Finding Carer Work in Malta: Your Pay, Your Rights and Changing Employer

This guide is for carers, housekeepers and nannies who already live in Malta and are allowed to work here. It covers your minimum pay in 2026, your rights if you live in, what happens if you change employer, and who to call if something goes wrong. Every figure links to the official source.

Who this guide is for

Families post jobs on CarerMalta directly, and carers create free profiles that families contact. CarerMalta is a listing site. It doesn't employ anyone, and it doesn't sponsor, apply for or process visas or permits.

So the jobs here are for people who already have the right to work in Malta: Maltese and other EU citizens, and people from outside the EU who hold a single permit or another permission to work. If you're outside Malta and hoping a job will come with a work permit, a CarerMalta profile won't get you one. Only Identità issues permits, and only after an employer applies (source: Identità: single permit).

You must be 18 or over to create a profile.

You never pay for a job

Maltese law is clear: "No payments or charges shall be demanded or levied on any applicant for any employment services", and "No deductions shall be made from the wages of any employee" for those services (source: S.L. 452.130, reg. 10).

That means nobody should ask you for a "registration", "placement" or "processing" fee to get a carer job, and no fee for a job may be taken out of your wages later.

Warning signs that something isn't right:

• Someone asks you for money to get the job, or to "hold" it for you. Don't pay.
• An offer depends on paying for a permit. Identità publishes its permit fees, and it is the employer who applies (source: Identità: single permit application).
• Someone asks for your e-ID login. Identità says "eID credentials must not be shared, given or used by anyone other than the rightful owner", and unauthorised use "is liable to prosecution" (source: Identità: information for non-EU nationals).
• You're told an application makes your stay legal. Identità says "Applying for a residence permit to Identità does not regularise one's immigration status" (source: Identità: information for non-EU nationals).

CarerMalta is free for carers, always. If a job post on CarerMalta asks you for a fee, deposit or "processing" payment, don't pay. Report it to us so we can remove it.

Your minimum pay in 2026

Pay for work in private homes is set by the Domestic Service (Conditions of Work) Regulation Order, S.L. 452.170. It covers "maids, housekeepers, cooks… babysitters, nursemaids and other persons employed in related work" (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order). Carers aren't named, so if you're unsure whether it covers your job, ask DIER, the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations.

The order sets six groups. The 2026 minimums are (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order):

If you're paid by the hour and work more than four hours in a day, the order says you must be paid at least a day's pay (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order). For comparison, the national minimum wage for adults in 2026 is €229.44 a week (source: DIER: national minimum wage).

On top of your wage, every employee receives two statutory bonuses and two weekly allowances (source: DIER: bonuses and weekly allowances):

• €121.16 at the end of March and again at the end of September;
• €135.10 at the end of June and again in December.

If you work only part of the year, you get a proportion of each.

Extra pay. On days you don't sleep in, the order limits normal hours to 8 a day and 40 a week, with time and a half for overtime. Work on your weekly rest day is paid at double time, and so is work on a public holiday (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order).

Equal treatment. If you hold a single permit, Identità's leaflet says you "enjoy equal treatment with Maltese nationals" on working conditions, "including pay and dismissal" (source: Identità: rights and obligations leaflet).

Deductions. DIER says an employer "is not allowed to make deductions from the employee's wage except where permitted by law or by an order of a competent court" (source: DIER: wage deductions). The domestic-service order allows one: up to €48.36 a month for meals, for monthly workers in Groups 1 and 2 (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order). It provides no deduction for your room.

Living in: meals, rest and days off

If you live in your employer's home, the domestic-service order gives you these rights (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order):

• Meals: on days you sleep in, you're entitled to all meals: morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and supper.
• Daily rest: "a minimum daily rest period of three (3) hours in the aggregate in every day", at times agreed with your employer.
• A weekly rest day: one day off every week, agreed with your employer. If you work on it, you're paid double time.
• Public holidays: Malta has 14 national and public holidays (source: DIER: national and public holidays). Workers employed by the month or week are entitled to all of them with full pay.
• Sick leave: the equivalent of 14 days a year on full pay, less any sickness benefit. Your employer pays the first three days of any absence in full, and the right starts from your first day of work.
• Uniform: if your employer wants you to wear one, they provide it free.

