Troubleshooting
This page lists problems that ApplySG users meet when they publish, sign in, invite applicants, set up automations and change a scheme. Each problem gives the symptom, the cause and the fix. For problems that this page does not cover, refer to the support path at the end.
A form version will not publish
Symptom: You cannot publish a form version.
Cause: A publishing requirement is missing.
| Check | Fix |
|---|---|
| No start date or end date | Set both in the scheme settings. Refer to Scheme settings. |
| Nobody has both Manage Permissions and Publish | Assign both to at least one user. Refer to Assign scheme permissions. |
| No initial state, or more than one | Set exactly one initial state. Refer to Add and edit states. |
| No submission edge | Mark at least one edge as a submission edge. Refer to Add and edit edges. |
| No role can create submissions | Give the Create permission to at least one role. Refer to Set State Builder settings. |
After you fix the cause, publish again. The full list is in the Pre-publish checklist.
A role or state cannot see or edit a field
Symptom: A new role or state has no access to the form’s fields.
Cause: New roles and new states start with component permissions set to None. Applying a permission template sets them to None too.
Fix: Set the component permissions for each role and state, or use Bulk assign. Refer to Set component permissions.
A role cannot act on a form
Symptom: A scheme role exists, but officers cannot work on a form.
Cause: The role is not linked to the form, or it has no users.
Fix: Add the role as a form role, and add officers to the role. Refer to Add form roles and Manage scheme roles.
Automations do not run after a new version
Symptom: Emails, webhooks or transits stop after you publish a new version.
Cause: A new form version sets all automations to Inactive.
Fix: Set the automations to Active before you publish. To change many at once, refer to Activate or deactivate automations in bulk.
Unpublish is blocked in production
Symptom: The system rejects an unpublish with the message “A form cannot be unpublished once a submission has been created”.
Cause: In production, you cannot unpublish a form version that has submissions. This protects live applicant data.
Fix: Create and publish a new version. Refer to Create and delete form versions.
A calculated or conditional field shows no result
Symptom: A calculated field or a conditional field shows no value, or the page times out.
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| A referenced field is empty | Fill in the referenced field. The calculation needs every referenced value. |
| The field refers to itself | Remove the circular reference. It breaks the calculation and causes a timeout. |
Refer to Calculated field component and Conditional field component.
A document template is missing in production
Symptom: A Document generator component produces no document in production.
Cause: Templates do not port from staging to production.
Fix: Upload the template again in production. Refer to Document generator component.
An email OTP does not arrive
Symptom: You do not receive the one-time password.
Fix: Check the spam or junk folder. Select Resend OTP. A backoffice user needs an email address on a whitelisted domain. Refer to Log in with email OTP.
A user lost their roles after being offboarded
Symptom: A backoffice user signs in but has no roles or permissions.
Cause: ApplySG offboards backoffice users who have not signed in for 90 consecutive days, and it removes their roles and scheme permissions. Signing in again restores the user’s status but not their roles.
Fix: Ask the scheme owner or an administrator to add the user back to the roles and permissions.
An applicant cannot accept a closed invite
Symptom: An invited applicant cannot accept the invite or start a submission.
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| The applicant lacks the required role | Give the applicant the matching role. Refer to Applicant roles. |
| The role cannot create submissions | Give the role the Create permission. |
| The sign-in identity does not match the invite | The UEN, UIN/FIN or WoG email at sign-in must match the invited one. |
| The invite expired or was revoked | Send a new invite. Invites are valid for 90 days. |
Staging: the email is not on a .gov.sg domain |
Use a .gov.sg address, or ask the team to whitelist the address. |
Refer to Invite applicants to a closed scheme.
A stub corporate user cannot get their roles approved
Symptom: In staging, a Corppass stub user’s role request is never approved.
Cause: The user admin account does not use the same UEN as the user account.
Fix: Create the admin account again with the same UEN. Refer to Create a stub applicant account.
Contact and support path
If the problem persists after you follow the fix, contact the ApplySG team.
- Production issues: email support@apply.gov.sg.
- Product or technical questions: use the community channels. Refer to Contact ApplySG.
- Include: the scheme name, the form version ID, the reference ID of the submission, and screenshots of what you see.
