What Belongs in a Domestic Help Employment Contract
The clauses that matter — wages, hours, leave, and the quiet paragraphs that prevent ninety percent of household disputes.
A written contract for domestic help is not a corporate document. It is a shared record of what you both agreed to on the day of hiring — the hours, the wage, the weekly off, what happens if either side wants to end the arrangement. Almost every dispute we hear about is a dispute that a two-page contract would have prevented.
Why a written contract at all
The most common objection we hear is that a contract feels cold — that it turns a warm household relationship into a transaction. In practice, the opposite is true. A clear contract removes the small, low-grade arguments about what was promised and frees both sides to build the relationship on trust. It also protects the worker, who otherwise has no written proof of terms if a reference is later challenged or a salary is disputed.
The households with the warmest, longest-running arrangements almost always have a contract. The households with the most drama almost never do.
The eight must-have clauses
You do not need a lawyer to draft this. You need clarity, and you need both parties to read every line before signing. At a minimum, cover:
- Scope of work. List tasks — cooking, cleaning, laundry, childcare, pet care — and, just as importantly, what is not included. Ambiguity here is the root of most resentment.
- Working hours and days. Start time, end time, break, weekly off day. For live-in staff, define rest hours as clearly as working hours.
- Wages. Monthly amount, payment date, and mode (bank transfer is strongly preferred — it creates a record for both sides).
- Leave. Paid annual leave, sick leave, and how leave is requested.
- Festival bonus and annual hike. A one-month Diwali bonus is now standard in most metros; an annual hike of roughly eight to twelve percent is a reasonable expectation.
- Notice period. Typically fifteen to thirty days on either side. See our separate guide on notice and settlement.
- Confidentiality and conduct. A short, plain-language paragraph on respecting the privacy of the household — and the household respecting the worker's dignity and personal time.
- Grievance process. Who to speak to when something goes wrong, and the commitment that raising a concern will not result in retaliation.
Language, literacy, and signing
If the worker is not comfortable reading English, the contract must be available in a language they read fluently — Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, whichever applies. If they are not comfortable reading at all, read every clause aloud in the presence of a witness the worker trusts, and record their verbal assent to each point. A thumb-impression contract signed without genuine understanding is neither ethical nor, in most cases, enforceable.
Revising the contract over time
Revisit the contract every year, ideally around the annual hike conversation. Wages, tasks, and life circumstances change — a new baby, a family move, an ageing parent joining the household. Update the document, initial the change, and keep the older versions filed. A contract that stays current is a contract that stays useful.
Our bilingual employment contract template includes each of these clauses in plain English and Hindi, with editable fields, so you can adapt it to your household in an afternoon rather than starting from a blank page.
