Parents to get 6 weeks shared leave for babies born on or after April 1

Parents-to-be can soon look forward to spending more time with their babies born on or after April 1, when the new shared parental leave scheme kicks in.

As part of the scheme's first phase, eligible working parents can get six weeks of shared leave on top of their current leave entitlement, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on March 27.

This will apply to those with Singaporean children born on or after April 1.

Fathers of Singaporean children will also be entitled to a total of four weeks of mandatory government-paid paternity leave, up from the two currently.

The second phase of the scheme, which will be rolled out from April 1, 2026, will increase shared leave to 10 weeks for parents with Singaporean children born on or after that date. This will grant parents 50 per cent more parental leave days than they now have.

The scheme follows amendments made to the Child Development Co-Savings Act in November 2024.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong first announced these parental leave enhancements at his National Day Rally speech in August 2024.

MSF said: "The new shared parental leave scheme underscores the Government's commitment to provide stronger caregiving support to parents during their child's infancy stage, where their care needs are the greatest."

In total, these enhancements will provide couples with 30 weeks of paid parental leave in their child's first year, including 16 weeks of government-paid maternity leave.

How can parents apply for shared parental leave?

Parents have the flexibility to decide how the shared leave entitlement is distributed, said MSF.

The default distribution stands at three weeks each for the first phase, and five weeks each for the second.

Those who wish to adjust this can do so when they are registering their child's birth on LifeSG website. They can make further changes up to four weeks after their child's birth.

Parents who would like to make further changes after this four-week period must reach a mutual agreement with their employers and submit supporting documents on the LifeSG website.

As for employers, they should verify their employees' leave sharing arrangement via the government-paid leave portal after the four-week period.

Employers and self-employed parents can submit their reimbursement claims no later than three months after the last day of their shared parental leave via the same portal.

MSF said that the shared parental leave should be taken within 12 months of the child's birth, and after parents have fully utilised their government-paid maternity or paternity leave.

"Parents should inform their employers of their planned shared parental leave arrangements as soon as possible when they are expecting a child," added the ministry. "This will provide sufficient time for both parties to discuss and mutually agree on leave plans and make the necessary covering arrangements."

If parents are unable to mutually agree on their leave plans, they may take their shared parental leave in a continuous block within the first 26 weeks of the child's birth, after providing a minimum notice of four weeks, MSF said.

Parents can refer to this guide for more information, while employers can visit this link.