- Every parent has a duty to maintain their children, whether or not the parents are married.
- Child maintenance usually runs until 21, but can continue for national service, further studies or disability.
- A wife or former wife can claim maintenance. An incapacitated husband can too.
- Orders can be varied when circumstances change.
- Since 2025, a new Maintenance Enforcement Process helps applicants recover unpaid maintenance in many cases.
Maintenance for children
Under the Women's Charter, every parent must maintain or contribute to the maintenance of their children, by providing or paying for things such as housing, food, clothing and education. This duty does not end with divorce, and it applies whichever parent the child lives with.
Maintenance usually stops when the child turns 21. The court can order it to continue beyond that where the child has a physical or mental disability, is serving full-time national service, is still studying or training, or there are other special circumstances.
Parents can make their own arrangements, but they cannot agree away a child's right to be maintained. The court will look closely at any agreement and can set it aside if it does not meet the child's needs.
How the amount is decided
There is no fixed formula. The court considers the child's needs, each parent's income and earning capacity, any disability, the standard of living the child enjoyed, how the child was expected to be educated and each parent's contributions to the family. Maintenance can be ordered monthly or as a lump sum.
Maintenance for a wife or former wife
A wife can apply for maintenance during the marriage if her husband has neglected or refused to provide reasonable maintenance, and the court can also order maintenance for a wife or former wife as part of divorce proceedings. Since 2016, a husband who is incapacitated by a physical or mental disability or illness, and cannot support himself, can also claim from his wife or former wife.
Spousal maintenance is not automatic. In deciding whether to order it and how much, the court looks at factors including each party's income, earning capacity and financial needs, the standard of living during the marriage, the length of the marriage, the parties' ages and health, and their contributions to the family.
The courts aim, so far as practical and fair, to preserve the financial position the wife would have had if the marriage had continued, but they also recognise that both parties usually have less after a divorce. A wife who is self-sufficient, or who receives a substantial share of the assets, may receive little or no maintenance, and spouses who are able to work are expected to do so.
Maintenance for a former wife ends if she remarries.
Lump sum or monthly
The court can order spousal maintenance as a lump sum or as monthly payments. A lump sum allows a clean break where the paying spouse can afford it. Where no maintenance is ordered at all, it can be difficult to ask for it later, so some applicants ask for a nominal order. The court does not grant one automatically, and the applicant needs to give a reason for it.
Changing an order
Either party can apply to vary or cancel a maintenance order where there has been a material change in circumstances. Examples include the paying party losing their job or falling ill, new financial obligations, the receiving party's income rising, the receiving party remarrying, or a child's needs growing as they get older.
When maintenance is not paid
A person who stops paying cannot simply rely on a change in their circumstances. The person owed maintenance can apply to the Family Justice Courts to enforce the order. The court has a range of powers, including fines, imprisonment, a garnishee order, an order to give security against future default, financial counselling and community service.
Under the Maintenance Enforcement Process, which began on 16 January 2025 for repeat enforcement applications and was extended on 1 October 2025 to first-time applications where at least $10,000 is owed, eligible cases are referred to Maintenance Enforcement Officers from the Ministry of Law. They hold conciliation sessions, can gather financial information from banks and public agencies such as CPF, HDB and IRAS, and report to the court so that it can tell apart those who cannot pay from those who will not. A respondent referred to this process pays a $180 fee.
Muslim families
For Muslim couples, the Syariah Court deals with nafkah iddah and mutaah, but child maintenance is decided by the Family Justice Courts.
Getting advice
What is fair depends on your family's finances and needs. A family lawyer can help you work out what to ask for, what evidence you need and how to respond to a claim.
This article is general information on Singapore law and is not legal advice. Rules and agency policies change, and every situation is different. For advice on your own circumstances, speak with one of our lawyers.
All divorce guides
