This note points out that the time complexity of the main multiple-surface sliding control (MSSC) algorithm in Huang and Chen [Huang, A. C. & Chen, Y.C. (2004). Adaptive multiple-surface sliding control for non-autonomous systems with mismatched uncertainties. Automatica, 40(11), 1939-1945] is O(2(n)). Here, we propose a simplified recursive design MSSC algorithm with time complexity O(n), and, using mathematical induction, we show that this algorithm agrees with this MSSC law. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.