Finite element simulations of the small punch test are performed.Generic elastic-plastic material properties are used. A systematic variation of the yield stress, ultimate tensile stress and uniform elongation is performed to investigate the effects of these parameters of the uniaxial stress-strain curve on the characteristics of small punch force-deflection curves. Moreover, the effect of sample thickness is studied. It is shown that the currently used elastic-plastic transition force – obtained by bi-linear fitting – does not only depend on the yield strength but also on the work hardening behavior of the material. An alternative definition of the elastic-plastic transition force is proposed, which significantly less depends on the work hardening of the material. The approach is based on the deviation of the force-deflection curve from the analytical elastic slope derived by Reissner's plate theory. The new definition of the transition force leads to significantly reduced dependence of the correlation factor on the geometry of the small punch set-up.