How Much Does It Cost to Go to Court in Singapore? Court Fees and Legal Costs for Common Business Disputes

Short answer: Court fees in Singapore are small next to lawyers’ fees. Filing a claim costs S$100 in the Magistrate’s Court, S$150 in the District Court and S$500 or S$1,000 in the High Court. A long High Court trial adds hearing fees from the fourth day. A creditor’s winding up application needs a S$10,400 Official Receiver deposit plus S$75.

Before a business sues a customer, defends a claim or winds up a debtor, the first question is usually what it will cost. This guide sets out the court fees Singapore businesses pay at each stage of a dispute, taken only from the official fee schedules, then explains how lawyers’ fees are set and how much of your bill the losing side may pay. Choosing the right court is covered in our separate guide on how to sue a company in Singapore; this article stays on cost.

Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms who offer cost-effective and efficient legal service and advice. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.

What are court fees, and where does the law set them?

Court fees are payments made to the court itself when you file documents, take up hearing days or use court services. They are separate from your lawyer’s fees, and separate from the costs the court may order one party to pay the other.

Order 25, Rule 2(1) of the Rules of Court 2021 says court fees must be paid in the circumstances and manner set out in that Order and in the Fourth Schedule. The Fourth Schedule covers document fees (Part 1) and hearing fees (Part 2), among others. Insolvency cases have separate schedules under rules made under the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (IRDA). The Singapore Courts’ page to understand legal fees summarises the categories.

In the Supreme Court, many fees depend on whether the claim is worth up to S$1 million or more. Under Order 25, Rule 2(2), a liquidated claim (a fixed sum, such as an unpaid invoice) takes the value stated in the originating process; an unliquidated claim (damages the court must assess) takes the value estimated by the party filing; and a claim with neither is treated as worth up to S$1 million.

Filing through eLitigation adds a transmission fee of S$0.80 per page and a processing fee of S$4.00 per document, plus 16% of the court document fee for urgent processing.

What are the court fees in Singapore at each stage of a claim?

For a typical business claim, the main court fees are the filing fee, fees for any interim applications, the fee to set the case down for trial and, if the trial runs long, hearing fees. The forum depends on the claim value: the Singapore Courts direct claims lower than S$60,000 to the Magistrate’s Court, S$60,000 to S$250,000 to the District Court, and claims above S$250,000 to the General Division of the High Court (higher limits apply to some personal injury claims).

Affidavit fees are easy to overlook: a 300-page High Court affidavit, exhibits included, costs about S$600 to file.

At the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT), a company pays only a filing fee (S$50, S$100 or 3% of the amount claimed, depending on size) and no hearing fees; see our guide on whether your company can file at the Small Claims Tribunal.

How much are hearing fees for a trial, and can fees be refunded?

Hearing fees are charged per day of trial in open court. The first day is free in the State Courts and the first 3 days are free in the High Court, so most short trials pay little or nothing in hearing fees.

Source: Fourth Schedule, Part 2, Tables 1 and 3 of the Rules of Court 2021. Each fee covers the whole or part of a day and is paid by the claimant when setting the case down.

Two worked examples, court fees only, assuming no interim applications and before affidavit fees and eLitigation charges:

• An S$80,000 District Court claim with a 3-day trial: S$150 to file, S$200 to set down, and S$1,000 for hearing days 2 and 3, about S$1,350 in total.
• An S$500,000 High Court claim with a 5-day trial: S$500 to file, S$500 to set down, nothing for days 1 to 3, S$6,000 for day 4 and S$2,000 for day 5, about S$9,000 in total.

Court fees can also be refunded or waived in set situations. Hearing fees must be refunded in full if the court is notified in writing, not later than 14 days before the first hearing date, that the matter has settled, been discontinued or been transferred to another court (Order 25, Rule 3(4)).

• Other hearing fee refunds, such as for unused trial days, are discretionary and must be requested within 1 month of settlement or the last hearing date, whichever is later (Order 25, Rule 3(3)(a)).
• The Registrar may refund fees paid for an unused document if a request is made within 3 months after payment (Order 25, Rule 4).
• The court may waive or defer court fees, refund them, or order them to be paid or shared by any party (Order 25, Rule 3(1)).

An offer to settle can also shift costs risk to the other side; see our guide on offers to settle and costs risk.

How much does a winding up or bankruptcy application cost?

Insolvency routes are front-loaded. A winding up application against a company needs a S$10,400 deposit to the Official Receiver before filing and a S$75 court fee; a bankruptcy application against an individual needs a S$1,850 deposit to the Official Assignee and a S$60 court fee.

The S$10,400 deposit is repaid only after deducting the Official Receiver’s and liquidator’s fees and expenses where the company’s assets cannot cover them, and further deposits may be required (Rule 64(2) and (4)). The applicant’s own costs rank after the costs of the winding up, so they may not be recovered if funds run short.

