- Both parents have a duty to maintain their children, whatever the custody arrangement.
- Child maintenance usually ends at 21, but can continue for national service, further study or a disability.
- A wife or former wife can claim maintenance. A husband can claim only if he is incapacitated and cannot support himself.
- There is no formula. The court looks at needs, earning capacity and the standard of living.
- Orders can be changed if circumstances change materially.
- A new maintenance enforcement process began on 16 January 2025.
Child maintenance
Both parents have a legal duty to maintain their children, whatever the custody arrangement. In practice, the parent the child does not mainly live with usually pays an amount to the other parent.
There is no fixed formula. The court looks at the child's reasonable needs, such as food, housing, schooling and medical care, and at what each parent earns and can afford. It may share the costs in proportion to the parents' incomes.
Maintenance for a child usually stops at 21. It can continue beyond that, for example while the child is doing national service, studying full-time, or has a physical or mental disability.
Spousal maintenance
The court can order a husband to pay maintenance to his wife or former wife, during the divorce or after it. A wife can also be ordered to pay maintenance to a husband, but only if he is incapacitated: unable to earn a living and support himself because of a physical or mental illness or disability.
Spousal maintenance is meant to prevent hardship after the marriage ends, not to create lifelong dependency. A spouse who earns enough to support themselves may get little or none. In deciding, the court considers factors such as:
- each spouse's income, earning capacity and financial resources;
- each spouse's reasonable needs and obligations;
- the standard of living before the marriage broke down;
- their ages, health and the length of the marriage;
- each spouse's contributions to the family, including caring for the home; and
- the share of assets each spouse receives on division.
Maintenance can be paid monthly or as a single lump sum. A lump sum is sometimes chosen to give both sides a 'clean break'.
Maintenance while the divorce is going on
A spouse or child who needs support before the divorce is finished can ask for interim maintenance. The court only grants it where there is a clear need, and it takes a cautious, broad view at this stage because the finances have not yet been fully examined. Interim maintenance is meant to tide the person over until the final hearing.
Changing an order
Either side can ask the court to change a maintenance order if there is a material change in circumstances, such as a job loss, illness, or the person receiving it becoming financially independent. The person applying needs evidence of the change.
When payments stop
A new maintenance enforcement process began on 16 January 2025. Eligible cases can be referred to Maintenance Enforcement Officers at the Ministry of Law, who can gather financial information from the parties, banks and public agencies, hold conciliation sessions and report to the court. The court has a range of powers to enforce an order where a person can pay but does not.
Speaking with a lawyer
How much maintenance is reasonable depends on your family's actual needs and finances. A family lawyer can help you work out a realistic figure and the evidence you will need.
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.
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