Singapore's leave rules sit across the Employment Act and the government's parental-leave schemes, and they have been changing — paternity and shared parental leave in particular. This guide sets out the statutory entitlements every employer must provide, who qualifies, and how each type is funded, so you can administer leave correctly and reflect it in payroll.
The figures below are the statutory minimums under the Employment Act and the Government-Paid Leave schemes. Many employers offer more by contract, and the parental-leave figures are being expanded — always confirm the current numbers against MOM and the government-paid-leave portal before relying on them.
Annual leave
For employees covered by the Employment Act:
- 7 days of paid annual leave after the first 12 months of service.
- +1 day for each additional year of service, up to a maximum of 14 days.
- An employee qualifies after 3 months of service, with leave prorated for incomplete years.
Unused annual leave is typically carried forward or encashed per the employment contract; the Act does not require encashment of statutory leave beyond forfeiture rules, so set your policy in writing.
Sick and hospitalisation leave
Paid sick leave applies after 6 months of continuous service:
| Type | Entitlement (after 6 months' service) |
|---|---|
| Outpatient (non-hospitalisation) sick leave | Up to 14 days per year |
| Hospitalisation leave | Up to 60 days per year (inclusive of the 14) |
Employees with 3 to 6 months of service receive a prorated amount. Sick leave must be certified by a registered medical practitioner, and the employee must notify the employer within 48 hours.
Maternity leave
- 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave for an eligible mother whose child is a Singapore citizen, with at least 3 months of service before the birth.
- 12 weeks under the Employment Act if the child is not a Singapore citizen (first 8 weeks employer-paid, subject to conditions).
The government reimburses the employer for the government-paid portion, subject to caps per confinement.
Paternity, childcare and infant-care leave
- Paternity leave: Government-Paid Paternity Leave for eligible fathers of Singapore-citizen children — historically 2 weeks, doubling to 4 weeks for children born from 1 April 2025. Confirm the current weeks, as this is recent.
- Childcare leave: 6 days a year per parent (Singapore-citizen child under 7); Extended Childcare Leave of 2 days a year for a child aged 7–12.
- Infant-care leave: 6 days a year (unpaid) per parent for a child under 2.
- Shared parental leave: the schemes for sharing leave between parents were reformed in 2024–2025 — check the current entitlement rather than an older figure.
Where leave trips up Singapore SMEs
- Tracking balances in a spreadsheet that drifts out of sync with payroll, so the payslip and the leave record disagree.
- Mis-prorating for staff who joined mid-year, or applying the wrong service-length threshold for sick or parental leave.
- Forgetting public holidays that fall during a leave period, or the Singapore work-week rules, when calculating leave taken.
- Missing the reimbursement claims for government-paid maternity, paternity and childcare leave — that is money left on the table.
AimmPayroll Asia tracks annual, sick, maternity, paternity and childcare leave with Singapore work-week patterns and public holidays, so balances stay aligned with the monthly payroll run and appear correctly on itemised payslips. You can start free for up to three employees, or see full pricing.