Free tool

Notice period in Singapore

A notice period is the stretch between the day notice is handed over and the last day of employment. Either side can start it. How long yours runs is decided by your employment contract first, and by the Employment Act table below only when the contract says nothing.

First day of work

The date you started with this employer, not the date you signed.

Date notice is given

The day the resignation or termination letter changes hands. MOM counts it as day one.

Notice period in your contract

Leave it blank only if your contract genuinely says nothing about notice.

Enter your first day of work to see the notice period that applies.

MOM requires the notice period to be as agreed in the employment contract, and the same for the employer and the employee. The table is only the fallback for a contract that says nothing about notice, not a minimum a contract has to beat. Check your contract before you act on any date here.

What a notice period actually is

MOM puts the basics plainly: either the employer or the employee can terminate a contract of service, and termination happens by resignation, by dismissal, or when a contract runs out. The notice period is simply how much warning the other side gets before that happens.

Your employer cannot reject your resignation. MOM states the right in as many words: you have the right to resign at any time, by serving the required notice or by paying salary in lieu of notice. Notice is not permission to leave. It is the price of leaving, payable in time or in money.

Notice has to be in writing from either side, as a termination letter or an email. MOM suggests you ask your employer to acknowledge it, by signing it or replying, so nobody argues later about the date. That date matters more than most people expect: it is day one of the notice period, not the day after.

Neither side owes the other a reason. Your employer is not required to give one for a termination, and you are not required to give one when you resign.

How long your notice period is

Read your contract before you read the table. MOM sets two conditions on the length of a notice period: it must be the same for the employer and the employee, and it must be as agreed in the employment contract. A contract that says two months means two months, and it binds both of you to two months.

The table applies only when the contract is silent. MOM wording: if your employment contract did not specify the notice period, the notice period required will depend on your 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

Notice what this table is not. It is the default for a contract that says nothing, not a minimum your contract has to beat. Most Singapore contracts do name a period, and one month is common long before the two-year mark, so for most people the table never comes into it. Where your contract names a period, that is your answer and the table is background.

Counting the notice period, and your last day

Two MOM rules decide the date. The notice period includes the day on which notice is given, and it includes public holidays, rest days and non-working days. Notice runs in calendar days, not working days, and it starts the moment the letter changes hands.

MOM publishes three worked examples. Two of them catch people out.

One day of notice

An employee resigns today giving one day of notice. Their last day of work is today, because the notice period includes the day notice was served.

One month of notice

An employee resigns on 15 July 2025 giving one month of notice. Their last day is 14 August 2025, not 15 August, and the public holidays and weekends in between are counted.

Resigning at the turn of February

One month of notice given on 29, 30 or 31 January 2025 all end on the same date: 28 February 2025, because February has only 28 days. Notice given on 1 February 2025 also ends on 28 February 2025.

If your contract states the notice period in days rather than months, MOM advises that the contract should say whether those are calendar days or working days, precisely because the two produce different dates. If yours does not say, settle it in writing before you count.

Salary in lieu of notice

Salary in lieu of notice is money instead of time. MOM defines it as the money equivalent of the salary you would have earned during the required notice period. It runs in both directions, and who pays depends on who is cutting the notice short.

You leave without serving the notice: You pay your employer. MOM: either party may terminate a contract without waiting for the notice period to end, by paying the other party salary in lieu of notice.
Your employer sends you home early: Your employer pays you. MOM answers this one head on: an employer can ask an employee to leave without serving their notice period, but must pay salary in lieu, which MOM describes here as the gross salary the employee would have earned during the required notice period. If you had already resigned and are then told to leave immediately, MOM says your employer should pay salary in lieu for the rest of the notice period.
Termination for misconduct: No salary in lieu. MOM: if the termination is due to misconduct, the employer can terminate without notice and does not have to pay salary in lieu of notice. Misconduct requires an inquiry before any disciplinary action.
Whoever breached the contract pays: MOM: either side may terminate without notice when the terms of employment have been breached, and the party that breached them pays salary in lieu. MOM gives an example on each side. You may leave without notice if your employer fails to pay your salary within 7 days of it being due. Your employer may terminate without notice if you are absent from work continuously for more than 2 working days without approval and a good excuse, or without informing and attempting to inform your employer of the reason.
CPF: CPF contributions are payable on salary earned during a notice period you actually serve, because you are still an employee of the company. MOM states that CPF contributions are not required for salary in lieu of notice.
Waiving it: Both parties may agree to waive the notice period by mutual consent, which MOM says should be done in writing. Waived means nobody pays.

One thing MOM does not publish is a daily-rate formula for salary in lieu. It says the salary you would have earned over the required notice period, and stops. So this page gives you the length of the notice and the dates it produces, and deliberately puts no dollar figure on it. Ask your employer how they compute the figure and get the answer in writing.

