Skip to main content

Leave for part-time employees

A part-time employee is entitled to paid annual and sick leave. Eligible parents can also qualify for maternity leave, paternity leave and childcare leave.

Entitlement

If you are covered by the Employment Act, you are entitled to paid annual leave, sick leave, and hospitalisation leave as a part-time employee. Eligible parents are also entitled to maternity and childcare leave.

Your pay while on leave is based on the number of hours you work.

Annual leave

If you have completed 3 months of service, you are entitled to paid annual leave in proportion to the yearly entitlement of a similar full-time employee, based on your working hours.

The leave entitlement is calculated as follows:

Number of working hrs per yr of part-time employee
Number of working hrs per yr of a similar full-time employee
×

Number of days of annual leave of a similar full-time employee with equal length of service

×

Number of working hrs in a day of a similar full-time employee

Note: The annual leave entitlement for part-time employees is granted in hours, and there is no need to convert it to days. 

  • A part-time employee works 4 hours a day for 5 days a week (20 hours per week)
  • A similar full-time employee works 8 hours a day for 5.5 days per week (44 hours per week)
  • The full-time employee’s leave entitlement is 7 days in the first year

The part-time employee’s entitlement after 3 months is: [(20 hours × 52 weeks) ÷ (44 hours × 52 weeks)] × 7 days × 8 hours per day = 25.5 hours

If a part-time employee works 4 hours a day and takes annual leave on a working day, 4 hours will be deducted from his annual leave entitlement.

Encashing annual leave

Instead of taking annual leave, you can agree with your employer to encash your earned annual leave and add it into your hourly gross rate of pay. Such an agreement must be clearly stated in the contract of service.

You cannot encash your annual leave if you work at least 5 days a week, and your weekly hours are between 30 and 34 hours inclusive.

The formula for encashing annual leave is as follows :

Annual leave entitlement of part-time employee (in hrs)
Weekly working hrs of part-time employee × 52 wks
×

Hourly gross rate of pay

If the hourly gross rate of pay is $5, the encashed amount to be added to the hourly gross rate of pay will be: [25.5 hours ÷ (20 hours × 52 weeks)] × $5 = $0.12

Hence, the total hourly gross rate of pay including encashed annual leave is $5.12.

Sick and hospitalisation leave

You are entitled to paid sick leave and hospitalisation leave if you are covered by the Employment Act and you have completed 3 months of service.

You cannot encash your leave entitlement.

Your leave entitlement is calculated as follows:

Number of working hrs per yr of part-time employee
Number of working hrs per yr of similar full-time employee
×

Number of days of sick leave of similar full-time employee with equal length of service

×

Number of working hrs in a day of similar full-time employee

Note: The sick leave entitlement for part-time employees is granted in hours, and there is no need to convert it to days. 

If a part-time employee works 20 hours a week and a similar full-time employee works 44 hours a week:

Sick leave is:
[(20 hours × 52 weeks) ÷ (44 hours × 52 weeks)] × 14 days × 8 hours = 50.9 hours of sick leave per year.

Hospitalisation leave is:
[(20 hours × 52 weeks) ÷ (44 hours × 52 weeks)] × 60 days × 8 hours = 218.2 hours of hospitalisation leave per year. This includes the 50.9 hours of sick leave.

If the part-time employee works 4 hours a day and takes sick leave on a working day, 4 hours will be deducted from his sick leave entitlement.

Medical reimbursement

Your employer must pay for your medical consultation fee if you meet all the following requirements:

  • You are covered by the Employment Act.
  • You have completed at least 3 months of service.
  • You were granted at least one day of paid sick leave.
  • Your medical certificate (MC) was given by a medical practitioner from an approved public medical institution or appointed by your company.

Medical benefits schemes

Today, employers generally provide their employees with medical benefits beyond what the Employment Act stipulates.

You should check your employment contract for details on the medical benefits provided by your company.

Cosmetic procedures

Employers are not required to grant paid sick leave or reimburse medical consultation fees for cosmetic procedures. The doctor performing the examination will decide whether a procedure is for cosmetic reasons. Your company policy may cover this as an employee medical benefit.

Maternity leave

You are entitled to maternity leave benefits and protection if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Payment is based on the number of days you are contracted to work, at your gross rate of pay.

Paternity leave

You are entitled to paternity leave benefits if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Payment is based on the number of days you are contracted to work, at your gross rate of pay.

Shared parental leave

You are entitled to shared parental leave benefits if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Payment is based on the number of days you are contracted to work, at your gross rate of pay.

Childcare leave

You are entitled to childcare leave and extended childcare leave benefits if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Government-Paid Childcare Leave is calculated as follows:

Avg number of hrs a week part-time employee has to work
Avg number of hrs a week a similar full-time employee has to work
× Days of childcare leave a similar full-time employee has, based on duration of employment × Number of hrs a day a similar full-time employee has to work

Your childcare leave entitlement should be adjusted based on the number of working hours, so that it is equivalent to that of a full-time employee. It is subject to a minimum of 2 days.

A part-time employee works an average of 4 hours a week, and a similar existing full-time employee works an average of 8 hours a day and 44 hours a week.

The part-time employee’s paid childcare leave entitlement is:
4 ÷ 44 × 6 × 8 = 4.4 hours (subject to minimum of 2 days).

The part-time employee will be entitled to 2 days of childcare leave, equivalent to four hours each day.

Childcare leave in accordance with the Employment Act is calculated as follows:

Number of hrs a week part-time employee has to work × 52
Number of hrs a week a similar full-time employee has to work × 52
× 2 days childcare leave × Number of hrs a day a similar full-time employee has to work

Adoption leave

You are entitled to 12 weeks of adoption leave based on your respective work schedule of you meet the qualifying conditions.

Unpaid infant care leave

You are entitled to unpaid infant care leave if you meet the qualifying conditions.

Your unpaid infant care leave entitlement should be adjusted based on the number of working hours, so that it is equivalent to that of a full-time employee.