Statute Details
- Title: Retirement and Re-employment (Fees) Regulations 2011
- Act Code: RRA1993-S561-2011
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary legislation (Regulations)
- Authorising Act: Retirement and Re-employment Act (Chapter 274A)
- Enacting Authority: Minister for Manpower (made under section 12 of the Retirement and Re-employment Act)
- Commencement: 1 January 2012
- Regulation Number: S 561/2011
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Key Provisions: Regulation 1 (Citation and commencement); Regulation 2 (Fees)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Retirement and Re-employment (Fees) Regulations 2011 (“Fees Regulations”) are subsidiary legislation made under the Retirement and Re-employment Act (Chapter 274A). In plain terms, these Regulations set out the specific monetary fees that apply in certain processes under the Act—particularly where an employee makes a claim to the Commissioner and where certified materials are supplied.
The Retirement and Re-employment framework in Singapore is designed to regulate how employees are treated when they reach retirement age and how they may be re-employed. Within that framework, the Act provides mechanisms for claims and for the Commissioner’s handling of evidence and decisions. The Fees Regulations do not create the substantive rights or duties themselves; instead, they operationalise parts of the Act by prescribing the amounts payable for defined procedural steps.
Practically, the Fees Regulations are a “costing” instrument: they translate procedural entitlements and administrative steps in the main Act into concrete fees. For lawyers advising employees, employers, or representatives, understanding these fees is important because they can affect the timing, cost, and administrative handling of claims and requests for certified documents.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Regulation 1: Citation and commencement provides the formal name of the instrument and when it takes effect. It states that the Regulations may be cited as the Retirement and Re-employment (Fees) Regulations 2011 and that they come into operation on 1 January 2012. This matters for practitioners when determining whether a fee regime applies to a particular claim or request, especially where events span dates around commencement.
Regulation 2: Fees is the core provision. It sets two categories of fees linked to specific sections of the Retirement and Re-employment Act. The Regulations are drafted to align with the Act’s procedural provisions, including references to section 8D(1)(b) and section 8D(1)(j) of the Act. Although the extract provided does not reproduce the full text of section 8D, the Fees Regulations clearly identify what the fees are for and who pays them.
First fee: registration fee for an employee’s claim. Regulation 2(1) provides that the registration fee payable by an employee under section 8D(1)(b) of the Act for making a claim with the Commissioner is $3. In plain language, when an employee initiates the claim process under the Act and that process requires “registration” with the Commissioner, the employee must pay a fixed registration fee of three dollars.
Second fee: fee for certified copies of notes of evidence and decisions. Regulation 2(2) provides that the fee payable to the Commissioner under section 8D(1)(j) of the Act for supplying a certified copy of notes of evidence and any decision recorded is $5 per page. This is a per-page charge for certified materials. For practitioners, this provision is significant because it affects the cost of obtaining documentary records—particularly where a party needs certified notes of evidence or a certified decision for review, internal governance, or further proceedings.
Although the Fees Regulations are short, their effect is meaningful. They establish fixed amounts rather than discretionary fees. That means the Commissioner’s office should apply the stated amounts consistently, and parties should be able to forecast costs with certainty. In disputes, certainty about fees can also reduce friction and administrative delays.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Fees Regulations are structured in a minimal, two-regulation format.
Regulation 1 deals with citation and commencement. It is purely administrative and does not impose substantive obligations beyond identifying the instrument and its effective date.
Regulation 2 is the substantive provision. It contains two subsections:
- Regulation 2(1) sets the $3 registration fee payable by an employee for making a claim with the Commissioner under the relevant section of the Act.
- Regulation 2(2) sets the $5 per page fee payable to the Commissioner for supplying certified copies of notes of evidence and any decision recorded.
There are no additional parts, schedules, or complex fee categories in the extract. This reflects the narrow purpose of the instrument: to specify fee amounts for defined procedural steps under the Retirement and Re-employment Act.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Fees Regulations apply to parties interacting with the Commissioner under the Retirement and Re-employment Act in the specific contexts referenced in section 8D(1). The most direct group is employees, because Regulation 2(1) expressly states that the registration fee is payable by an employee for making a claim with the Commissioner.
They also apply to any person who requests certified copies of notes of evidence and decisions, because Regulation 2(2) refers to a fee payable to the Commissioner for supplying certified copies. In practice, such requests are typically made by parties to proceedings or their representatives, but the Regulations themselves focus on the act of requesting certified materials rather than limiting the requestor to employees only.
For employers, the Fees Regulations are usually relevant indirectly. Employers may be involved in the underlying claim process under the Act, but the fee amounts in the Regulations are tied to the employee’s registration fee and the request for certified copies. Nonetheless, employers should still be aware of the fee regime because it can influence how quickly records are obtained and how evidence is documented in the administrative process.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though the Retirement and Re-employment (Fees) Regulations 2011 are brief, they play an important role in ensuring that the administrative claims process under the Retirement and Re-employment Act functions smoothly. By prescribing fixed fees, the Regulations reduce uncertainty and help ensure that the Commissioner’s office can administer claims and document requests consistently.
From a practitioner’s perspective, the Regulations matter for at least three reasons. First, they affect cost planning. A $3 registration fee is modest, but it is still a procedural requirement that should not be overlooked when advising an employee on how to initiate a claim. Second, the $5 per-page certified copy fee can be material depending on the length of notes of evidence and the number of pages in any decision recorded. Where certified records are needed for subsequent steps, counsel should budget for the per-page cost and consider whether uncertified copies or other forms of access are available under the broader administrative framework (subject to the Act and any related procedures).
Third, the Regulations support procedural fairness and administrative efficiency. Fixed fees help prevent disputes about whether a fee is correctly assessed. In any challenge to administrative actions, accurate identification of the applicable fee under the Regulations can be relevant to showing whether the Commissioner complied with the statutory scheme.
Finally, because the Fees Regulations are “current version as at 27 Mar 2026,” practitioners should treat the amounts stated—$3 and $5 per page—as the operative figures for claims and certified document requests falling within the referenced provisions of the Act, unless later amendments change them.
Related Legislation
- Retirement and Re-employment Act (Chapter 274A) — in particular, section 8D(1)(b) and section 8D(1)(j), which the Fees Regulations reference for the fee triggers.
- Timeline / Legislation amendments record — to confirm the current version and any amendments affecting fee provisions.
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Retirement and Re-employment (Fees) Regulations 2011 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.