Long service payment
If you have worked for the same employer for at least five years, and your employer ends your contract or does not renew it — for any reason other than serious misconduct or redundancy — you are owed a long service payment.
Severance payment
If you have worked for at least 24 months and you are dismissed, or your contract is not renewed, because the job no longer exists (redundancy), you are owed a severance payment instead.
How much
Both are worked out the same way: two-thirds of your last month’s wages, times your years of service, with part-years counted pro rata. The monthly wage used is capped at HK$22,500 and the total at HK$390,000, which only matters for high salaries.
Example: 6 years at HK$5,100 a month comes to about two-thirds of HK$5,100 × 6.
Only one, never both
You receive one or the other for the same period of service, not both.
This explains the law in plain words. It is not legal advice — confirm with the Labour Department, 2717 1771.
Sources
- Labour Department — foreign domestic helpers
- Labour Department — Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance
- Labour Department — statutory entitlements calculator
Updated 18 September 2026