Singapore’s new maintenance enforcement division handles over 1,500 cases since Jan 2025
Singapore’s Maintenance Enforcement Division, launched in January 2025, has attended to more than 1,500 cases as of Jul 29, offering conciliation as a less adversarial route to recover unpaid divorce maintenance. The median arrears collected is about S$8,400, and around 70 per cent of cases settle w
SINGAPORE – The Maintenance Enforcement Division of the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) has handled more than 1,500 cases of unpaid divorce maintenance since it opened in January last year, the ministry told CNA. The new outfit, comprising 30 officers, offers conciliation as a less adversarial alternative to enforcing payments through a court hearing.
The division covers claims under the Women’s Charter, the Guardianship of Infants Act, the Administration of Muslim Law Act and the Maintenance of Parents Act. Its work began in phases from 16 Jan 2025, and since 1 Jul this year the mechanism has been open to all enforcement applications under these Acts.
The highest arrears recouped in a single case so far amounted to over S$400,000, with ongoing monthly maintenance of S$4,000. The median amount of arrears collected is about S$8,400, while the mean amount is about S$17,700. Cases generally conclude within just over a month, and the settlement rate for conciliation cases is around 70 per cent, meaning that a majority do not proceed to a full hearing.
Unlike mediation in the Family Justice Courts, maintenance enforcement officers are MinLaw staff with fact-finding powers who play a more active role in recommending solutions. They can seek information from the Central Provident Fund Board, the Housing and Development Board, the Singapore Land Authority, the Land Transport Authority, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, and the Ministry of Social and Family Development without requiring court orders. They must still seek a court order to obtain information from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore and banks.
Lawyer Nur Liyana Kamaludin, senior legal counsel at Titanium Law Chambers, said the fact-finding powers are a key distinction of the new process. Under the maintenance enforcement process, applicants are not charged any fees for conciliation or fact-finding services. If a settlement is not reached in conciliation, the information found through fact-finding will be submitted to the Family Justice Courts for the full hearing.
Chief maintenance enforcement officer Leong Kwang Ian said the new process is forward-looking and meant to put both sides on a stable footing to prevent future disputes. “Rather than looking at past breaches, it seeks to understand the underlying issues bringing about non-payment of maintenance, and then it helps parties with practical and sustainable solutions,” he said.