A creditor’s compulsory winding up generally follows these steps, each with its own cost:

1. Leave a written demand at the company’s registered office for a debt exceeding S$15,000, and wait 3 weeks.
2. Pay the S$10,400 deposit to the Official Receiver and keep the payment acknowledgment.
3. File the originating application and supporting affidavit through eLitigation, paying the S$75 fee and attaching the acknowledgment.
4. Serve the application on the company at least 7 days before the hearing, and on the Official Receiver and any nominated liquidator.
5. Advertise the application in an English local daily newspaper and the Government Gazette at least 7 days before the hearing (advertising charges are payable to the publishers).
6. Attend the hearing, which the court usually fixes within 4 weeks of filing.

The Singapore Courts’ company winding up guide notes that a company involved in a compulsory winding up application must generally be represented by a lawyer. For the wider process, see our guide to court-ordered winding up.

How are legal fees in Singapore set for a court case?

Lawyers’ fees are agreed between you and your law firm, not fixed by the court. In most business disputes they are many times the court fees above, so they decide the real budget.

Court proceedings are conducted by a Singapore Advocate and Solicitor. In the Magistrate’s Court, District Court and High Court a company generally acts through lawyers unless the court permits an officer to represent it; our guide on corporate self-representation explains when that is possible. Firms quote by the hour, as a fixed or capped fee per stage, or a mix. The quote turns on the claim’s value and complexity, the volume of documents, the number of witnesses and interim applications, and the length of trial.

These mirror the factors the court weighs when fixing costs under Order 21, Rule 2(2), which include complexity, the solicitor’s skill and time, urgency, the parties’ conduct, proportionality and the stage at which the case ended. Ask for a written estimate by stage. If you need a referral, you can speak to a lawyer through our panel.

Does the losing party pay your legal costs in Singapore?

Usually, but only in part. Order 21, Rule 3(2) requires the court to order costs in favour of a successful party unless the circumstances call for a different order, but the amount is set by the court, not by your lawyer’s invoice.

• Costs are in the court’s discretion (Order 21, Rule 2(1)).
• Under Rule 4, a winner can lose costs or pay them if it raised issues it failed to establish, acted unreasonably, ignored its Order 5 duty to try amicable resolution, or breached a court order.
• Most costs are assessed on the standard basis: a reasonable amount for costs reasonably incurred, with doubts resolved in favour of the paying party (Order 21, Rule 22(2)). The indemnity basis, which resolves doubts in favour of the receiving party, is ordered only where appropriate.
• If you sue in the High Court for a claim within a State Court’s jurisdiction, you are not entitled to more costs than you would have received in the State Court unless the High Court orders otherwise (Order 21, Rule 22(5)).

Where a case ends without trial, for example by default or summary judgment, Appendix 1 to Order 21 fixes the costs allowed; our guide on suing a company sets out that scale. In the Supreme Court, paragraph 138 of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021 tells solicitors to have regard to the costs guidelines in Appendix G. Those guidelines are only a general guide, the court may depart from them, and they are not meant to guide what a lawyer charges its own client.

What does the company secretary prepare, and what does the solicitor do?

Your company secretary or corporate service provider (CSP) handles records, approvals and filings; the solicitor runs the case. Organised records cut the hours a law firm spends on document review.

Our free tools page has calculators for checking filing deadlines while a dispute runs.

How should a business budget for a court case?

Budget by stage, assume you will not recover everything, and keep cash aside for deposits and disbursements that fall due before judgment.

1. Confirm the forum from the claim value, and whether the SCT is open to you.
2. Price the official fees from the tables above: filing, notice and pleadings, interim applications, affidavits by page count, setting down and any hearing days past the free period.
3. Get your lawyer’s written estimate by stage, from pre-action letters to trial and enforcement.
4. For insolvency routes, set aside S$10,400 (winding up) or S$1,850 (bankruptcy) up front, plus possible further deposits.
5. Assume costs recovered on the standard basis will cover only part of your own legal bill.

What are the common mistakes that push up court costs?

Most overruns come from early choices, not the court fees.

• Filing in the High Court for a claim within State Court limits, then recovering only State Court level costs under Order 21, Rule 22(5).
• Running every possible argument, risking reduced or adverse costs under Order 21, Rule 4.
• Making repeated interim applications. After the single application pending trial, fees for later applications made with the court’s permission step up each time; in the High Court (claims up to S$1 million) they rise from S$500 to S$1,000, S$1,500 and S$2,000.
• Settling late. Telling the court less than 14 days before the first hearing date loses the automatic full refund of hearing fees.
• Suing or winding up a debtor without checking whether it has assets to meet a judgment and a costs order.

Frequently asked questions

Can I recover my court fees if I win?

A successful party usually claims court fees as disbursements within its costs. Whether they are recovered depends on the costs order the court makes and on whether the other side can pay.

Do I pay hearing fees for the first day of trial?

No. In the Magistrate’s Court and District Court, hearing fees start from the second day. In the General Division of the High Court, the first 3 hearing days carry no hearing fee.

Do we get hearing fees back if we settle?

Yes, in full, if the court is told in writing at least 14 days before the first hearing date (Order 25, Rule 3(4)).

Is the S$10,400 winding up deposit returned?

It is repaid after deducting the Official Receiver’s and liquidator’s fees and expenses where the company’s assets cannot cover them, and the Official Receiver may ask for further deposits.

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026. The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services.