● 179 resorts in operation ● 952 guesthouses ● 879,154 visitor arrivals in 2026 ● Resorts host 70.4% of all visitors ● Highest service charge: Velaa — USD 3,660 / staff ● Service charge is 10% by law, distributed monthly
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The Service Charge Table

What resorts pay their staff, every month

Each tourist establishment collects a mandatory 10% service charge. By law it must be shared among employees monthly. We compile, rank and archive it.

Note. Sample dataset. The rows below use figures drawn from recent public reports to demonstrate the layout. Replace them with the current month’s verified numbers in the dashboard.
Compiled month

January 2026 — full ranking

Per-employee distribution, highest to lowest. Tap any column heading to re-sort.

Properties reporting
22
#ResortAtollUSD / staffMVR / staffTrend
1 Velaa Private Island Noonu $3,660 56,437 ▲ High
2 Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi South Malé $3,320 51,194 ▲ High
3 Soneva Fushi Baa $3,253 50,161 ▲ High
4 Cheval Blanc Randheli Noonu $2,640 40,718 Steady
5 One & Only Reethi Rah North Malé $2,210 34,085 Steady
6 Soneva Jani Noonu $2,119 32,675 Steady
7 The Ritz-Carlton, Fari Islands North Malé $1,980 30,532 Steady
8 Joali Maldives Raa $1,845 28,450 Steady
9 Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru Baa $1,620 24,980 Steady
10 Milaidhoo Maldives Baa $1,319 20,337 ▼ Lower
11 Anantara Kihavah Baa $1,180 18,193 Steady
12 LUX* North Malé Atoll North Malé $1,014 15,636 Steady
13 Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Gaafu Alif $945 14,572 Steady
14 JA Manafaru Haa Alif $780 12,028 ▼ Lower
15 OBLU NATURE Helengeli North Malé $712 10,979 Steady
16 Sun Siyam Iru Veli Dhaalu $653 10,071 ▼ Lower
17 InterContinental Maamunagau Raa $589 9,082 Steady
18 The Residence Falhumaafushi Gaafu Alif $538 8,296 ▼ Lower
19 Sun Siyam Vilu Reef Dhaalu $507 7,812 ▼ Lower
20 Kuredu Island Resort Lhaviyani $430 6,630 Steady
21 Meeru Island Resort North Malé $395 6,090 Steady
22 Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi North Malé $360 5,550 Steady
23 Dhoani Maldives Baa Atoll $3,000 46,260 Steady

USD figures are per employee for the compiled month. Compiled from publicly reported figures (Resort Workers Maldives, Corporate Maldives, Hotelier Maldives). Service-charge data is not published by the Ministry of Tourism — it is reported voluntarily by employees, so coverage varies month to month.

The rules

How service charge works in the Maldives

The 10% charge

Under the Employment Act and Tourism Act, businesses in the tourism sector add a 10% service charge on services. It is collected by the property and is separate from the 16% GST and the green tax.

Shared with staff

The charge must be distributed among employees each month, before the end of the following month. Administrative deductions are allowed but capped at 1% of the amount collected.

How the per-staff figure is found

The total pool is divided across staff based on days worked. A property with a large pool but many employees can rank lower per head than a smaller, high-rate resort.

Enforcement

The Labour Relations Authority oversees compliance. Failing to distribute the charge can draw fines reaching MVR 500,000, and discriminating between employees in distribution is unlawful.

Why the numbers come from workers, not the Ministry. The Tourism Ministry does not publish per-resort service charge. The monthly figures circulating publicly originate from employees themselves, mainly via the Resort Workers Maldives page. That makes the data valuable but uneven — some resorts never report, and figures should be treated as indicative.
Help keep the table honest

Know your resort’s real figure?

Submit your property’s service charge for the month — anonymously. The more workers report, the more complete and trustworthy the record becomes.

Report a service charge →