WICA light duty and claim clocks for EP holders

EP work-injury companion — notify vs file under WICA 2019, light-duty wage shortfall maths, 14-day vs 1-year medical-leave wage bands, S$53k medical cap from 1 Nov 2025, and the 1-year WICA vs common-law fork.

NextLiving3 min readLast reviewed 15 September 2026

r/askSingapore injury threads stall on three clocks: did I file?, does light duty pay full salary?, and WICA or sue?. Coverage myths (“EP = no WICA”) live on WICA for EP holders. This companion is the light-duty + deadline layer for accidents from 1 Sep 2020 onward.

Notify ≠ “file a claim form”

For accidents from 1 September 2020, MOM’s published rule is that the WICA claim is deemed made once your employer has notice of the accident. You generally do not open a separate “claim with MOM” first.

Step	Who
Report the accident to employer / HR / safety ASAP (written)	You
Employer reports to MOM when you get hospitalisation, MC, or light duty	Employer (incident report clock is their problem — usually 10 days from notice)
Claim processing starts when MOM / designated insurer is notified	System
Opt out of WICA if you want common law instead	You — withdrawal form via insurer / MOM

If HR never notifies, chase the designated insurer and MOM in writing — silence is not a legal waiver of your notice to the employer.

Light duty is compensable — with maths

Light duty means a Singapore doctor says you can work with activity limits. Under WICA (accidents on/after 1 Sep 2020), medical-leave wages cover the shortfall between what you actually earn on light duty and the published AME band:

Period from accident	MC pay orientation	Light-duty shortfall orientation
First 14 days (outpatient / light duty band)	Full AME	Actual wages + shortfall so you reach full AME (whichever reading is higher for you)
Day 15 → 1 year	2/3 AME	Actual wages + shortfall toward 2/3 AME

Hospitalisation leave uses the hospitalisation wage table on MOM’s types-of-compensation page — verify live. CPF still applies to actual wages paid while on light duty.

Hard edge: if you are issued light duty and stay away without leave, you can lose WICA medical-leave wage entitlement for that absence.

Hard clocks peers miss

Clock	Published orientation
Medical-leave wages / medical expenses	Up to 1 year from accident date (medical expenses also hit the S$53,000 cap for accidents from 1 Nov 2025, whichever comes first)
Permanent incapacity application memo	Complete/submit within 1 year of accident if you want PI under WICA
Choose WICA vs common law	Up to 1 year from accident to decide the path — not both
Withdraw WICA before NOA/NOC	Generally anytime before notice of assessment / computation
Withdraw after NOA/NOC	Tight windows (MOM publishes 14 / 28 days depending on dispute) — read the letter

Decision rule

Same-day written notice to HR + Singapore medical notes beats forum “wait and see.” Treat light duty as a paid shortfall claim, diary the 1-year medical / PI / civil-fork clocks, and do not resign mid-stabilisation without reading between jobs / STVP. Coverage and day-of playbook stay on WICA for EP.

Sources & citations

Admin and policy details change. Prefer the official page when making decisions; we cite primary sources for Singapore government and statutory guidance.

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