Helpers resign for a hundred human reasons — family at home, a better offer, a bad fit. When it happens, employers tend to make two opposite mistakes: paying out things they don't owe, or withholding things they absolutely do. Here is the clean sequence, from the resignation letter to the replacement hire.
Step 1 — get the resignation in writing
A resignation should be a dated, signed letter stating the last working day. The helper's notice obligation mirrors yours: one month's written notice, or one month's wages in lieu. A verbal “I want to go home next week” is a conversation, not a resignation — ask for the letter, and keep a copy signed by both sides.
Step 2 — understand who owes whom the notice money
If the helper leaves before serving the full month, she technically owes wages in lieu for the unserved days. In practice this is settled by deduction from her final payment — with a written agreement, never silently. Two cautions:
- The set-off can only run against her wages-type items, not be manufactured by withholding statutory payments that survive resignation (leave pay, worked-holiday arrears).
- Many employers waive the unserved notice for an amicable exit — a legitimate and common choice. Put the waiver in writing too.
Step 3 — pay what resignation does NOT cancel
Within 7 days of the last working day you must still pay:
- Outstanding wages up to the last day (pro-rata for a part month);
- All accrued untaken annual leave — resignation never forfeits it;
- Pro-rata annual leave for the current leave year if she has 3+ months in it;
- Holiday pay for any qualifying statutory holiday she worked without ever getting a substitute day;
- Return passage home — the flight (or, by written agreement, cash) plus HK$100 per travel day food and travelling allowance. Yes, even when she resigns: the free return passage is a contract term, not a reward for staying.
What resignation does cancel: severance and long service payment (unless she resigns on certified health grounds, or at 65+, with 5 years' service). No SP/LSP is owed on an ordinary resignation.
The HelperDoc termination cost calculator has “helper resigns” as its first scenario — enter the salary and dates and it produces the exact itemised settlement, including the notice money the helper owes you as a negative line.
Step 4 — the paperwork clock starts
- Within 7 days: both parties must notify the Immigration Department of the early termination — form ID 407E (or a signed letter from each side). This is a statutory duty for the employer, not a courtesy.
- The two-week rule: the helper must leave Hong Kong within 14 days of the termination date (or her current limit of stay, whichever is earlier). Transferring to a new employer without leaving is only approved in exceptional cases — plan around it, not against it.
- Get a signed receipt. Have her sign an itemised settlement receipt listing every payment. It is your evidence if a claim surfaces later — the calculator above prints a bilingual one (Chinese plus English, Tagalog or Bahasa Indonesia).
Step 5 — the replacement
You can start recruiting immediately — there is no waiting period for the employer. A local transfer candidate (finished contract, or terminated for relocation/financial reasons of the previous employer) can usually start once her new visa is approved; an overseas hire takes 8–12 weeks door to door. If the gap hurts, licensed agencies can propose finished-contract helpers already in Hong Kong.
The short version
- Written resignation, one month's notice or wages in lieu.
- Leave pay, worked-holiday arrears and the return flight survive resignation; SP/LSP do not.
- Pay everything within 7 days; deductions only by written agreement.
- ID 407E to Immigration within 7 days; two-week rule for the helper.
- Signed itemised receipt, both keep copies.