By the Sevetu team
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We run Sevetu, which is an alternative to agencies. Fees below are quoted from each agency's own page, read on the date given in Sources.
Short answer
A maid agency in India usually charges about one month of the maid's salary as a one-time placement fee, often with GST on top, and promises a replacement for a set period. You still pay her salary every month yourself. Some local agents also take money from the worker. If you'd rather choose the person yourself, you can hire directly with no fee.
Agencies call it a placement fee. Your bank statement calls it a month.
What agencies actually charge
These are the fees agencies and listings publish themselves. Most don't publish a number at all, which is worth noticing.
| Who | What they say they charge | Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| BookMyBai | One month's salary, one-time, for live-in workers; 18% GST on all charges; no agency fee for part-time help of 1 to 2 hours a day1 | Within 180 days1 |
| EzyHelpers | A one-time commission on the standard plan, or a smaller fee plus a monthly fee; amounts not published2 | Not stated on the page we read |
| Broomees | A subscription; worker's salary separate3 | "Unlimited replacement" as part of membership3 |
| A Delhi NCR agency listing | For a ₹15,000 to ₹18,000 helper, commission "not less than Rs 35,000", "non-refundable"4 | Not stated |
Pay-to-see-contacts services are cheaper upfront but you do the calling: Kaamwalijobs plans run from ₹2,950 to ₹14,160 including GST, depending on days and candidates5.
The first month, worked out
Take a full-time maid at ₹15,000 a month, hired through an agency that charges one month's salary plus 18% GST:
- Salary: ₹15,000
- Placement fee: ₹15,000
- GST on the fee: ₹2,700
- First month: ₹32,700
Hire the same person directly and the first month is ₹15,000. If the agency replaces her once in six months and charges again, the gap grows.
Our take: a month's salary as a fee is a tax on not having a network. Sometimes it's worth paying. Most of the time it's buying an hour or two of shortlisting you could do yourself.
Who else pays: the worker
Some agents take money from the worker as well as the family: a registration fee, part of her first salary, or a share every month. One agency's own comparison says a local agent or middleman will "take 15 to 30 days' salary as commission"6. When the worker starts in debt to an agent, it rarely helps the job.
Ask any agency, in writing: what will she receive each month, and does she pay you anything?
When an agency still makes sense
- You need a live-in worker from another state within the week, and have no one to shortlist.
- You want someone else to handle replacements, and you're willing to pay each time.
- You've used the same small agency for years and trust the people behind it.
Those are real reasons. If one is yours, get the fee, GST, replacement period and refund terms in writing before you pay.
Seven questions to ask before you pay an agency
- What is the fee, exactly, and is GST on top?
- Is any of it refundable if nobody suitable turns up?
- How long is the replacement promise, and what ends it?
- Do you charge again on replacement?
- Does the worker pay you anything, at any point?
- What exactly did you verify, and can I see the paper? "Police verified" on a brochure is not a certificate in your hand.
- Will her salary come to her directly, in full?
How to hire a maid without an agency
You can do what an agency does yourself, for free:
- Post the job with tasks, hours, area and salary. What a maid costs in 2027 →
- Shortlist from the people who apply, and check who has verified their ID.
- Run a paid trial for a day or two.
- Call a past employer if she gives you one.
- Agree the terms in writing: pay, pay date, hours, weekly off, leave, notice.
- Apply for police verification through your city police if you want one. The official route, city by city →
On Sevetu, posting and hiring are free, the Verified badge shows an identity check through Aadhaar, and the terms go into a written record both of you keep7. There's no replacement promise, so the trial and the agreement do that work.
Hiring a driver? Hire a driver without a broker →
Read next: maid salary in 2027 · background check for a maid · job apps that charge workers a fee · apps to hire a maid, compared
Questions people ask
The agencies that publish a fee charge about one month of the worker's salary as a one-time placement fee, sometimes with 18% GST on top. Some charge a monthly subscription instead. The worker's salary is separate.
It depends on the agency. Some listings say the commission is non-refundable. Ask for the refund and replacement terms in writing before you pay.
Some do: a registration fee, part of her first salary, or a monthly share. Ask the agency directly what she will receive and whether she pays them anything.
It can be, if you do what a good agency would: check her identity, run a paid trial, call a past employer, put the terms in writing, and apply for police verification if you want one.
Hire directly. On Sevetu, posting a job and hiring are free, and nobody takes a cut of the salary. You pay the salary you agree directly to her.
Sources
- BookMyBai, Our charges, read 9 October 2026: "1 Month salary One-Time Placement Fee" for live-in workers; "All charges attract a statutory GST of 18%. Maid's monthly salary is paid directly to the maid."; replacement "within 180 days"; part-time 1 to 2 hours daily: "No agency fees". bookmybai.com
- EzyHelpers, home page, read 9 October 2026: "On our standard plan you pay a one-time commission and nothing recurring. On Ezy Managed there is a smaller one-time fee plus a fixed monthly management fee". ezyhelpers.com
- Broomees, home page, read 9 October 2026: "Choose a subscription"; "an 'unlimited replacement' policy as part of your membership"; "Workers salary is seperate from the package". broomees.com
- IndiaMart, Maid agency in Delhi listing, read 10 November 2026: "Salary 15000 se salary salary 18000 The commission for the transaction will not be less than Rs 35,000 Commission is non-refundable". m.indiamart.com
- Kaamwalijobs, Pricing plan, read 9 October 2026: candidate plans ₹2,950 for 15 days (75 candidates) to ₹14,160 for 120 days (500 candidates); "18% GST Included". kaamwalijobs.com
- EzyHelpers, Helper jobs, read 9 October 2026: a local agent or middleman will "Take 15 to 30 Days' Salary As Commission" (their comparison). ezyhelpers.com
- Sevetu, Pricing and Verification, read 10 November 2026: posting and hiring free, no placement or platform fee, no commission; the badge is an identity check, not a criminal record check. sevetu.com/pricing/
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Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