What happens during the notice period

You are still an employee: Right through to the last day. That is why CPF keeps running, and why MOM tells you to check with your current employer before starting work with a new one during your notice period. Your contract may restrict it.
Taking annual leave during notice: With your employer approval, you can clear annual leave during the notice period. MOM: you are paid for the full notice period, the last day of work does not move, and you are considered an employee until the notice period ends.
Offsetting the notice with annual leave: A different arrangement, and the one people confuse with the last. With your employer agreement, you can use annual leave to offset the notice period in exchange for bringing your last day forward. MOM is explicit about the cost: you are paid only up to your last day of work, and the annual leave used to offset the remaining notice is not paid for by the employer. After that last day you can start at the new company immediately. Offsetting buys an earlier exit and gives up the pay for those days. Clearing leave inside the notice keeps both the pay and the date.
Unused annual leave at the end: If your employment is terminated for anything other than misconduct, your employer must pay you for unused annual leave at the gross rate of pay based on your last drawn salary. Terminated for misconduct, any unused leave is forfeited.
Public holidays and weekends: Inside the notice period, not added to it. A month of notice containing three public holidays is still a month.
Sick leave and hospitalisation leave: If you are covered by the Employment Act, paid or unpaid sick leave during the notice period is treated as part of the notice period, and your employer cannot extend your notice period or claim any short notice from you. MOM says the same for hospitalisation leave: the last day of employment does not change, and the notice period can only be extended by mutual agreement.
Unpaid leave: The mirror image of sick leave. If you apply for unpaid leave while serving notice, your employer can extend the notice period, but only with your agreement. Whether the unpaid leave is granted at all is at their discretion.
Reservist training: Not part of the notice period. MOM example: one week of reservist training while serving notice extends the notice period by one week.
Your final salary: Due on your last day of work, or within 3 working days of it.

Resignation, termination and probation

You resign: Serve the notice in your contract or pay salary in lieu. Your employer cannot refuse the resignation itself. Put it in writing and get it acknowledged.
Your employer terminates you: The same notice period applies, because MOM requires the length to be the same for both sides. Your employer can end it early by paying salary in lieu, and is not required to give a reason. If you believe you were dismissed without one, MOM runs a wrongful dismissal claim route through the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management.
You are on probation: There is no separate statutory notice period for probation. MOM: if your employment contract did not state a different notice period for employees on probation, your notice period would be the same during your probation and after your confirmation. Plenty of contracts do name a shorter probation notice, which is allowed, so read yours rather than assuming either way.
At the end of probation: Either side can end the employment at that point. MOM: give written notice and either serve the notice period stated in the employment contract, or compensate the other party with salary in lieu of notice.
You are on a fixed-term contract: You can still resign before it expires. MOM: all employees, including those on a fixed-term contract, can resign at any time, as long as they serve the required notice stated in their contract or make salary in lieu of notice.
Your terms are being changed: Your employer cannot change the terms and conditions of employment without your consent. MOM: if there is no agreement, either party may choose to end the contract by serving the required notice or paying salary in lieu of notice.
A compensation clause on top of the notice: Some contracts require a payment in addition to notice pay for leaving before a set date, a training bond being the usual example. MOM says such terms are not covered by the Employment Act and rest on the contract, and points to legal advice and the civil courts.

Where MOM stops, this page stops

MOM publishes no daily-rate formula for salary in lieu of notice, so the calculator gives you a length and a date and no dollar amount.
MOM does not say how many days of annual leave offset how much notice when the notice is stated in months. Offsetting has to be agreed with your employer, so agree the arithmetic with them in the same conversation.
MOM does not set a counting convention for a contract that states notice in days without saying whether they are calendar or working days. The calculator counts calendar days, which is what MOM applies to its own table, and MOM advice is to get the contract to say which it means.
The Employment Act does not cover seafarers, domestic workers, or statutory board and public service employees. Where the Act does not reach, the contract is the entire answer.

What to work out next

Annual leave calculator: Your pro-rated annual leave, which is what gets paid out or offset when you go. MOM counts a notice period you serve as part of your service for that calculation, so use your last day, not the day you resign.
Annual leave in Singapore: The longer read behind that calculator: entitlement, carry-forward, encashment and the rules on unused leave.
Leave planner: If you are staying put, the public holidays worth building leave around next year.

Questions people actually ask

What is a notice period?

It is the warning either side gives before ending an employment contract, counted from the day notice is handed over to the last day of employment. In Singapore the length comes from your employment contract. Only when the contract says nothing does the Employment Act table apply, running from 1 day under 26 weeks of service to 4 weeks at 5 years or more.

What is a notice period in a job application?

It is how long you must keep working for your current employer after you resign, so it is the earliest date you could start somewhere new. Take the length from your contract, add the date you plan to resign, and count calendar days. The calculator above gives you the date to put in the form.

What is the minimum notice period in Singapore?

There is no minimum that overrides a contract. If your contract names a notice period, that is the one binding both sides. If it names none, the MOM table applies by length of service: 1 day under 26 weeks, 1 week from 26 weeks, 2 weeks from 2 years, 4 weeks from 5 years.

Does the notice period include public holidays and weekends?

Yes. MOM states that the notice period includes public holidays, rest days and non-working days, as well as the day on which notice is given.

Can my employer reject my resignation?

No. MOM: your employer cannot reject your resignation, and you have the right to resign at any time, by serving the required notice or by paying salary in lieu of notice.

Can I use annual leave to cover my notice period?

With your employer agreement, yes, but check which of the two arrangements you are agreeing to. Clearing leave during the notice keeps your last day and your pay. Offsetting the notice with leave brings your last day forward, and the offset days are not paid.

What is my notice period during probation?

Whatever your contract says for probation. If it does not state a different one, MOM says the notice period is the same during probation and after confirmation. There is no separate statutory probation notice period.

What happens if I do not serve my notice period?

You pay salary in lieu of notice for the part you did not serve, unless your employer waives the notice by mutual consent in writing. Your contract may also require compensation on top of that, which MOM says is a contractual matter outside the Employment Act.

Does sick leave extend my notice period?

No. If you are covered by the Employment Act, sick leave during the notice period counts as part of it, and your employer cannot extend the notice or claim short notice from you. Reservist training is the exception: it is not part of the notice period and does extend it.

When do I get my final salary?

On your last day of work, or within 3 working days of it.

Sources

This page states what MOM publishes and links every rule to the page it came from. It is information, not legal advice, and it cannot read your employment contract, which is what governs your notice period. For a dispute over notice, salary in lieu or a final payment, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management handles salary and termination claims.