Employment Claims Rules 2017

Employment Claims Act 2016

(Section 33)

2025 REVISED EDITION

(2 June 2025)

[1 April 2017]

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Citation

1. These Rules are the Employment Claims Rules 2017.

Definitions

1A. In these Rules —

“ACRA” means the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority established by section 3 of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004;

“CorpPass” means the identity authentication service, known as Singapore Corporate Access, by which an entity authenticates its identity in order to carry out an online transaction with the Government or a statutory board;

“CorpPass credential” means any username, password or 2‑factor authentication detail required to authenticate, using CorpPass, the identity of an entity;

“electronic system” means the electronic filing and case management system established under rule 3A(1);

“messaging system” means any system that enables the transmission of short text messages or email —

(a)	from a mobile device to another mobile device; or
(b)	from an email address to a mobile device, and the other way around;

“registrar of the State Courts” means the registrar of the State Courts appointed under the State Courts Act 1970, and includes a deputy registrar appointed under that Act;

“relevant Form”, in relation to any purpose for which a specific form is required to be used, means the current version of the relevant form for that purpose, as set out on the website of the electronic system or in the practice directions;

“SingPass” means the identity authentication service, known as Singapore Personal Access, by which an individual authenticates the individual’s identity in order to carry out an online transaction with the Government or a statutory board;

“SingPass credential” means any username, password or 2‑factor authentication detail required to authenticate, using SingPass, the identity of an individual;

“working day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday.

Application of Rules

2.—(1) These Rules apply to —

(a)	all proceedings under Part 3 of the Act; and
(b)	every application to a District Court under section 7(2) or (4) of the Act.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), the Rules of Court 2021 do not apply to the following:

(a)	any proceedings before a tribunal or the Registrar;
(b)	any procedure for proceedings in a District Court or in the General Division of the High Court for which provision is made in these Rules.

(3) Paragraph (2) does not affect the application of Order 23 of the Rules of Court 2021 to committal proceedings before a tribunal.

Forms and documents

3.—(1) Unless a tribunal, the Registrar or a court directs otherwise, every relevant Form or document relating to proceedings before a tribunal, the Registrar or a court must be submitted through the electronic system.

(2) Every relevant Form must contain such particulars, and be accompanied by such documents, as may be specified by the tribunal, the Registrar or the court or in the relevant Form.

(3) Any relevant Form may be used in any particular case with such variations as the circumstances of that case require.

PART 1A

ELECTRONIC SYSTEM

Electronic system

3A.—(1) An electronic filing and case management system is established for the tribunals.

(2) The purposes of the electronic system are as follows:

(a)	to facilitate the submission of relevant Forms and documents;
(b)	to facilitate the service of relevant Forms and documents;
(c)	to facilitate, by electronic means, the settlement of disputes and the conduct of proceedings before a tribunal or the Registrar.

Authentication

3B.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), an individual must authenticate the individual’s identity using SingPass in order to access the electronic system to carry out an online transaction involving the individual.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), a person, who is authorised by an entity to carry out through the electronic system an online transaction involving the entity, must authenticate the identity of the entity using CorpPass in order to access the electronic system to carry out that transaction for the entity.

(3) The Registrar may, on application by a party that is unable to authenticate the party’s identity using SingPass or CorpPass, issue the party with a username and password to enable the party to access the electronic system to carry out an online transaction involving the party.

(4) A party that is issued a username and a password under paragraph (3) —

(a)

must ensure the confidentiality and security of the username and password; and

(b)

must not —

(i)	divulge the username and password to any other person; or
(ii)	permit any other person to use the username and password.

(5) An individual must not facilitate the use, by any other person, of the individual’s SingPass credentials to access the electronic system.

(6) An entity must not facilitate the use, by any unauthorised person, of the CorpPass credentials of the entity to access the electronic system.

Information on party

3C. Every party to proceedings before a tribunal or the Registrar must —

(a)	enter, through such means as may be provided by the electronic system for the recording of information on the party’s profile, such information on the party as the electronic system may require; and
(b)	if there is any change to that information, update that information by entering, through such means as may be provided by the electronic system, the details of the change.

Time of filing of relevant Form or document submitted through electronic system

3D.—(1) If a relevant Form or document is submitted through the electronic system, the relevant Form or document is treated as filed on the date and at the time the first part of the transmission of the relevant Form or document is received in the electronic system.

(2) Despite paragraph (1), where the submission of a relevant Form or document through the electronic system is unsuccessful or delayed because of a failure or inability of the electronic system to transmit or process the relevant Form or document, the Registrar may —

(a)	on the Registrar’s own motion or on the application of the party who submitted the relevant Form or document, make an order for the relevant Form or document to be treated as filed on an earlier date than that on which the first part of the transmission of the relevant Form or document is actually received in the electronic system; and
(b)	in the case of an unsuccessful submission, require the relevant Form or document to be resubmitted through the electronic system.

(3) Every application under paragraph (2)(a) must be accompanied by proof, to the satisfaction of the Registrar, of the matters relied on to support the application.

Time of service of document through electronic system

3E.—(1) Where the Registrar gives, through the electronic system, a notice under these Rules to —

(a)	a party to proceedings before a tribunal, the Registrar or a court; or
(b)	any other person who carries out an online transaction through the electronic system,

the notice is treated as served on the party or person (as the case may be) 24 hours after the time the Registrar sends the notice to the party or person (as the case may be) through the electronic system.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (1), after the Registrar has notified a party to any proceedings before a tribunal or the Registrar that the party has been given the right to access the electronic system to view any document served on the party in relation to those proceedings —

(a)	any document required to be served on the party in relation to those proceedings may be served on the party by submitting that document through the electronic system; and
(b)	that document is treated as served on the party 24 hours after the time that document is treated under rule 3D as filed.

Negotiation through electronic system

3F. The parties to any proceedings before a tribunal or the Registrar may use the negotiation module in the electronic system to facilitate a settlement acceptable to all of those parties.

PART 2

REGISTRY FOR TRIBUNALS

Registry for tribunals

4. The Registry is situated at the Registry of the State Courts.

Office hours

5. The Registry is open on the same days and at the same times as the Registry of the State Courts.

Records, etc.

6.—(1) The Registrar must keep a record of all proceedings before the tribunals.

(2) The record required by this rule is kept in such form and manner as the Registrar may determine.

Searches, etc.

7.—(1) After an order has been made under section 22 of the Act in any proceedings before a tribunal, any person may, with the permission of the Registrar, search, inspect and take a copy of any part of the record relating to those proceedings.

(2) Despite paragraph (1), a party to any proceedings before a tribunal or the Registrar may, at any stage of the proceedings, with the permission of the Registrar, search, inspect and take a copy of any part of the record relating to those proceedings.

(3) For the purposes of section 29(1) of the Act, the Registrar may permit any person authorised by a law enforcement agency or public agency to search, inspect or take a copy of any part of the record relating to any proceedings before a tribunal.

(4) The applicable fee specified in item 16(a), (b) and (c) of the Schedule is payable to the Registrar at the time of the request to search, inspect or take a copy of the record under paragraph (1), (2) or (3).