If you're an employer in Singapore, you'll want to be sure that you're up-to-date on the latest maternity, paternity and childcare leave regulations. In this guide, we've provided answers to frequently asked questions regarding parental leave in Singapore. Read on to find out more!
To qualify for maternity leave, the employee must work for the employer for at least 3 continuous months before the birth of the child.
Yes, contract employees are entitled to statutory leave benefits (e.g. annual leave, sick leave, maternity, and child-care leave benefits) if they meet a minimum service period of 3 months without a break in service.
Do note that if the contract is renewed within a month, it will be considered as one continuous contract. This is to prevent employers from breaking up the contracts to avoid providing the above benefits for the contract employee.
Employers can prorate the above statutory leave benefits based on the length of the contract.
Yes, an employee is eligible for maternity leave if she meets the eligibility criteria and has served the employer for at least 3 months before the birth of the child.
Is the child a Singapore citizen | No of weeks of maternity leave | Paid by employer1 | Reimbursed by Government | Unpaid leave |
Yes | 16 weeks | First 8 weeks | Last 8 weeks2 | - |
No | 12 weeks | First 8 weeks | - | Last 4 weeks3 |
Notes:
Yes the employee has the option to take her maternity leave either in one block or spread out over 12 months.
If the maternity leave is to be taken in parts based on mutual agreement with the employer,
Maternity leave can start anytime within 4 weeks before the expected delivery date.
Example: If the expected date of delivery is 1 October, the employee can start her maternity leave between 3 September and 1 October
The employee can submit the declaration form (GPML1) to the employer with all necessary supporting documents and apply for Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) according to the employer’s leave application procedures.
From 1 January 2017, eligible working fathers, including those who are self-employed, are entitled to 2 weeks of paid paternity leave funded by the Government.
The employee can also apply to share up to 4 weeks of the wife’s 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML), subject to the wife’s agreement.
The employee can submit the declaration form (GPPL1) to the employer with all necessary supporting documents and apply for GPPL according to the employer’s leave application procedures.
If the employee has worked for the employer for at least 3 continuous months, the working parent is entitled to the number of childcare leave days below depending on whether the child is a Singapore citizen and is below 7 years old.
Is the child a Singapore citizen and below 7 years old | No of childcare leave days | Eligible for Government-Paid Childcare Leave (GPCL)1 |
Yes | 6 | Yes |
No | 2 | No |
Notes:
Yes, childcare leave is pro-rated according to the employee’s length of employment service during the 12-month period.
Length of employment service during 12-month relevant period | No of childcare leave days |
Less than 5 months | 2 |
Less than 7 months | 3 |
Less than 9 months | 4 |
Less than 11 months | 5 |
11 months or more | 6 |
Employees cannot carry forward their childcare leave to the next year. He or she has to utilise his or her annual childcare leave entitlement by the end of each year.
The employee has to submit the declaration form (GPCL1) to the employer with all necessary supporting documents and apply for GPCL according to the employer’s leave application procedures.
Small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) often find leave management to be a pain point. Here are 2 key reasons:
If leave isn't managed properly, it can have a negative impact on productivity and morale. Therefore a good leave management software is an essential tool for any business that wants to keep on top of its leave entitlements and ensure that its employees are getting the rest they deserve. Here are some benefits of using our leave management module:
Our leave management software is designed to streamline the leave process, making it easy for employees to apply for leave and check leave balances, as well as for employers to approve and manage leave requests.
Employees can also easily submit supporting documents or medical certificates via the mobile app so that all the documents are stored in a central database. No more missing documents!
Shift scheduling and payroll calculation can be time-consuming and stressful while managing different leave requests. With Payboy HR software, it automatically updates the employee’s availability in Shift Scheduling and also calculates encashed or unpaid leave in Payroll module when leaves are approved. We've got it covered.
We'll start you off with a setup that's compliant to MOM requirements, but we'll be happy to help you update it to a leave policy that works best for your business needs. Check out how to customise settings for each leave type with Payboy, including maternity, paternal and childcare leave.
Our Payboy Support Centre also helps to address most of the FAQs regarding other statutory leave entitlements asked by our customers:
Keen to have a free demo? Reach out to us below!