We’ll go through the general regulations in Singapore that govern spousal and child maintenance. During both the marital (i.e. interim maintenance petitions) and after the divorce, Singaporean family law lays a heavy emphasis on spousal and child support. The goal of such upkeep is to guarantee that the household and its individuals have a “decent” level of life at all times.
Furthermore, in the context of child support, the law aims at protecting the welfare and interests of children, and this concept takes precedence above any agreements reached by marriages or ex-spouses. In other terms, if the support is insufficient, then Court has the authority to compel further maintenance. What constitutes “enough” is established by what is acceptable under all circumstances, taking into account the child’s, spouses’, and family’s way of life. If maintenance is not paid, the enforcement methods are also fairly severe, child support singapore and the defaulting spouse can even be arrested if the support is not paid.
In Singapore, there is no such thing as spousal maintenance.
The Women’s Charter includes a provision for spousal support. In most cases, the woman is entitled to maintenance during the marriage and/or after the divorce. The Singaporean Parliament just recently passed various revisions to the law, allowing spouses to make maintenance claims in certain instances. This includes situations where a husband is unable to maintain himself because he is incompetent, disabled, or otherwise incapable.
Children’s Support
Singapore prioritizes children’s support rights, requiring parents to pay support even for babies living outside of marriage, and also adoptive children and even responsible adult children in certain instances. Children in Singapore are entitled to support until they reach the age of 21, regardless of whether they reside with their parents or not. Even when adopted children leave their adoptive parents’ homes, they have the same support rights as biological children. The same is true for children born within and outside of marriage, as long as biological paternity can be confirmed. Other Things to Think About When It Comes to Children’s Upkeep
Singapore’s family law has particular laws addressing child support, which typically prohibit divorcing parents from reducing or otherwise minimizing the number paid for their children’s upkeep as a consequence of any divorce settlement unless the ex-spouses agree. Any arrangement between the ex-spouses which infringes on the children’s entitlement to maintenance or child support singapore reduces the amount below the legal minimums that may be reserved.