Annual leave follows Malta's general working-time rules. If you're unsure how much leave you've built up, ask DIER.

Your contract and your employment record

Written terms. Your employer must give you the main terms of your job in writing, including pay, hours and notice, "no later than the seventh calendar day" after you start (source: S.L. 452.126, reg. 6). Keep your copy somewhere safe.

Your Jobsplus record. Jobsplus says "The Engagement and Termination Forms are mandatory for registering any paid employment in Malta", and that they provide "official employment documents like job histories" (source: Jobsplus: employment forms). Your employer must send the engagement form when you start. If you're from outside the EU, your employer uploads your residence card or Temporary Authorisation to Work with it (source: Jobsplus: employment forms).

Keep your own records too. When a live-in carer's permit is renewed, Identità's checklist asks for "Payslips of the last three months and FS3 covering the previous latest calendar year of employment" (source: Identità: live-in carer checklist, renewal). Ask your employer for your payslips, your yearly FS3 and a copy of each Jobsplus form they submit for you.

Changing employer on a single permit

If you're from outside the EU, your single permit is tied to one employer and one job. Identità says the permit "is specific to the Employer and the Designation", and that any change in either "render[s] the permit null and void" and needs a new application (source: Identità: change of designation or employer). A single permit also doesn't allow you to "carry out paid duties assigned by parties other than the identified employer" (source: Identità: single permit). So you can't take a second job with another family on your day off.

How a change works:

• Your new employer applies, not you. Identità says "The new employer may submit a Change of Employer application before the non-EU national terminates their previous employment" (source: Identità: change of employer).
• The fee is €600 for a standard change of employer (source: Identità: change of employer), or €27.50 for a live-in carer (source: Identità: single permit application).
• No job advert is needed for a change of employer (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ).
• You can't start the new job early. Identità's FAQ says you can't keep working on your old permit once you change employer; a change-of-employer application is needed (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ). For live-in carers, Identità issues an Interim Receipt with a Temporary Authorisation to Work for changes of employer (source: Identità: single permit application).
• Only one application at a time. If an application is already open, it has to be withdrawn before another is submitted (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ).

If your job has already ended. Identità's FAQ says that for terminations from 1 August 2025 you have 30 days to stay and look for new work, with a possible extra 30 days (60 in total) if you can prove you can support yourself (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ). Its change-of-employer page says an application made within 60 days of your termination date "may be considered for processing" (source: Identità: change of employer). If you're close to these limits, contact Identità straight away.

If your employer doesn't send the termination form

When a job ends, your employer must send a termination form to Jobsplus and, if you're from outside the EU, tell Identità within four days (source: Identità: obligations on termination).

If your employer refuses, Identità's page says you "may submit a signed declaration to: hriu.jobsplus@gov.mt" (source: Identità: obligations on termination). The same page says you're also obliged to (source: Identità: obligations on termination):

1. tell Identità about the termination, through the online portal or by email to worktermination.identita@gov.mt; and
2. return your residence card to Identità, Valley Road, Msida.

Identità warns that not doing so may put you in breach of the Immigration Act (source: Identità: obligations on termination). Keep copies of everything you send.

If you're still owed wages, bonuses or leave, DIER can help you claim them (see below).

Courses and qualifications

• Skills Pass: not needed for care work. Identità says roles "in hospitality/food service, may require a valid Skills Pass" (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ).
• Pre-Departure Course: required for first-time single-permit applicants coming from abroad. It costs €250 (source: Identità: Pre-Departure Course). Identità's FAQ says people who already hold a valid single permit generally don't need it, unless they apply again as first-time applicants (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ).
• Carer at Home families: if an older person wants to claim the government's Carer at Home subsidy, "The carer must have a recognised qualification", and a qualification from abroad needs equivalence through MQRIC (source: servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home). MQRIC is part of the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (source: MFHEA (MQRIC)). If you have a care qualification from abroad, getting it recognised can make you a better fit for those families.

