Agency fees are the most common way workers lose money before they even start a job. The legal limit is clear. **A Singapore employment agency may collect no more than one month of your fixed monthly salary for each year of your service, and no more than two months in total.** The cap is calculated on your basic salary plus fixed allowances. It does not include bonuses or variable pay such as overtime, so an agency cannot inflate the figure by counting overtime you might work. MOM's position is that fees beyond this are exploitative and against the law. What to do: • Ask for a written receipt for every payment. Without receipts a claim is much harder. • Keep your contract and any messages about payment. • If you have already paid more than the cap, you can still complain. Agencies have been fined and ordered to repay workers. • Contact MOM or the Migrant Workers' Centre. Help is free. This cap applies to the Singapore agency. Fees paid to an agent in your home country are outside MOM's control, which is why the amount you were told back home may not match what is legal here.