Skip to main content
About Us
2025-04-01-00:05:01

Shared parental leave

As working parents, you can enjoy shared parental leave (SPL), to be shared between parents and taken within 12 months from your child's date of birth, including the date of birth.

From 1 April 2025, eligible working parents are entitled to 6 weeks of SPL.

For more information on SPL administered by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), visit the Government-Paid Leave portal.

Eligibility

As working parents, you are entitled to SPL if you meet the following requirements:

  • Your child is a Singapore citizen.
  • For employees: you have served your employer for a continuous period of at least 3 months before the birth of your child.
  • For self-employed: you have been engaged in your work for a continuous period of at least 3 months before the birth of your child and have lost income during your SPL period.

All mothers are eligible for SPL. Fathers will be eligible for SPL if you are or had been lawfully married to the child’s mother between conception and birth, or within 12 months from your child's date of birth, inclusive of date of birth.

Adoptive parents who meet the following requirements are also entitled to SPL:

  • The date of your formal intent to adopt is on or after 1 April 2025.
  • Your child is below 12 months old on the date of your formal intent to adopt.
  • The adopted child is a Singapore citizen.
    • Note: If your child is not a Singapore citizen, one of the adoptive parents must be a Singapore citizen.
  • For employees: you have served your employer for a continuous period of at least 3 months before the date of your formal intent to adopt.
  • For self-employed: you have been engaged in your work for a continuous period of at least 3 months before the date of your formal intent to adopt, and have lost income during your SPL period.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria for SPL, you may still qualify for benefits under the Shared Parental Leave Benefit scheme.

Entitlement

If your child's date of birth, estimated delivery date, or date of formal intent to adopt is between 1 July 2017 and 31 March 2025, both dates inclusive, you may be eligible for the 2013 - Shared Parental Leave scheme. Visit the Government-Paid Leave portal to check your eligibility.

If your child's date of birth, estimated delivery date or date of formal intent to adopt is between 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, both dates inclusive, you are entitled to 6 weeks of SPL to be shared between parents.

If your child's date of birth, estimated delivery date or date of formal intent to adopt is on or after 1 April 2026, you are entitled to 10 weeks of SPL to be shared between parents.

Your employer will pay you during the leave period. They can then claim reimbursement for the weeks allocated to you in your sharing arrangement, which is the number of weeks of SPL allocated to each parent, capped at $2,500 per week.

Planning your leave

From 1 April 2025, you are required to provide your employer with 4 weeks' notice before going on leave, unless your employer is agreeable to a shorter notice period.

SPL can be taken continuously by default or non-continuously, if your employer is agreeable. If agreement between employer and employee cannot be reached, SPL should be taken in one continuous block within 26 weeks from your child’s date of birth, inclusive of date of birth.

Find out how you can plan your SPL at the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) portal.