No permit rule we found requires a care qualification for other carer jobs. Families may still ask about your training and experience, so list it on your profile.

Where to get help

Pay and conditions: DIER. DIER enforces employment conditions. Call 1575 (the line for employees) (source: DIER: contact).

• If your conditions of work aren't respected, you can send DIER a claim "supported by documents", and DIER "will investigate and take the necessary steps" (source: DIER: breaching conditions of employment).
• Claims for unpaid wages are made in person at DIER, 109 Melita Street, Valletta, during opening hours (source: DIER: lodging a claim). Bring your contract, payslips and messages.
• Breaches can also be reported anonymously (source: DIER: lodging a claim).
• DIER can only start criminal action within one year (source: DIER: breaching conditions of employment), so don't wait.

Unfair dismissal: the Industrial Tribunal. Cases such as unfair dismissal, discrimination and harassment go to the Industrial Tribunal (source: DIER: breaching conditions of employment). A referral must be made "within four months from the effective date of the alleged breach", and no application or court fees are payable (source: DIER: the Industrial Tribunal).

Emergencies and support lines:

• 112 for police, ambulance and fire (source: UNHCR Malta: emergency services and helplines).
• 179, Supportline, free and open 24 hours a day (source: FSWS: Supportline 179). Callers can get help with situations including abuse and trafficking (source: UNHCR Malta: emergency services and helplines).
• 116 006, the national support line for victims of any crime (source: stopviolence.gov.mt: 116 006).

How CarerMalta works for carers

• Create a free profile. Say what work you're looking for (carer, housekeeper or nanny), live-in or live-out, where in Malta you can work, and your experience and languages.
• Families contact you directly. You decide who to talk to and which job to accept. Agree pay, hours and days off in writing before you start.
• You never pay. Creating a profile and being contacted by families is free, always.
• We don't choose for anyone. CarerMalta is not an agency. Profiles are listed by most recent activity, and families choose who to contact.

When you're ready, create your free profile with the button below. It takes a few minutes.

Sources we checked

Every figure and rule in this guide links to the official page it comes from. We re-check them when the rules or the Budget change.

1. S.L. 452.130, reg. 10. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
2. S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
3. DIER: bonuses and weekly allowances, page updated 11 Apr 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
4. DIER: national minimum wage, page updated 2 Sep 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
5. DIER: wage deductions, page updated 11 Apr 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
6. DIER: national and public holidays, page updated 6 Nov 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
7. S.L. 452.126, reg. 6. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
8. Jobsplus: employment forms. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
9. Identità: rights and obligations leaflet. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
10. Identità: change of employer, page updated 27 Aug 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
11. Identità: non-EU employment FAQ, page updated 13 Oct 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
12. Identità: single permit application, page updated 27 Aug 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
13. Identità: obligations on termination, page updated 24 Jul 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
14. Identità: single permit, page updated 27 Jan 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
15. Identità: Pre-Departure Course, page updated 27 Jan 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
16. servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home, page updated 20 Jun 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
17. DIER: contact, page updated 6 May 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
18. DIER: breaching conditions of employment, page updated 11 Apr 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
19. DIER: lodging a claim, page updated 21 May 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
20. DIER: the Industrial Tribunal, page updated 28 Aug 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
21. FSWS: Supportline 179, page updated 10 Jun 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
22. stopviolence.gov.mt: 116 006, page updated 22 Nov 2023. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
23. UNHCR Malta: emergency services and helplines. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
24. Identità: information for non-EU nationals, page updated 24 Jul 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
25. MFHEA (MQRIC), page updated 22 Feb 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
26. Identità: change of designation or employer, page updated 24 Jul 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
27. Identità: live-in carer checklist, renewal. Checked 20 Oct 2026.