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Maternity leave eligibility and entitlement

As a working mother, you will be entitled to either 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave or 12 weeks of maternity leave, depending on whether your child is a Singapore citizen and other criteria.

To find out your maternity leave eligibility and entitlement, select the statements that apply to you:

16 weeks of maternity leave

Based on your selection, you are eligible for Government-Paid Maternity Leave in accordance with the Child Development Co-Savings Act.

12 weeks of maternity leave

Based on your selection, you are eligible for maternity leave in accordance with the Employment Act.

Based on your selection, you are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave if you are covered by the Employment Act. To be eligible for paid maternity leave, you need to have worked for your employer, or have been self-employed for at least 3 continuous months before the birth of your child.
Please choose an option to see your eligibility and entitlement.

You are eligible for 16 weeks of paid maternity leave if you meet the following requirements:

  • Your child is a Singapore citizen.
  • For employees: you have served your employer for a continuous period of at least 3 months before the birth of your child.
  • For self-employed: you have been engaged in your work for at least 3 continuous months and have lost income during the maternity leave period.
  • You have given your employer at least 1 week’s notice before going on maternity leave, and informed them as soon as possible of your delivery. Otherwise, you are only entitled to half the payment during maternity leave, unless you have a good enough reason for not giving the notice.

Your employer will pay your usual monthly salary during the leave period. They can then claim reimbursement from the Government in accordance with the Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) scheme:

Births Paid by employer Reimbursed by Government
First and second First 8 weeks Last 8 weeks
Third and subsequent – All 16 weeks

Find out how you can plan your maternity leave.

As an employer, you are required to notify MOM if your migrant worker is pregnant.

You may be able to share 1 week of your maternity leave with your husband in accordance with the shared parental leave.

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:

You are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave if you meet the following requirements:

  • You are covered by the Employment Act.
  • You have served your employer for a continuous period of at least 3 months immediately before the birth of your child.

Your employer will pay your usual monthly salary for the first 8 weeks of leave if:

  • You have worked for at least 3 continuous months before the birth.
  • You have fewer than 2 living children of your own at the time of delivery. In the case of multiple births (e.g. twins, triplets, etc.) during the first pregnancy, your employer is still required to pay 8 weeks of maternity leave for the next pregnancy.
  • You have given your employer at least 1 week’s notice before going on maternity leave, and informed them as soon as possible of your delivery. Otherwise, you are only entitled to half the payment during maternity leave, unless you have a good enough reason for not giving the notice.

The last 4 weeks of maternity leave is unpaid. Whether your employer pays you during the last 4 weeks of maternity leave depends on your employment contract.

Find out how you can plan your maternity leave.

Relevant legislation

Maternity leave protection and benefits are provided for under:

What's next

Maternity leave in special situations