Maternity and Paternity Leave in Singapore: A Parent's Guide

If you are expecting in Singapore, one of the first things worth sorting out is how much paid leave you and your partner can take, and how to spread it across baby's first year. The system has been expanded recently, so depending on when your baby is born you could have far more time at home together than couples did even a year ago. This guide is for working parents of a Singapore citizen child who want a plain-English rundown of every leave type, who qualifies, how long it lasts, and how to plan the calendar as a team. Because the rules were enhanced in April 2025 and again in April 2026, treat the figures here as a current snapshot and confirm your own numbers on the official Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Made For Families portals before committing to anything with your employer.

The big picture: up to 30 weeks between two parents

Here is the headline first, so the rest makes sense. For an eligible couple with a Singapore citizen child born on or after 1 April 2026, the paid leave can stack up to 30 weeks across the household: 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave for the mother, 4 weeks of Government-Paid Paternity Leave for the father, and 10 weeks of Shared Parental Leave to divide between them. For babies born between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, the Shared Parental Leave portion is 6 weeks rather than 10, so the combined total is lower. A few principles run through all of these schemes:

• Most require the child to be a Singapore citizen (or to become one within a set window).
• Most require at least three months' continuous employment or self-employment before the birth.
• Government-paid portions are funded by the Government and reimbursed to your employer, usually up to a weekly cap, so your salary continues during the paid weeks (subject to that cap).
• Entitlements are generally counted per parent, not per child.

Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML)

Government-Paid Maternity Leave is the foundation for new mothers. An eligible working mother of a Singapore citizen child can receive 16 weeks of paid maternity leave: time to recover, find your feet with feeding, and settle into round-the-clock newborn care. To qualify for the full government-paid entitlement, the main conditions are usually that your child is a Singapore citizen, that you have served your employer (or been self-employed) for a continuous period of at least three months before the birth, and that you give the required notice.

Mothers who do not meet every condition, for example if the child is not a Singapore citizen, may still be entitled to a shorter period of maternity leave under the Employment Act (commonly 12 weeks rather than 16). On timing, the default is one continuous block starting around the birth, but by agreement with your employer part of it can be taken flexibly within 12 months of the birth, which some mothers use to ease back into work part-way through. The official portal sets out how much can be deferred and the notice involved.

Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL)

Paternity leave has grown meaningfully. It used to be 2 weeks (with a further 2 weeks only if your employer voluntarily agreed). Now, for eligible fathers of Singapore citizen children born on or after 1 April 2025, the entitlement is a mandatory 4 weeks of Government-Paid Paternity Leave. For children born before that date, the older 2-week baseline applies, so the cutover date matters.

To qualify, a father generally needs to be lawfully married to the child's mother (between conception and birth, or within 12 months of the birth), have a Singapore citizen child, and meet the three-month continuous employment or self-employment requirement. The leave can be taken as one continuous block after the birth, or split into separate days within 12 months if you and your employer agree, which is handy for saving some days for when your partner's maternity leave ends.

Shared Parental Leave (SPL): the newest and most flexible piece

Shared Parental Leave has changed the maths the most. It is an additional block of leave that sits on top of maternity and paternity leave, designed to be divided between the two parents however suits your family. It is being phased in by birth date:

• Children born 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026: 6 weeks of SPL in total for the couple.
• Children born on or after 1 April 2026: 10 weeks of SPL in total for the couple.

By default the leave is split equally, so for the 6-week phase that is 3 weeks each, and for the 10-week phase that is 5 weeks each. You are not locked into the even split, though: parents can reallocate the weeks between themselves so one takes more than the other. Early on (broadly the first few weeks after birth) you can adjust the sharing arrangement through the LifeSG app; later changes generally need your employer's agreement. Helpfully, if you both qualify for maternity, paternity, or adoption leave, you automatically qualify for SPL.

SPL must be used within the first 12 months of the child's birth. Without any special arrangement, the default is a continuous block (after your maternity, paternity or adoption leave) within the first 26 weeks, with about four weeks' notice; with mutual agreement it can be broken up more flexibly. The Government reimburses employers for the SPL weeks up to a cap (currently 2,500 dollars per week), the same pattern used across these schemes.

How couples actually use SPL

Because SPL is reallocatable, it is the lever most couples pull when planning. A common pattern is for the mother to take her 16 weeks of GPML first, the father to take GPPL around the birth, then the father uses SPL weeks at the back end so one parent is home for longer before external care begins. Look at the whole runway from birth to your childcare start date and fill the gaps deliberately.

Childcare Leave and Extended Childcare Leave

Once the newborn window closes, you move into the leave that carries you through toddlerhood and the school years, for the inevitable fevers and clinic visits. There are two tiers:

• Government-Paid Childcare Leave: each parent of a Singapore citizen child gets 6 days per year until the child turns 7. (Parents of non-citizen children typically get 2 days a year under the Employment Act instead.)
• Extended Childcare Leave: once your child is aged 7 to 12, each eligible parent gets 2 days per year.

