Maternity and Paternity Leave in Singapore

Singapore’s paid-leave schemes for new parents were enhanced in 2025–2026. There are now three main building blocks: maternity leave for mothers, paternity leave for fathers, and a shared pool of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) on top. These are government-paid schemes administered by MSF, with employment rules set by MOM.

Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML)

An eligible working mother of a Singapore Citizen child gets 16 weeks of maternity leave. The government reimburses the employer for the mother’s income, capped at S$10,000 per 28 days (for the government-funded portion). Mothers who do not qualify for leave through their employment may instead receive the Government-Paid Maternity Benefit — up to 8 weeks for a 1st/2nd child, or 16 weeks for a 3rd and subsequent child.

Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL)

Eligible fathers get 4 weeks of paternity leave. This is now mandatory — the second and later weeks became a full entitlement rather than voluntary when paternity leave doubled from 2 to 4 weeks (from 1 April 2025). Government reimbursement is capped at S$2,500 per week.

Shared Parental Leave (SPL)

SPL is a shared pool of extra weeks that parents divide between them, on top of their individual maternity and paternity leave.

SPL is shared between parents, on top of individual leave.

Child’s date of birth	Shared Parental Leave
On or after 1 April 2026	Up to 10 weeks
1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026	6 weeks

Key points (MSF):

• SPL must be taken within 12 months of the birth (before the child turns one).
• Parents agree how to split the weeks; income reimbursement is capped at S$2,500 per week for the weeks allocated to each parent.
• If employer and employee cannot agree on timing, SPL is taken in one continuous block within 26 weeks of the birth, immediately after maternity/paternity leave, with 4 weeks’ notice.

The older arrangement, where a mother could share 4 weeks of her 16-week maternity leave with the father, ceased on 1 April 2025 and was replaced by the SPL scheme.

A worked example (illustrative)

A father could take his 4 weeks of paternity leave from the birth, then 2 weeks of Shared Parental Leave in a continuous block, while the mother takes her 16 weeks of maternity leave and the remaining SPL weeks. The exact split is up to the parents and their employers. This example is illustrative.

Self-employed and other work situations

Parents who do not qualify for the leave schemes because of their employment arrangements may still receive the equivalent benefit (Government-Paid Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit or Shared Parental Leave Benefit), claimed online through the Government-Paid Leave portal.

Related

• Baby Bonus scheme explained
• Pregnancy and delivery costs
• Childcare subsidy explained

General information, not legal or financial advice. Confirm your own eligibility and figures with MSF and MOM.