Salary claims in Singapore
If your employer has not paid you, you make a salary claim by filing at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) for mediation, and if that does not settle it, the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) can hear the claim. The deadline that catches people out: file within 6 months of leaving your job, or within 1 year while you are still employed. This guide covers your right to be paid on time, how to file the claim, the time limits, and how much you can actually recover, with the rules straight from MOM, TADM, and the Singapore Courts.
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Your right to be paid
Under the Employment Act, your salary is not something your employer pays whenever it suits them. MOM sets clear deadlines. Salary must be paid at least once a month, and within 7 days after the end of the salary period. Overtime pay has a slightly longer window: it must be paid within 14 days after the end of the salary period. Miss those and the shortfall is a salary claim you can pursue.
When you leave, the timing tightens. If you are dismissed or you resign and serve your notice, MOM says your final salary is due on your last day of work, or within 3 working days if paying on the day is not possible. If you resign without serving notice, your employer has 7 days from your last day to pay what is owed.
| Payment | When it must be paid |
|---|---|
| Salary | Within 7 days after the end of the salary period |
| Overtime pay | Within 14 days after the end of the salary period |
| Final salary (dismissal, or resignation with notice) | On your last day of work, or within 3 working days if not possible |
| Final salary (resignation without notice) | Within 7 days of your last day |
You also have a right to see the maths. MOM requires every employer to give employees covered by the Employment Act an itemised payslip, handed over with the salary payment or within 3 working days of it. The payslip has to spell out your basic pay, the salary period, allowances, any deductions such as CPF, overtime hours and overtime pay, and your net salary. That payslip is your evidence: if a claim ever goes to mediation, it is the document that shows what you were promised against what you were paid.
If the disagreement is really about what your contract promised, such as a bonus, commission, or allowance that was never paid, read employment contract disputes in Singapore alongside this page.
How to make a salary claim
Salary claims start at TADM, not in court. TADM runs the mediation, and mediation is a compulsory first step before the Employment Claims Tribunals can hear anything. Most employees covered by the Employment Act can file. TADM excludes seafarers, domestic workers, statutory board employees, and civil servants from this route.
How you file depends on whether you are in a union. If you are not a union member, you file yourself through TADM eServices using your Singpass. The filing fee is $10 (including GST) if you are claiming $10,000 or less, and $20 if you are claiming more than $10,000. If you are a union member, you contact NTUC and let them help you file. Here is the route from filing to a decision:
- Gather your evidencePull together your employment contract, payslips, bank statements, and any messages about pay. These show what you were owed against what you actually received.
- File at TADMNon-union members file through TADM eServices with Singpass ($10 for claims of $10,000 or less, $20 above that). Union members file through NTUC. Your employer is then notified of the claim.
- Attend mediationA TADM mediator tries to help both sides reach a settlement. Many salary claims are resolved here without ever reaching a tribunal.
- Get a claim referral certificateIf mediation does not resolve it, the mediator issues a claim referral certificate. You need this to take the claim to the Employment Claims Tribunals.
- File at the Employment Claims TribunalsWith the certificate, you file at the ECT, which hears the claim and can make an enforceable order for the salary you are owed.
The full path, including what happens at the tribunal itself, is set out in the employment dispute process.
Time limits and how much you can claim
Six months. If you have left the company, that is how long you have to file a salary claim at TADM, counted from your last day of employment. Leave it later and, as TADM puts it, your claims are time-barred under the Employment Act and it cannot help you. If you are still employed, the window is longer at 1 year from when the dispute arose.
There is a second limit that is easy to miss. A salary claim can only cover amounts owed in the year before you file. So if pay was short for a long stretch, the oldest months can fall out of reach even when you file on time. Both facts point the same way: file early, and keep every payslip while you do.
On the amount, the Employment Claims Tribunals can hear salary claims up to $20,000. That cap rises to $30,000 if your case went through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediation assisted by a union recognised under the Industrial Relations Act. Singapore Courts guidance adds that if you are owed more than the cap, you can abandon the excess so the ECT can still hear your claim within its limit.
The ECT hears a wide range of salary-related claims, including unpaid or short-paid salary, unpaid overtime for work your employer asked you to do, pay for work on rest days and public holidays, unauthorised salary deductions, and salary in lieu of notice. Contractual sums such as unpaid bonuses, commissions, and retrenchment benefits can be heard too.
When to get a lawyer
Plenty of salary claims are straightforward and settle at TADM mediation without a lawyer. It is worth getting advice when the money is large, when the facts are contested, or when the picture is more tangled than a single missed payment. A few situations in particular:
- The amount is over the cap. If you are owed well above $20,000, a lawyer can help you weigh whether to abandon the excess or pursue the balance another way.
- Your employer is insolvent. If the company is being wound up, a salary claim runs alongside the insolvency process. See company insolvency and winding up in Singapore for where wages sit in the queue.
- The unpaid pay came with a dismissal. If you were let go and left out of pocket, a retrenchment benefit or notice pay may also be owed. Read retrenchment rights in Singapore.
- The dispute is really about your contract. A promised bonus or commission that was never paid can turn on how the contract is read.
A lawyer can tell you quickly whether you have a solid claim and help you prepare before the 6-month deadline passes. If you are not sure where your situation sits, the free consultation below is a good first step.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I make a salary claim in Singapore?
You file at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) for mediation. If you are not a union member, you file through TADM eServices with your Singpass; the filing fee is $10 if you are claiming $10,000 or less and $20 if you are claiming more than $10,000. Union members contact NTUC to file instead. Mediation at TADM is compulsory first, and only if it does not resolve does the case move to the Employment Claims Tribunals.
What is the time limit for a salary claim in Singapore?
If you have left the company, you must file at TADM within 6 months of your last day of employment. If you are still employed, you have 1 year from when the dispute arose. Either way, a claim can only cover salary owed in the year before you file, so waiting can put older amounts out of reach.
How much can I claim at the Employment Claims Tribunals?
The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) can hear salary claims up to $20,000, or up to $30,000 if your case went through the Tripartite Mediation Framework or mediation assisted by a union recognised under the Industrial Relations Act. If what you are owed is more than the cap, Singapore Courts guidance says you can abandon the amount above the limit so the ECT can still hear the claim.
When must my employer pay my salary?
MOM says salary must be paid at least once a month and within 7 days after the end of the salary period. Overtime pay must be paid within 14 days after the end of the salary period. If you are dismissed or resign with notice, your final salary is due on your last day of work, or within 3 working days if that is not possible.
Can I claim unpaid salary after I have left the company?
Yes. You can still file a salary claim at TADM after your employment ends, as long as you do it within 6 months of your last day of work. The claim can cover salary owed in the year before you file, so keep your payslips and act before the 6 months run out.
Work Rights SG provides general information about employment rights in Singapore. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer–client relationship. It is a free service that connects you with an employment law firm; we do not provide legal advice ourselves. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified employment lawyer.