The Employment Claims Tribunals in Singapore
The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) are the court that decides most employment disputes in Singapore: salary-related claims and wrongful dismissal claims. You do not go there first. You must complete compulsory mediation at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM), and only if that fails, and a mediator issues you a claim referral certificate, can you file at the ECT. The tribunal can hear claims up to $20,000, or up to $30,000 if a union or the Tripartite Mediation Framework helped. This guide covers what the ECT hears, the limits, the deadlines, how to bring a claim, and what orders it can make, with the rules straight from the Singapore Courts, MOM, and TADM. For how this stage compares to the mediation that comes before it, see TADM mediation vs the Employment Claims Tribunal.
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What the Employment Claims Tribunals is
The Employment Claims Tribunals are part of the State Courts of Singapore, and they hear salary-related and wrongful dismissal disputes between employers and employees. The ECT is the destination court for most employment disputes: it is where a case ends up when talking to your employer and mediation have not resolved it. It is built to be quick and low-cost, which is why the process is designed around people using it without a lawyer.
The one thing to understand up front is that you cannot walk straight into the ECT. It sits at the end of a set path. Every claim goes through mediation at TADM first, and only the disputes that mediation cannot settle reach the tribunal. The full journey, from raising the issue to the hearing, is set out in the employment dispute process.
What claims the ECT hears
The ECT hears two broad categories of dispute: salary-related claims and wrongful dismissal claims. Within salary claims, the Singapore Courts split them into statutory and contractual claims.
- Statutory salary-related claims. These are amounts owed under the law, such as non-payment or short payment of salary, unpaid overtime, unauthorised salary deductions, public holiday pay, paid annual leave, and sick leave pay. If you are chasing unpaid wages, read how to make a salary claim in Singapore.
- Contractual salary-related claims. These are sums promised in your contract, such as retrenchment benefits, bonuses, commissions, and expense reimbursement.
- Wrongful dismissal claims. These are for an employee dismissed without just cause or excuse, who can ask for reinstatement with back wages or for compensation. If you were let go, read wrongful dismissal and unfair dismissal in Singapore.
An employer can also use the ECT for a salary in lieu of notice claim against an employee. Some people are excluded from this route entirely: the Singapore Courts state you cannot file if you are a public servant, a foreign domestic worker, a seafarer, or self-employed, or if you are claiming against a party based outside Singapore.
How much you can claim: the $20,000 and $30,000 limits
The ECT works to a cap. It can hear claims up to $20,000 per claim. That limit rises to $30,000 per claim if your case went through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediation assisted by a union. MOM adds an important catch: if your claim is worth more than the cap that applies to you, you can still use the ECT, but you have to give up the amount above the limit to bring the case there.
| Route to the ECT | Maximum claim |
|---|---|
| Standard claim | $20,000 per claim |
| Union-assisted, or via the Tripartite Mediation Framework | $30,000 per claim |
If you are owed well above the cap, giving up the excess is a real decision, and it is worth taking advice before you do. A larger dispute may be better pursued through the courts instead, which is a trade-off an employment lawyer in Singapore can talk you through.
You must go through TADM first
You cannot file at the ECT as your first move. The Singapore Courts state that you may register a claim only if two things are true: your dispute is still unresolved after mediation at TADM, and an approved TADM mediator has issued you a claim referral certificate. Mediation is compulsory, and the certificate is your ticket to the tribunal.
In practice that means the ECT is step three of a longer process. You file your claim at TADM, a mediator works with both sides to try to settle it, and MOM reports that this mediation-first approach resolves most claims without them ever reaching a tribunal. Only where mediation fails does the mediator issue the claim referral certificate that lets the case move up to the ECT. For who can attend a session, how long it runs, and what the two possible outcomes look like, see what happens at a TADM mediation session.
The filing deadlines
The deadlines that decide your claim run at the TADM stage, so they are the clock you are really racing. Miss them and the claim is time-barred, meaning it can no longer be heard, whatever its merits.
| Type of claim | Deadline to file |
|---|---|
| Wrongful dismissal | Within 1 month of your last day of work |
| Salary claim, no longer employed | Within 6 months of your last day of work |
| Salary claim, still employed | Within 1 year of the dispute arising |
One month is a tight window for a wrongful dismissal claim, so if you have been dismissed and think it was unfair, work out the date first and treat everything else as urgent. The salary deadlines give more room, but the same rule applies: once the window closes, the door closes.
How to bring a claim at the ECT
Bringing a claim runs from TADM through to the tribunal. Here is the path, in order.
