Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave & Shared Parental Leave in Singapore (2025)

If you're a working mum in Singapore, you're entitled to 16 weeks of government-paid maternity leave. That's for your first two confinements — and for your third child and beyond, all 16 weeks are fully paid by the government. Here's the simple breakdown: • First 8 weeks: paid by your employer (the government reimburses them) • Remaining 8 weeks: paid directly by the government You qualify if you've been working for at least 90 days before your confinement and have told your employer about your pregnancy. You can start your leave up to 4 weeks before your due date, so you have time to rest and prepare.

Good news for fathers — you're entitled to 4 weeks of government-paid paternity leave. And from 1 April 2025, this goes up to 6 weeks for Singaporean children. You can take it flexibly within 16 weeks of your child's birth — so you can spread it out, take it all at once, or work around your wife's needs. The key requirement is that you've been employed for at least 90 days before the birth. The leave is fully paid by the government, so your employer doesn't have to foot the bill.

Here's something many parents don't know: mums can share up to 4 weeks of their maternity leave with their spouse. This means dads can take a total of up to 8 weeks off (4 weeks of their own paternity leave + up to 4 weeks shared). Both of you just need to submit the right form to your respective employers. It's a great option if mum is recovering well and wants dad to have more time with the baby.

Once your little one arrives, both of you get 6 days of childcare leave per year — as long as you've been with your employer for at least 3 months. This is for your youngest Singaporean child under 7. It's fully paid by your employer. For children aged 7 to 12, you each get 2 days of extended childcare leave per year. Not as much, but every bit helps during school holidays.

While all this leave is paid, the caps mean higher-income earners won't get full salary replacement. So it's worth planning ahead. Use the Finance Hub to figure out your total household income during leave, see how Baby Bonus fits into the picture, and estimate your hospital delivery costs at KKH, NUH, or private hospitals. A little planning now goes a long way.