or more — a norm reported by long-standing expatriate advice rather than a specific statutory figure, and one that may be superseded once Law 2/2026’s implementing regulations are published. Put the notice period and any severance understanding in the written agreement the law now requires, rather than leaving it to custom.
- State in writing who employs and pays the staff — you or the owner.
- Cover days, hours, and what happens on public and religious holidays.
- Note who pays BPJS Kesehatan and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, if either is used.
- Agree a notice period and any severance understanding before you need it, not during a dispute.
Common questions
Do Bali villas come with staff?
Frequently, particularly pool and garden maintenance. Whether it’s included in rent or billed separately varies, so the rental contract should state it explicitly.
How much should I pay household staff in Bali?
There’s no single verified rate. Benchmark against Bali’s provincial minimum wage (IDR 3,207,459 a month from 2026) as a formal-sector reference point, then ask other residents or a villa-management company for current local norms, since domestic pay is commonly set below that benchmark with food or lodging offsetting it.
Am I legally required to register household staff for BPJS in Bali?
Registration isn’t yet universally enforced for private households, but Indonesia’s 2026 domestic workers law points toward social security as a guaranteed protection, and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan is cheap enough — reported under IDR 20,000 a month — that there’s little reason not to.
What is Indonesia’s new domestic workers law?
Law No. 2 of 2026, in force since 30 April 2026, is the first national law formally covering domestic employment. It requires a written contract and guarantees THR, rest periods and social security, but sets no mandated wage — pay is left to agreement between employer and worker.
Is severance pay required for household staff in Bali?
It’s been a long-standing informal norm — roughly one month’s pay per year of service — rather than a specific figure fixed in law, and the position may be clarified once the 2026 law’s implementing regulations are published. Put whatever you agree in writing.
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Indonesia’s Law No. 2 of 2026 on domestic worker protection had implementing regulations still pending as of September 2026, and wage figures here are reported common practice, not statutory minimums — confirm current requirements with an Indonesian employment adviser or the local Disnaker office.