These days are counted per parent per year, not per child, and the three-month continuous service requirement applies. So a two-parent household with one young Singapore citizen child has a combined 12 days of paid childcare leave a year to draw on, which goes faster than you would think once preschool bugs start circulating.

Unpaid Infant Care Leave

For the first couple of years there is also Unpaid Infant Care Leave. It is not paid, but it gives each eligible working parent up to 12 days per year to care for a child below 2 years old, on top of the paid childcare leave above. Keep it in reserve for when paid leave is exhausted but you still need to be home, such as settling a baby into infant care. The child must be a Singapore citizen, the three-month service rule applies, and the 12 months you use the days within is usually the calendar year unless you and your employer agree otherwise.

Adoption Leave

Adoptive parents are covered too. Government-Paid Adoption Leave supports eligible adoptive mothers (with shared arrangements possible in some cases), and adoptive parents can also qualify for Shared Parental Leave. Eligibility generally looks at the child's age at adoption (typically under 12 months), citizenship status, a formal intent to adopt, and the usual employment requirement. Because adoption timelines vary, check the conditions with MOM early in the process.

Employees versus the self-employed, and who actually pays

How you receive the money depends on how you work. If you are an employee, you take leave through your employer, who keeps paying your salary during the government-paid weeks and then claims reimbursement from the Government, up to the per-week cap; the cost of the funded weeks is not meant to fall on your employer. If you are self-employed, you claim the government-paid amount yourself based on your loss of income, provided you meet the eligibility and have been engaged in your trade for a continuous period before the birth.

Claims for both routes go through the Government-Paid Leave Schemes (GPL) portal, which lists the documents and deadlines. The reimbursement is capped (currently 2,500 dollars per week for several schemes), so if your salary is above the cap the funded weeks are reimbursed only up to that ceiling; any difference is between you and your employer.

Planning your leave around the cost of a baby

Knowing your entitlements lets you plan both time and money. If one or both of you take extended time off, sketch out how that affects household income against the costs of a newborn. Our companion guide on budgeting for a baby in Singapore walks through the first-year expenses, and you can browse our other guides for new parents for the wider journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did paternity leave really double to 4 weeks?

Yes. For eligible fathers of Singapore citizen children born on or after 1 April 2025, Government-Paid Paternity Leave is now a mandatory 4 weeks. Before that date the baseline was 2 weeks (with a possible extra 2 weeks only if the employer agreed). Your child's birth date is what determines which version applies.

Can we split the Shared Parental Leave unevenly?

Yes. SPL defaults to an equal split (3 weeks each in the 6-week phase, 5 weeks each in the 10-week phase), but you can reallocate the weeks between yourselves. Early adjustments go through the LifeSG app; later changes generally need employer agreement. This flexibility is why couples use SPL to extend how long one parent stays home.

Do I have to take all my leave in one continuous block?

Not necessarily. The default for most schemes is a continuous block soon after the birth, but maternity, paternity and shared parental leave can each be taken more flexibly, in separate stretches within 12 months of the birth, if you and your employer agree. These arrangements usually need advance notice, so raise it with HR early.

What if my child is not a Singapore citizen?

Many of the government-paid schemes require a Singapore citizen child. If your child is not a citizen, you may instead fall under the Employment Act provisions, for example 12 weeks of maternity leave or 2 days of childcare leave a year, rather than the enhanced amounts. Check the eligibility checker on MOM for your exact entitlement.

I am self-employed. Can I still claim?

Generally yes, if you meet the criteria, including having been actively engaged in your trade for a continuous period before the birth and losing income during the leave. Self-employed parents claim the government-paid amount directly through the Government-Paid Leave Schemes portal rather than through an employer.

Where do I actually apply or claim?

Employees take leave through their employer, who submits the reimbursement claim through the Government-Paid Leave Schemes portal; self-employed parents claim through the same portal. SPL sharing arrangements and certain early changes are handled in the LifeSG app. The MOM and Made For Families sites link to all of these tools and the eligibility checkers.

The bottom line

Singapore's parental leave has become genuinely generous, and the recent additions mean eligible couples can plan around a longer runway at home. The points to anchor on: up to 16 weeks of maternity leave, 4 weeks of paternity leave for babies born on or after 1 April 2025, and 6 to 10 weeks of Shared Parental Leave depending on the birth date, plus childcare, infant care and adoption leave for later stages. The specific weeks, days, ages and caps are exactly the parts that get updated, so before you finalise your calendar, confirm the current rules on MOM and Made For Families and give your employer plenty of notice for a smooth handover.