Notice Period and Termination in Singapore
In Singapore, an open-ended employment contract is normally ended by one side giving notice to the other. Notice can come from the employer (termination) or from the employee (resignation), and the same rules on length apply either way.
The length of notice is a lookup, not an estimate. The first place to look is the contract; only where the contract is silent does the Employment Act's default scale step in.
This is general legal information, not legal advice. Consult a qualified advocate and solicitor about your situation. Figures are current as of 2026 and the Employment Act is under a broad tripartite review with recommendations expected in the second half of 2026.
The contract comes first
If the employment contract specifies a notice period, that agreed period applies. Employers and employees are free to agree a longer or shorter notice than the statutory default, provided it is the same for both parties.
The requirement that notice be equal both ways is a statutory rule, not a matter of practice. An employer cannot hold an employee to three months while reserving one month for itself.
The statutory default scale
Where the contract does not state a notice period, the Employment Act supplies one. The default scale, set out in section 10 of the Act and restated on MOM's page, is keyed to length of service:
| Length of service | Notice period |
|---|---|
| Less than 26 weeks | 1 day |
| 26 weeks to less than 2 years | 1 week |
| 2 years to less than 5 years | 2 weeks |
| 5 years or more | 4 weeks |
The boundaries matter. The first band is measured in weeks, not months, so an employee with under 26 weeks of service is entitled to just 1 day. The 2-year and 5-year points are the anniversaries of service: exactly 2 years of service falls in the third band (2 weeks), and exactly 5 years falls in the fourth band (4 weeks).
This scale is a default and a floor for the silent-contract case. It does not override a longer notice period the parties have agreed in writing.
Salary in lieu of notice
Neither side is obliged to serve out the notice period. Either party may instead pay salary in lieu of notice, which is a sum equal to the salary the employee would have earned during the notice period.
If the employer pays salary in lieu, the employee stops work immediately. If the employee pays salary in lieu, usually by forfeiting or paying an amount equal to the unserved notice, the employee can leave without serving the balance. Either way the contract ends at once rather than at the end of the notice period.
Waiving notice by agreement
Notice can also be waived. Under section 10 of the Employment Act, either party may waive its own right to receive notice on any occasion, and where both sides agree, the contract can end on a chosen date with no notice served and no salary paid in lieu.
What one party cannot do is force the other to accept a shorter notice period than the contract or the statutory scale provides, or make the other side give up notice it is owed.
Notice does not cure an unlawful dismissal
Giving the correct notice ends the contract, but it does not make every dismissal lawful. A dismissal can be procedurally correct on notice yet still be a wrongful dismissal if it was without just or sufficient cause.
That is a separate question with its own route and deadline. The page on wrongful dismissal explains when a dismissal on proper notice can still be challenged, and the unpaid-salary page covers claims for salary in lieu that was promised but not paid. For how notice fits into the wider system, see the employment law section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the notice period in Singapore if the contract does not state one?
The Employment Act default applies, keyed to length of service: less than 26 weeks, 1 day; 26 weeks to less than 2 years, 1 week; 2 years to less than 5 years, 2 weeks; and 5 years or more, 4 weeks. This scale applies only where the contract is silent on notice.
Can my employer and I have different notice periods?
No. Under the Employment Act the notice period must be the same for the employer and the employee. A contract cannot require the employee to give longer notice than the employer gives.
What is salary in lieu of notice?
It is a payment equal to the salary the employee would have earned during the notice period, paid instead of serving the notice. Either the employer or the employee may choose to pay salary in lieu, and the contract then ends immediately rather than at the end of the notice period.
Is the first notice band measured in weeks or months?
Weeks. An employee with less than 26 weeks of service is entitled to 1 day of notice. The 2-year and 5-year points that follow are the anniversaries of service, so exactly 2 years gives 2 weeks and exactly 5 years gives 4 weeks.
Does giving proper notice mean a dismissal cannot be challenged?
No. Serving the correct notice ends the contract, but a dismissal without just or sufficient cause can still be challenged as a wrongful dismissal. That is a separate claim with a 1-month filing deadline through TADM and the Employment Claims Tribunals.
Sources and References
- Ministry of Manpower, Termination with notice: statutory notice periods(mom.gov.sg).gov
- Ministry of Manpower, Termination of employment(mom.gov.sg).gov
- Employment Act 1968, Singapore Statutes Online(sso.agc.gov.sg).gov