How to claim work injury compensation in Singapore

A WICA claim is mostly run for you, not by you. Your job is to report the accident quickly, attend your medical appointments, keep every document, and return the claims-processing form your insurer sends you. Your employer and their insurer carry the rest of the paperwork through to a Notice of Assessment or Notice of Computation, which sets the amount you are paid.

The claim sequence

1. Report the accidentNotify your employer or supervisor as soon as possible and provide the original medical certificates and bills. The Ministry of Manpower is direct about why speed matters here: if you do not tell them promptly, they may dispute whether your injury or illness is work-related.
2. Employer reports to the Ministry of ManpowerFor a non-fatal accident, the employer must submit an incident report to the Ministry of Manpower within 10 days of being notified. For a fatal accident, the Ministry of Manpower must be told as soon as possible and the report filed within 10 days of the accident.
3. Insurer or the Ministry of Manpower sends a medical report formThis goes to the hospital or clinic treating you, who completes and returns it to the designated insurer or the Ministry of Manpower.
4. Complete and return your claims-processing formFor accidents from 1 September 2020, once the designated insurer has been notified, they post you a claims-processing form asking you to confirm your average monthly earnings, injury site, and other details. This is the one form you personally complete and send back, by email or mail, to the designated insurer.
5. Medical assessmentYou continue treatment and attend every appointment: the Ministry of Manpower states that your claim may be suspended if you do not attend all of them. You can seek treatment at any hospital or medical institution, and your employer can also ask for you to be treated or assessed at a company-approved one. Where the injury has a lasting effect, the treating doctor assesses the degree of permanent incapacity once your condition stabilises.
6. Notice of Assessment or Notice of ComputationThe Ministry of Manpower or the insurer issues a NOA or NOC stating your compensation figure. A short clock starts here: 14 days to object to the figure, and the same window governs withdrawing the claim if you want to keep a common-law suit open.
7. PaymentIf no party objects, the insurer must pay you within 21 days from the date the notice was served, per the Ministry of Manpower.

The Ministry of Manpower's own figure for how long all of this takes is "within 8 months for most cases", with the caveat that some cases need longer because the condition has to stabilise before a doctor can assess permanent incapacity. For the exact deadlines that apply at each stage, including how long you have to decide between WICA and a common-law claim, see the WICA time limit. If you want to see the statutory range your claim sits inside before you go further, use the compensation calculator.

What your employer must do

Your employer must continue paying your medical leave wages and medical expenses while the claim is being processed, informing their insurer about the accident as soon as possible. The Ministry of Manpower's guidance requires medical leave wages to be paid "by the next payday upon receiving the original MCs," and medical expenses to be paid directly to the hospital or clinic, or reimbursed "within 14 days of receiving the original medical bills" if you paid first.

If the process stalls

If your employer is not paying your medical bills or medical leave wages, or has not reported a serious injury, the Ministry of Manpower says to "alert MOM" directly rather than wait. You can also make your own incident report so MOM is informed independently of your employer. The full walk-through of that situation is on what to do if your employer refuses to report the accident. If a Notice of Assessment or Notice of Computation comes back lower than you expected, or is disputed, see what happens if your WICA claim is disputed or rejected.

Case review

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Last updated 15 September 2026 · How we check this

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