Third Phase of the Maintenance Enforcement Process to Commence on 1 July 2026
17 June 2026 Posted in Press releases
Commencement of Phase 3 of the Maintenance Enforcement Process (MEP)
1. On 1 July 2026, Phase 3 of the MEP will commence. Phase 3 makes the MEP applicable to all applications to enforce maintenance orders made under the Women’s Charter 1961, the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934, the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1966, and the Maintenance of Parents Act 1995. Previously, only repeat applications, or first-time applications involving arrears of at least $10,000, were eligible.
About the MEP
2. Following the passing of the Family Justice Reform Act 2023 in Parliament on 8 May 2023, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) introduced the MEP in January 2025 with a view to:
a) Deter non-payment of maintenance;
b) Make enforcement easier when there is non-payment of maintenance;
c) Facilitate sustainable maintenance outcomes; and
d) Increase access to justice for applicants, especially those who are self-represented.
3. The MEP is being implemented in phases. In Phase 1, the MEP was made available to eligible repeat maintenance enforcement applications1. In Phase 2, the MEP was made available to eligible first-time applications involving maintenance arrears of at least $10,0002.
4. As of 31 May 2026, 1,320 cases have been referred to the MED.
5. The MEP will be expanded to cover the remaining forms of maintenance enforcement applications in the next and final phase of implementation.
How the MEP works
6. Under the MEP, maintenance enforcement applications made at the Family Justice Courts (FJC) are referred to Maintenance Enforcement Officers (MEOs) from the Maintenance Enforcement Division (MED) sited in MinLaw. MEOs will conduct conciliation to facilitate amicable and sustainable settlement between parties. In conciliation, which replaces mediation, MEOs play a more active role in seeking information and recommending solutions to the parties. The MEOs are also empowered to obtain information from the parties and, if necessary, banks and other third parties such as public agencies3. This will ensure the resolution of the maintenance enforcement application is based on parties’ true financial circumstances.
7. The MEOs will then submit a report to the FJC. With the information provided by the MEOs, the FJC can more accurately determine the parties’ financial circumstances. This will help the FJC to make more targeted and effective enforcement orders to recover maintenance arrears.
Applications
8. Applicants who wish to enforce any of the above-mentioned maintenance orders can file their applications directly with the Family Justice Courts (FJC) or through an authorised agency4. The FJC will refer eligible cases to the MED. If the application is not eligible for the MEP, FJC’s existing maintenance enforcement process will apply.
9. As with previous phases, Respondents referred to the MEP because of their failure to pay maintenance as ordered by the Courts will have to pay a fee of $180 for the follow-up undertaken by the MEO.
10. More information on the MEP and MED can be found on the MED’s website at https://go.gov.sg/meo.
MINISTRY OF LAW
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT
17 JUNE 2026
1. An eligible repeat maintenance enforcement application is an application to enforce specified categories of maintenance orders in respect of which (a) there is at least one concluded maintenance enforcement application (i.e. the application and any appeal have been disposed of, and/or the time for appeal has lapsed); and (b) there is no pending maintenance enforcement application. The specified categories of maintenance orders were maintenance orders made under the Women’s Charter 1961, the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934, the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1966, and the Maintenance of Parents Act 1995. For more information on Phase 1 of the MEP, please refer to https://go.gov.sg/mep-phase-1.↩
2. An eligible first-time maintenance enforcement application is an application to enforce specified categories of maintenance orders which involved maintenance arrears of at least $10,000, and where there is no pending appeal against the maintenance order, or the time for appeal has already lapsed. For more information on Phase 2 of the MEP, please refer to https://go.gov.sg/mep-phase-2.↩
3. This includes the Central Provident Fund Board, the Housing & Development Board, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, the Singapore Land Authority and the Land Transport Authority.↩
4. Eligible applicants can file applications for maintenance order enforcement at: (i) Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, and (ii) ServiceSG Centres at Our Tampines Hub and OnePunggol.↩
Last updated on 17 June 2026