Filing a claim at the Small Claims Tribunal in Singapore is designed to be done without a lawyer: the Tribunals hear disputes up to S$20,000 (S$30,000 by consent), the lodgment fee starts at S$10, and the whole process runs online through the CJTS portal. This guide walks through what the Tribunals can hear, the deadlines, and each filing step.
I’m Roy. I’m an Associate Director at A.W. Law LLC, and a good part of my debt recovery practice is telling people they don’t need me: their dispute belongs at the SCT, where I’m not even allowed to appear. This is the guide I wish I could hand them across the desk.
What the Small Claims Tribunal is (and isn’t)
The Small Claims Tribunals (SCT) are part of the State Courts, set up under the Small Claims Tribunals Act 1984 to resolve everyday disputes quickly and cheaply. Hearings are informal, the strict rules of evidence are relaxed, and lawyers are not allowed to represent parties. That last rule is the point: both sides argue their own case, so neither side can outspend the other.
The trade-offs are real. The claim limit is low, the deadline to file is short, and the types of dispute the Tribunals can hear are fixed by the Act. Reading the eligibility rules before you file saves you the most common wasted trip.
What claims the SCT can hear
The Tribunals can hear:
- Contracts for the sale of goods. The aircon unit that never arrived, the defective furniture, the marketplace seller who ghosted.
- Contracts for services. Renovation works, repairs, tuition, wedding packages, gym memberships.
- Residential tenancy disputes, where the lease does not exceed 2 years. Unreturned deposits are the classic. Our guide to tenant rights in Singapore covers that ground in detail.
- Damage to property, except damage from motor accidents or caused by a neighbour (neighbour disputes go to a different tribunal).
- Unfair practice claims under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, the ground our consumer protection page deals with.
- Refunds of motor vehicle deposits, and a few other claims specific written laws send to the SCT.
The Tribunals cannot hear employment disputes, commercial or industrial lease disputes, motor accident damage, or claims against a respondent who isn’t in Singapore to be served.
The limits and the 2-year deadline
Two numbers decide whether the SCT is open to you:
| Rule | Figure |
|---|---|
| Standard claim limit | S$20,000 |
| Limit with a Memorandum of Consent signed by both parties | S$30,000 |
| Deadline to file | 2 years from when the claim arose |
The 2-year deadline is the one that catches people. Ordinary contract claims in court have a six-year limitation period, so people assume there’s no hurry. At the SCT there is. The Tribunals cannot hear a claim filed more than 2 years after the event, full stop.
If your claim is slightly over S$20,000, you can abandon the excess and claim S$20,000, or ask the other side to sign the Memorandum of Consent. What you can’t do is split one dispute into two claims to fit under the cap.
How to file, step by step
- Send a written demand first. Not legally required, but a dated demand letter setting out what you want and by when settles a surprising number of disputes and reads well at the hearing. Our post on letters of demand in Singapore shows what goes in one.
- File on CJTS. Claims are filed online through the Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS) using Singpass or CorpPass. You fill in the claim details, upload your evidence, and pay the lodgment fee.
- Serve the claim within 7 days. You must deliver the claim and the Notice of Consultation to the respondent within 7 days of filing: personally, by registered post to their home or ACRA-registered address, or by another method the registrar allows. Then file a Declaration of Service on CJTS as proof.
- Attend the consultation. A registrar first tries to settle the matter, and CJTS offers eNegotiation and eMediation online. Many claims end here with a recorded settlement.
- Attend the hearing if it doesn’t settle. A tribunal magistrate hears both sides informally and makes an order. Bring originals of your documents and be ready to tell the story in plain order: what was agreed, what happened, what you’re claiming.
What it costs
Lodgment fees depend on the claim size and who’s filing:
| Claim amount | Individual | Company / business |
|---|---|---|
| Up to S$5,000 | S$10 | S$50 |
| Above S$5,000 to S$10,000 | S$20 | S$100 |
| Above S$10,000 to S$30,000 | 1% of claim | 3% of claim |
There are no lawyer’s fees at the hearing, because there are no lawyers. Budget instead for your time: the filing, the service run, the consultation, and possibly a half-day hearing.
When you actually need a lawyer
In my practice, the SCT conversation is often a ten-minute one where I talk someone out of hiring me. But some situations genuinely call for legal help around the edges of the Tribunal:
- Before filing, when it isn’t obvious whether the SCT, the Magistrate’s Court, or a letter of demand is the right first move, or when the claim hovers around the S$20,000 line.
- Preparing the case, when the evidence is messy: part-payments, verbal variations, missing paperwork. You present alone, but you don’t have to prepare alone.
- After the order, when the losing party won’t pay and the order needs to be enforced through the courts. Our guide to suing someone who owes you money covers the wider options when the SCT route runs out.
- When the SCT can’t hear it at all: the claim is too big, too old, or against a party overseas.
What to do next
Check three things before anything else: your claim type is on the eligible list, the amount is within S$20,000 (or S$30,000 by consent), and you’re inside the 2-year window. If all three hold, gather your documents and file on CJTS. The fee is S$10 to start for most individuals, and you don’t need anyone’s permission.
If any of the three fails, or the other side has assets you’ll need to chase after judgment, that’s where we come in. The first ten minutes are free: book a Debt Recovery Discovery Session and we’ll tell you honestly whether this is an SCT matter you can run yourself, in English, Malay, or Tamil.
