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ALERT / APRIL 14, 2026
Singapore Enhances Paid Family Leave Entitlements [UPDATED]
5 MIN READ
Update: As of 1 April 2026, Singapore’s enhanced parental leave regime is fully in force. Eligible working mothers are entitled to 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML), while eligible fathers are entitled to four weeks of mandatory Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL). In addition, parents have access to a shared pool of up to 10 weeks of Shared Parental Leave (SPL), which is provided on top of these individual entitlements.
The government of Singapore has passed a bill creating a new shared parental leave scheme and increasing mandatory paternity leave to further support families. The bill, which amends the Child Development Co-Savings Act (CDCA), was introduced in the Singapore parliament on 15 October 2024 and passed in November 2024. The changes took effect in phases on 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026 and are now fully in force.
Additional guidance for employers has been issued by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), including detailed operational rules via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) portal.
Key details
The changes apply to eligible working parents with children who are Singapore citizens.
Paternity Leave
Singapore previously doubled Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL) for eligible working fathers from two to four weeks from 1 January 2024. The first two weeks of GPPL are mandatory, and the additional two weeks could previously be granted by employers on a voluntary basis, with mutual agreement between employer and employee.
From 1 April 2025, the full four weeks of GPPL became mandatory for eligible fathers. The employee may apply for GPPL by submitting a government-prescribed declaration form to the employer, or through the employer’s internal system.
GPPL is taken by default in one continuous block within the 16 weeks following the birth or adoption of the child. If mutually agreed between employer and employee, GPPL may instead be taken within 12 months from the child’s birth in one continuous block or non-consecutively.
To be eligible for GPPL:
The child must be a Singapore citizen or become a Singapore citizen within 12 months of birth.
The child’s father must be lawfully married to the child's mother at conception, become lawfully married to the child's mother after conception but before the child’s birth (whether or not such marriage remains subsisting at the time of the child’s birth), or become lawfully married to the child’s mother within 12 months commencing on the date of the child’s birth.
The father must have at least three months of continuous service with their current employer preceding the date of childbirth.
Adoptive fathers of a child who is a Singapore citizen must have at least three months of continuous service with their current employer preceding the date of their formal intent to adopt.
GPPL is also payable in case of a stillbirth. Multiple births are treated the same as a single birth.
GPPL is initially payable in full by employers. However, employers may apply for 100% reimbursement from the government. For eligible fathers of children born on or after 1 April 2025, the GPPL benefit (including employer-funded Central Provident Fund contributions) is capped at:
SGD 2,500 per week; and
A total of SGD 10,000.
Employers may wish to note that they are not required to pay employees above the reimbursement cap, though they may do so voluntarily.
New Shared Parental Leave
Under the previous framework, an eligible working mother could share up to four weeks of her 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) with the eligible father of the child.
This arrangement ceased on 1 April 2025 and has been replaced by the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) scheme. The SPL scheme provides a shared pool of up to 10 weeks of additional paid leave to be allocated between both parents, on top of their individual entitlements. The scheme was implemented in phases, with six weeks of SPL applying to children born between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, and the full 10-week entitlement applying to children born on or after 1 April 2026.
To qualify for SPL, an employee must be the natural mother or father of the child and be eligible for GPML or GPPL. Each eligible parent will be allocated half of the SPL but may reallocate any amount of the leave to the other. Any changes to the sharing arrangement must be made within four weeks of the child's birth, and changes thereafter will require agreement with their employers.
SPL is initially payable in full by employers. However, employers may apply for 100% reimbursement from the government up to SGD 2,500 per week (or approximately SGD 10,000 per month). Employers are not required to pay employees above the reimbursement cap, though they may do so voluntarily.
Minimum Notice Period
Along with the enhancement of GPPL and introduction of the new SPL, employees will be required to serve a new minimum notice period of four weeks before using any family leave entitlement (GPML, GPPL, new SPL or adoption leave).
Lockton comments
Following the phased implementation of the changes on 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026, employers should ensure that their internal leave policies, payroll processes and HR systems are fully aligned with the current statutory requirements.
With eligible employees having more time off, employers will need to allocate additional resources towards workforce planning and managing extended absences and may face increased costs related to temporary replacements or redistribution of workloads.
For employees whose gross pay exceeds the government reimbursement caps, employers must also decide whether they wish to voluntarily pay the difference in respect of SPL and GPPL.
Employers should ensure ongoing compliance with administrative requirements, including accurate reimbursement claims via the GPL portal, adherence to statutory notice periods, and proper handling of SPL allocation and reallocation rules under the fully implemented regime.
Further Information
Child Development Co-Savings Act (CDCA) (opens a new window)
