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Note: To search for hearing details for a specific case, visit the hearing list page.

Cases eligible for an employment claim

Find out if the Employment Claims Tribunals can hear your claim, what the claim limits are and other considerations before filing an employment claim.

Check if you can file

Refer to the following table to find out the conditions for filing your employment claim at the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT).

You can file if...	You cannot file if...
Your dispute is unresolved after mediation at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM), and you have been issued a claim referral certificate by the TADM mediator. You are an employee who has a: Statutory salary-related claim. Contractual salary-related claim. Wrongful dismissal claim. You are an employer who has a salary in lieu of notice of termination claim. You are claiming up to S$20,000 per claim. You are claiming up to $30,000 per claim and have gone through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediations assisted by unions recognised under the Industrial Relations Act. You are claiming against a party who is residing, or has a registered office or place of business, in Singapore.	You are a: Public servant. Foreign domestic worker. Seafarer. Self-employed person. Your claim exceeds $20,000 (or $30,000 if you have gone through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediations assisted by unions recognised under the Industrial Relations Act). You are claiming against a party who is residing or has a registered office or place of business, outside of Singapore.

You can file if...

You cannot file if...

Your dispute is unresolved after mediation at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM), and you have been issued a claim referral certificate by the TADM mediator.
You are an employee who has a:

Statutory salary-related claim.
Contractual salary-related claim.
Wrongful dismissal claim.

You are an employer who has a salary in lieu of notice of termination claim.
You are claiming up to S$20,000 per claim.
You are claiming up to $30,000 per claim and have gone through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediations assisted by unions recognised under the Industrial Relations Act.
You are claiming against a party who is residing, or has a registered office or place of business, in Singapore.

You are a:

Public servant.
Foreign domestic worker.
Seafarer.
Self-employed person.

Your claim exceeds $20,000 (or $30,000 if you have gone through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediations assisted by unions recognised under the Industrial Relations Act).
You are claiming against a party who is residing or has a registered office or place of business, outside of Singapore.

Take a pre-filing assessment

You can take a pre-filing assessment on the Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS) to check whether your claim can be heard at the ECT.

You will receive a pre-filing assessment ID after completing the pre-filing assessment. Take note of this ID as you will need to provide it when filing your employment claim.

Note

The online pre-filing assessment is not conclusive and is not legal advice. Please seek legal advice if you are uncertain if your claim is within the ECT’s jurisdiction.

Types of claims the ECT can hear

The ECT hears the following claims. You may also refer to the First, Second and Third Schedules of the Employment Claims Act for the full list of claims.

Statutory salary-related claims are made by employees covered under the Employment Act (EA), Retirement and Re-employment Act (RRA) and Child Development Co-Savings Act (CDCA).

Common examples of statutory salary-related claims heard at the ECT include:

Non-payment or partial payment of salary.
Non-payment or partial payment for overtime work requested by an employer.
Non-payment or partial payment of salary for work on rest days.
Unauthorised salary deductions.
Public holiday pay.
Entitlement to paid annual leave.
Salary in lieu of notice.
Sick leave pay.
Non-payment of maternity benefit under Part III of the CDCA.
Employment assistance payment under Part IV of the RRA.

Common examples of contractual salary-related claims heard at the ECT include:

Retrenchment benefits stated in the contract.
Bonus or annual wage supplement (AWS) stated in the contract.
Commissions stated in the contract.
Reimbursement for expenses incurred while carrying out official duties stated in the contract.
Salary in lieu of notice.

Wrongful dismissal claims are made by employees who are dismissed without just cause or excuse.

Refer to the tripartite guidelines on wrongful dismissal for more information.

Employees who have been wrongfully dismissed can file a claim for either of the following:

Reinstatement to their former employment and payment of an amount equivalent to the wages that the employee would have earned, if the employee had not been dismissed.
Compensation of an amount of wages to be determined by the tribunal.

Types of claims the ECT does not hear

The ECT does not hear claims for:

Workmen’s compensation for injuries as defined in the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
Transfer of employment.
Payment-related disputes for self-employed persons.
- If you have a claim arising from a contract in which you have provided services involving your skill or labour, refer to File a small claims instead.
Non-payment of Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions.

Employees may inform the CPF Board of such issues for appropriate action to be taken.

Claim limits

Only claims not exceeding S$20,000 may be heard at the ECT.

If you have gone through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediations assisted by unions recognised under the Industrial Relations Act, the claim limit is S$30,000.

However, if your claim exceeds the maximum applicable limit, you may abandon the excess amount should you wish for the ECT to hear your claim. If you are unsure, you may seek legal advice on your available options.

Note

Need help?

The information here is for general guidance as the courts do not provide legal advice. If you need further help, you may want to get independent legal advice.

Find out more

Go to Step-by-step guide