Maternity leave
A working mother is entitled to 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave when the child is a Singapore Citizen and she has served the employer for a continuous period of at least 3 months before the birth. She must give at least 4 weeks’ notice.
- First and second child: the employer pays the first 8 weeks, and the Government reimburses the last 8 weeks, capped at S$10,000 per 4 weeks.
- Third and subsequent child: the Government reimburses all 16 weeks, capped at S$40,000.
- Where the conditions for the Government-paid scheme are not met, for example the child is not a Singapore Citizen, an employee covered by the Employment Act is entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave.
Paternity leave
For a child born on or after 1 April 2025, a working father is entitled to 4 weeks of Government-Paid Paternity Leave, and all 4 weeks are mandatory for the employer to grant. For a child born before that date the entitlement was 2 weeks, with 2 further weeks at the employer’s discretion.
- Conditions: the child is a Singapore Citizen, the father is lawfully married to the child’s mother, and he has served the employer continuously for at least 3 months before the birth.
- Default: one continuous block within 16 weeks after the birth. By mutual agreement it can be split and taken within 12 months.
- Reimbursement to the employer is capped at S$2,500 a week.
- It is an offence to dismiss an employee while he is on Government-Paid Paternity Leave.
Shared parental leave
Shared parental leave is a pool of paid leave that the two parents divide between them, on top of maternity and paternity leave, to be taken within 12 months of the child’s birth.
| Child’s date of birth | Shared parental leave |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | 6 weeks, shared between the parents |
| On or after 1 April 2026 | 10 weeks, shared between the parents |
Childcare leave, infant care leave and adoption leave
| Leave | Entitlement | Applies when |
|---|---|---|
| Government-Paid Childcare Leave | 6 days a year for each parent | Child is a Singapore Citizen below 7. Employer pays the first 3 days; the Government reimburses the last 3, capped at S$500 a day. |
| Childcare leave under the Employment Act | 2 days a year | Child is below 7 and not a Singapore Citizen. |
| Extended childcare leave | 2 days a year | Child is a Singapore Citizen aged 7 to 12. |
| Unpaid infant care leave | 12 days a year | Child is a Singapore Citizen below 2. |
| Adoption leave | 12 weeks | Adoptive mother; child below 12 months at the formal intent to adopt. |
What this means for payroll
- Pay continues during Government-paid leave; the employer claims reimbursement from the Government afterwards, up to the caps above.
- The scheme that applies depends on the child’s date of birth and citizenship, so both have to be on the employee’s record.
- Leave taken flexibly across 12 months has to be tracked against the remaining entitlement for that child.
In MUST
How MUST HRMS handles parental leave
Leave types and approval chains are configured with you at rollout. Staff apply on the mobile app, managers approve in one queue with an audit trail, and approved leave flows into payroll without re-entry, so pay during leave is computed from the record.
Official sources
- MOM: Maternity leave eligibility and entitlement
- MOM: Paternity leave
- MOM: Shared parental leave
- MOM: Childcare leave eligibility and entitlement
- MOM: Unpaid infant care leave
- MOM: Adoption leave
This guide is general information for employers, summarised from the sources above as they stood on 1 October 2026. Rules and rates change; the official source prevails, and this is not legal or tax advice for a specific case.