If your employer has not paid your salary, or has paid less than what you are owed, Singapore has a structured, low-cost process for pursuing this without immediately needing a lawyer or a full court case. Understanding the actual steps, and critically, the deadlines involved, makes a real difference to whether your claim succeeds. This guide walks through how to file a salary claim at the Employment Claims Tribunals.
Understanding the Two-Stage Process
This is the single most important thing to understand before you begin. You cannot file directly at the Employment Claims Tribunals, commonly known as the ECT. Every claim must first go through mediation at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management, commonly known as TADM. Only if that mediation fails to resolve your dispute, and you are issued a Claim Referral Certificate by the TADM mediator, can you then proceed to file at the ECT itself.
Step 1: Check You Are Eligible
The ECT and TADM process is available to employees under a contract of service, including full-time, part-time, temporary, and contract workers, whether local or foreign, including Work Permit, S Pass, and Employment Pass holders. It generally does not cover public servants, domestic workers, or seafarers, though limited exceptions exist for these groups for certain specific statutory claims. If you are genuinely self-employed or a freelancer rather than an employee under a contract of service, this route is generally not available to you, and the Small Claims Tribunal may be the more appropriate path instead.
Step 2: File Your Mediation Request With TADM Promptly
This is where deadlines matter enormously, and where many genuine claims are lost simply through delay. For salary-related claims, you should submit your mediation request to TADM as early as possible after the issue arises, since there are limits to how far back a claim period can stretch. For wrongful dismissal claims specifically, the deadline is considerably shorter: you must file within one month of your last day of employment, and missing this deadline means TADM will not be able to assist you with that claim at all. Do not wait to see if the situation resolves itself before submitting your request.
Step 3: Submit Your Claim Online
You can file your mediation request through TADM’s online services, or use the “Ask TADM” chatbot, which provides an immediate preliminary assessment of your claim and can help guide you through filing it. A filing fee applies, generally a modest amount depending on your claim, and your claim is only considered successfully filed once payment has been received.
Step 4: Attend Mediation
Once your claim is filed, you will be scheduled for mediation with a TADM mediator, conducted in English, Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil depending on your needs. TADM also offers an e-Negotiation platform, allowing you and your employer to discuss and propose settlement options online before or alongside the formal mediation session. Come prepared with clear evidence supporting your claim, such as your employment contract, payslips, and any relevant correspondence about the unpaid amount.
Step 5: If Mediation Succeeds
If you and your employer reach an agreement during mediation, a Settlement Agreement is issued under the Employment Claims Act. This agreement must then be registered online through the Community Justice and Tribunals System within four weeks. A properly registered settlement agreement is enforceable, giving you a genuine legal basis to act on if your employer subsequently fails to honour it.
Step 6: If Mediation Does Not Succeed
If mediation does not resolve your dispute, the TADM mediator issues a Claim Referral Certificate, which is your authorisation to proceed to the ECT. You must then file your claim at the ECT within four weeks of the date this certificate is issued, so do not delay once you receive it. Filing at this stage is done through CJTS, following a broadly similar online process to other tribunal claims, choosing a hearing date once your application is submitted.
Keeping Your Own Records Throughout
Whatever stage your claim reaches, keep your own copy of everything: your original mediation request, any correspondence with TADM or your employer, the Claim Referral Certificate if issued, and any documents you upload during the ECT filing itself. Having your own organised record, separate from what sits in the online systems, means you are never caught without something you need, particularly if your matter stretches over several months from initial filing through to a final hearing.
Understanding the Claim Limits
The maximum amount you can claim at the ECT is twenty thousand dollars. This limit rises to thirty thousand dollars if your claim goes through union-assisted mediation, meaning your union files the claim on your behalf, which is a meaningfully different trigger from the general public’s mutual-consent route used at the Small Claims Tribunal. If your genuine claim exceeds these limits, you would need to consider engaging a lawyer and pursuing the matter through the regular civil courts instead.
What Happens at the ECT Hearing
If your matter proceeds to a hearing, it takes place before the ECT, which is designed to be a faster, lower-cost alternative to a full civil trial. As with the TADM stage, come prepared with your documentation clearly organised, since a well-supported, clearly presented claim is considerably easier for the Tribunal to assess quickly.
Getting Help Along the Way
If you have been a union member for at least six months, contacting NTUC directly can provide additional support and advisory services throughout this process, and in some circumstances a union filing on your behalf can raise your claim limit. If you are simply unsure whether your situation qualifies at all, the “Ask TADM” chatbot is designed specifically to give you an immediate preliminary assessment before you commit to filing anything formally.
Why Acting Early Matters More Than Almost Anything Else
Across every stage of this process, timing is the single factor most within your own control. A genuinely strong claim can still fail simply because it was filed too late, whether that means missing the one-month wrongful dismissal deadline, letting a salary claim period lapse, or sitting on a Claim Referral Certificate past its four-week filing window. If you are even slightly unsure whether you are approaching a deadline, treat that uncertainty as a reason to file sooner rather than later, since there is generally no downside to moving quickly and a real risk in waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my employer also file a claim against me through this same process?
Yes, employers can file certain claims, such as for salary in lieu of notice, through the same TADM and ECT pathway, so this process is not exclusively available to employees.
Do I need to have already resigned or been terminated before I can file a salary claim?
No, you can file a salary claim while still employed, particularly if your employer has failed to pay wages you are currently owed, though the specific deadlines and considerations may differ slightly from a claim filed after your employment has ended.
What happens if my employer does not show up to the TADM mediation session?
TADM has processes for handling situations where one party does not participate as expected, so it is worth contacting TADM directly if your employer fails to engage with the mediation process after your claim has been filed.
Can I file a claim if I was paid in cash without a formal payslip?
Yes, you can still file a claim without formal payslips, though it is worth gathering whatever alternative evidence you have of your employment and salary arrangement, such as bank transfer records, messages discussing pay, or witness accounts, since stronger documentation generally supports a stronger claim.
Is there a way to check the status of my claim once it has been filed?
Yes, once your claim is filed, you can generally track its progress through the relevant online portal, whether TADM’s system during the mediation stage or CJTS once your matter has been referred to the ECT.
