Notice periods in Singapore

Your notice period is whatever your employment contract says it is. If the contract is silent, the Employment Act fills the gap with a minimum that rises with your length of service: 1 day under 26 weeks, 1 week up to 2 years, 2 weeks up to 5 years, and 4 weeks at 5 years or more. The same notice applies to both sides, and either side can pay salary in lieu of notice to end the contract early. This guide covers what you are entitled to, how pay in lieu works, notice on probation, waiving and offsetting notice, and what to do if your employer gives you none, with the rules straight from MOM and the Employment Act.

What notice period you are entitled to

Start with your contract. MOM is clear that the contract governs first: if your employment contract specifies a notice period, that is the notice you must serve, or pay salary in lieu of, when you resign. The same applies the other way round when your employer ends the job. So the first thing to do is read your signed contract or offer letter and find the notice clause.

If the contract does not state a notice period, the Employment Act sets a statutory minimum that depends on how long you have worked there. This scale applies to employees covered by the Employment Act, and it is symmetrical: MOM applies the same notice period to both the employee and the employer.

Two practical points on how the clock runs. First, any notice, from either side, must be in writing, such as a termination or resignation letter or an email. Second, the notice period includes the day the notice is given, plus public holidays, rest days and non-working days. So a one week notice runs as a calendar week, not five working days.

If the disagreement is really about what your contract says on notice or other terms, read employment contract disputes in Singapore alongside this page.

Pay in lieu of notice

You do not always have to work out the notice period. MOM says either you or your employer may end the contract without waiting for the notice to run out by paying salary in lieu of notice. MOM describes this as money equal to the salary you would have earned during the required notice period.

It cuts both ways. If your employer wants you to stop work immediately, they can pay you salary in lieu for the rest of your notice. If you want to leave before serving your full notice, you can offer to pay your employer salary in lieu for the part you do not serve. The length of notice used for the calculation is the same notice period set by your contract, or by the statutory scale above if the contract is silent.

One difference to know about is CPF. While you are serving notice you are still an employee, so you and your employer keep making CPF contributions on the salary you earn during that time. CPF contributions are not required on salary in lieu of notice, because that payment is compensation for notice rather than salary for work done.

Want the actual dollar figure rather than a number of weeks? The notice pay calculator applies MOM's gross rate of pay formula to your salary and notice period for an estimate.

Notice during probation

Probation does not change how notice is worked out. The contract still governs first, and many contracts set a shorter notice, often a few days or a week, while you are on probation. Read your contract to see what it says about the probation notice period.

If the contract is silent, the same statutory scale applies by length of service. Because most people on probation have been there under 26 weeks, the statutory minimum in that case would be 1 day of notice. That short notice runs both ways, so an employer can also let a probationer go on 1 day of notice if the contract sets nothing longer. Being on probation does not remove your protection against an unlawful dismissal, so if you were let go for a reason that was not genuine, see wrongful dismissal in Singapore.

Waiving notice, leave offset and garden leave

Notice can be shortened in a few ways, and it helps to keep them separate because they are paid differently.

• Waiving notice by agreement. Both sides can agree to waive the notice period by mutual consent. MOM says this should be put in writing. If notice is waived, neither side owes the other salary in lieu for it.
• Using leave to offset notice. With your employer's agreement, you can use your annual leave to offset the notice period in exchange for bringing forward your last day. When you offset this way you are paid up to your last day of work, and the leave used to shorten the notice is not paid out separately.
• Taking leave during notice. This is different from offsetting. With your employer's approval you can clear annual leave during the notice period, and you are still paid for the full notice period.

Garden leave is when your employer keeps you employed and paid but tells you not to come in for some or all of your notice. Whether your employer can do this depends on your contract, so check the wording. Because you stay an employee on garden leave, you keep being paid and CPF still applies, which is not the case with salary in lieu of notice.

If your employer gives no notice or short notice

If your employer ends your job without giving the notice your contract or the Employment Act requires, and without paying salary in lieu, that shortfall is money owed to you. Salary in lieu of notice is one of the claims the Employment Claims Tribunals can hear, so you can pursue it as a salary claim. Here is how to approach it.

1. Work out the notice you were owedFind the notice period in your contract. If the contract is silent, use the Employment Act scale for your length of service (1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks or 4 weeks).
2. Calculate the shortfallTake the salary you would have earned over that notice period, then subtract any pay in lieu your employer actually gave you. What is left is the salary in lieu of notice you can claim.
3. Gather your evidenceKeep your employment contract, payslips, and the termination letter or email. These show the notice you were entitled to and what you were actually paid.
4. File a salary claim at TADMSalary in lieu of notice is a salary-related claim. It starts with compulsory mediation at TADM, and moves to the Employment Claims Tribunals only if mediation does not settle it.
5. Check if it was also a wrongful dismissalIf you were dismissed without a just cause, the way you were let go may be a separate issue from the unpaid notice.

For the full route from filing to a tribunal order, and the time limits that apply, see salary claims in Singapore. If the problem is the dismissal itself rather than just the pay, read wrongful dismissal in Singapore. And if you lost your job in a restructuring or headcount cut, notice pay often sits alongside other entitlements covered in retrenchment rights in Singapore.

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Last updated 15 July 2026 · How we check this

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Work Rights SG provides general information about employment rights in Singapore. It does not create a lawyer–client relationship. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified employment lawyer.