- File at TADM for mediationLodge your claim with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management within the deadline. Non-union members file through TADM eServices with Singpass; the filing fee is $10 for claims of $10,000 or less, and $20 for claims above that. Union members file through their union.
- Attend mediationA TADM mediator works with both sides to try to reach a settlement. Mediation is compulsory, and many claims are resolved here without reaching a tribunal.
- Get a claim referral certificateIf mediation does not settle the dispute, the mediator issues you a claim referral certificate. You need this to take the claim to the Employment Claims Tribunals.
- Lodge the claim at the ECTWith the certificate, file your employment claim in the Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS) and serve it on the other party. Check the amount is within the limit that applies to you.
- Attend the hearingA tribunal magistrate hears the case. You present your own case, since lawyers cannot represent parties at the ECT, and the tribunal makes an order.
The hearing and the orders the ECT can make
An ECT hearing takes place before a judge called the tribunal magistrate. Both sides get to present their cases at the hearing. The ECT is built for people to use without a lawyer: the Singapore Courts state that lawyers are not allowed to represent parties for ECT matters, so at the hearing itself you put your own case to the magistrate. That is a deliberate design choice to keep the process quick and low-cost.
What the tribunal can order depends on the type of claim.
- Salary claims. The tribunal can make a money order requiring one party to pay the other by a set date, or a dismissal order rejecting the claim or part of it. It can also award costs or refer the parties back to mediation.
- Wrongful dismissal claims. The tribunal can order the employer to reinstate the employee with back wages, or direct the employer to pay compensation of an amount the tribunal decides.
How ECT orders are enforced
An ECT order is only useful if it is honoured. If the other party does not pay or comply, the ECT does not chase them for you: it is up to the party who won to start enforcement. The Singapore Courts state that ECT orders may be enforced in the same way as District Court orders. You file a single enforcement application for one or more methods of enforcement.
If you do not know what assets the other party holds, you can apply for an order for examination of the enforcement respondent, which requires them to disclose their assets before you choose how to enforce. Enforcing an order does not guarantee you will actually recover the money, so it is worth weighing the likely cost and outcome before you begin.
When to get a lawyer
Plenty of employment disputes are sorted at TADM with no lawyer at all, and you cannot use a lawyer at the ECT hearing itself. That is exactly why the useful time to get advice is early, before the mediation and well before any deadline. A few situations in particular:
- You were dismissed and think it was unfair or wrongful, and the 1-month clock is running.
- You are owed unpaid wages and want to understand the 6-month deadline and what counts as salary.
- Your claim may be worth more than the ECT cap, so giving up the excess is a real decision.
- The facts are contested, or the dispute turns on how your dismissal or your contract is read.
A lawyer can tell you quickly whether you have a claim, which deadline applies, and how to prepare your evidence before the window closes. If you want to talk it through, an employment lawyer in Singapore can review your situation.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Employment Claims Tribunals in Singapore?
The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) are part of the State Courts and hear salary-related and wrongful dismissal disputes between employers and employees. The ECT is the destination court for most employment disputes, but you reach it only after mediation at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) has failed and a TADM mediator has issued you a claim referral certificate.
How much can the Employment Claims Tribunals award?
The ECT can hear claims up to $20,000. That limit rises to $30,000 if your case went through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediation assisted by a union. If your claim is worth more than the cap that applies to you, you can still use the ECT, but you have to give up the amount above the limit to bring the case there.
Do I have to go through TADM before filing at the ECT?
Yes. The Singapore Courts state that you can only file at the ECT once two things are true: your dispute is still unresolved after mediation at TADM, and an approved TADM mediator has issued you a claim referral certificate. Mediation is a compulsory first step, and the certificate is what lets you register a claim at the tribunal.
What is the deadline to file an employment claim?
The deadlines run at the TADM stage. A wrongful dismissal claim must be filed within 1 month of your last day of work. A salary claim must be filed within 6 months of leaving your job, or within 1 year of the dispute if you are still employed. Miss the window and the claim is time-barred, so the calendar matters as much as the merits.
Can I bring a lawyer to the ECT hearing?
No. The Singapore Courts state that lawyers are not allowed to represent parties for ECT matters, so you present your own case to the tribunal magistrate at the hearing. You can still get legal advice before you get there, which is often where a lawyer is most useful: working out whether you have a claim and helping you prepare your evidence.
What orders can the ECT make and how are they enforced?
For a salary claim, the tribunal can make a money order requiring one party to pay the other by a set date, or a dismissal order rejecting the claim. For a wrongful dismissal claim, it can order reinstatement with back wages, or compensation of an amount it decides. If the other party does not comply, ECT orders may be enforced in the same way as District Court orders, by filing an enforcement application.
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