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At your court mention for maintenance

What you need to know and prepare before attending a court mention for a maintenance application in the Family Courts.

What is a court mention

In the event that the application cannot be resolved at mediation or conciliation conducted by a Maintenance Enforcement Officer, parties will have to prepare for a hearing. Before the application is fixed for trial, parties will have to attend a court mention.

A mention is a court session where the judge gives the parties pre-hearing directions on the next steps to be taken for the application. Such directions include, among other things, the preparation of documents, attendance of witness, whether parties intend to engage a lawyer, the conduct of the hearing, and any other procedural and pre-hearing matters.

Attendance is compulsory

Both the applicant and the respondent must attend the court mention.

Note: For a party who is represented by a lawyer, the lawyer may request to the court for the party to be exempted from attending the mention.

The Family Courts will inform you of the date, time and venue of your mentions.

If you are the applicant, you will be informed through an appointment slip that you will receive after you file the application.
If you are the respondent, you will receive a summons or notice from the court with the relevant details.

If you are the applicant, your application may be struck out.
If you are the respondent, the judge may issue a warrant of arrest against you or proceed to hear the application in your absence.
- If you are the respondent and the filing commenced before 15 October 2024, the judge might issue a warrant of arrest against you.

If there is a valid reason for your absence, the court may choose to adjourn the matter.

You may apply to change the court date through the Integrated Family Application Management System (iFAMS). You must request at least 5 working days in advance and include supporting documents.

For urgent cases, contact the Family Registry at fjc_maintpos@judiciary.gov.sg or 6587 8423/1800 587 8423.

If the court grants your request, a new date will be arranged. Otherwise, you are required to attend the court session as scheduled.

Note

What happens during the first mention

The duration of your court mention may vary depending on the nature and complexity of your case, and the issues raised at the mention.

This table summarises what may happen at a first mention:

As the applicant

The judge may ask you to confirm:

(For fresh maintenance applications) How much maintenance you are claiming and for whom the maintenance is needed.
(For enforcement) The amount and nature of the outstanding maintenance.
(For variation) The type of changes you seek.

As the respondent

The judge may ask you:

Whether you agree to the application made against you.
(If you disagree) The extent to which you disagree with the application.

Possible outcomes at the first mention

If a resolution is reached

If the parties come to an agreement, the court will record a consent order and the matter is concluded.

The applicant may also choose to withdraw the application.

If a resolution is not reached

If the parties are unable to resolve the application fully, the court will give the necessary directions to prepare the case for a hearing. The court will also schedule further mention sessions to monitor parties’ progress. The court will schedule a hearing date after the judge is satisfied that parties are ready for the hearing.

Preparing for a hearing

You will need to prepare the following before a hearing:

Documents.
(If necessary) Witnesses.

Documents

During the mention, the court will give you further instructions on how to submit and exchange documents with the other party to prepare for trial.

You may need to file the documents through the Integrated Family Application Management System (iFAMS) before the hearing. Refer to the iFAMS user guide to file documents for hearings (PDF, 401 KB) for the detailed instructions.

The documents you need to prepare depends on what you are applying for:

Both the applicant and respondent will need to fill up an E-Template Statement (ETS) before the trial. The documents to be included are also set out in the ETS. Find out how to prepare an ETS.

If an ETS is not required, the types of supporting documents to be provided by each party are set out in Paragraph 35 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2024 (see also Forms Form 28A (DOCX, 105 KB) and/or Form 28D (DOCX, 108 KB) of the said directions).

For filings commenced before 15 October 2024, you should refer to Paragraph 25 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2015.

Both the applicant and respondent must provide:

Affidavit or Statement of Evidence
- If filing on or after 15 October 2024: Refer to Paragraph 35 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2024 (see also Form 28C (DOCX, 46 KB) and/or Form 28F (DOCX, 52 KB) of the said directions).
- If filing before 15 October 2024: Refer to Paragraph 25(2) of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2015.
- In both scenarios:
  - If you are the applicant, this should explain why your application should be granted.
  - If you are the respondent, this should explain whether you agree or dispute the unpaid maintenance (arrears) and your position on how the arrears (if any) is to be repaid.

(If any) Bankruptcy order or any court order relating to bankruptcy.

The applicant must also provide:

Computation of the unpaid maintenance (also known as arrears).
The specific maintenance orders that the applicant wishes to enforce.
(If applicable) Previous maintenance or variation orders.
(If applicable) Previous enforcement of maintenance orders.

The respondent must also provide:

A list of monthly expenses (including expenses for children, if applicable), together with:
- Documents and receipts to prove the monthly expenses.
(If applicable) Documents and receipts to prove their debts.
Payslips for the last 6 months.
Central Provident Fund (CPF) statements for the last 6 months.
Evidence of employment.
Notice of Assessment from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) for the last 3 years.
Updated bank passbook or bank statements for the last 6 months (especially for the period when the maintenance was not paid).
Evidence of payment of maintenance (such as bank deposit slips or transfer receipts).
(Only if the respondent disputes the computation by the applicant) Computation of the unpaid maintenance (also known as arrears).

Both the applicant and respondent will need to fill up an E-Template Statement (ETS) before the trial. The documents to be included are also set out in the ETS. Find out how to prepare an ETS.

If an ETS is not required, the types of supporting documents to be provided by each party are set out in Paragraph 35 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2024 (see also Forms Form 28B (DOCX, 111 KB) and/or Form 28E (DOCX, 109 KB) of the said directions).

For filings commenced before 15 October 2024, you should refer to Paragraph 25 of the Family Justice Courts Practice Directions 2015.

Note

(If necessary) Witnesses

If you wish to call witnesses for the hearing, ensure they are available for the hearing and inform the court at the mention.

If necessary, you may apply for a Summons to a Witness online through iFAMS.

If your witnesses are allowed, you will need to submit the statements from your witnesses (also known as Affidavits of Evidence-in-Chief) through iFAMS. During the mentions, the court will give you further instructions on the deadline to file the statements.

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

Resources

For filings commenced before 15 October 2024, refer to:

What you need to know about maintenance applications:
- English (PDF, 416 KB).
- Chinese (PDF, 1162 KB).
- Malay (PDF, 415 KB).
iFAMS user guide to file documents for hearings (PDF, 401 KB)
Specimen Government Medical Certificate (DOCX, 18 KB) for absence from court attendance.