As a working father, you can currently apply to share up to 4 weeks of your wife’s 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave, subject to your wife’s agreement.
Eligibility
If you are a working father, including one who is self-employed, you are entitled to shared parental leave if you meet the following requirements:
- Your child is a Singapore citizen.
- The child's mother qualifies for Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML).
- You are lawfully married to the child's mother.
Entitlement
If your citizen child is born, or has an estimated delivery date (EDD) on or after 1 July 2017, you are entitled to take up to 4 weeks of shared parental leave, capped at $2,500 per week, including CPF. The shared parental leave is allocated in blocks of full weeks, e.g. your wife can allocate 1 to 4 weeks of shared parental leave.
You can take your leave as follows:
| Arrangement |
Up to 4 weeks |
| Default, without any mutual agreement |
Take in a continuous stretch within 12 months after the birth of the child. |
| Flexibly, by mutual agreement |
Take in blocks of weeks or in working days, in any combination within 12 months after the birth of the child. |
| Calculating working days |
Number of weeks x the number of working days in the week.
Capped at 6 working days per week.
|
From 1 April 2025, the current shared parental leave scheme will cease and be replaced with a new scheme. The new scheme comprises 10 weeks of paid parental leave, shared between both parents. It will be implemented in two phases:
- From 1 April 2025: 6 weeks of shared parental leave
- From 1 April 2026: 10 weeks of shared parental leave
The 10 weeks of leave is provided on top of GPML and GPPL entitlements.
How to apply or claim
For instructions on leave application or reimbursement claims, visit the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal.
Find out more
To find out more about Government-Paid leave schemes, you can visit: