In Singapore, the Employment Act lists all statutory leaves that employees are entitled to receive each year. There are minimum requirements, and businesses can choose to provide more if they wish to.
Beyond just what’s required, many employers also provide non-statutory leaves to their employees. According to MOM’s Conditions of Employment 2022 report, nearly all employers in Singapore (97.8% to be exact) provide at least one type of non-statutory leave.
We’ve compiled a list of the types of leaves (both statutory and non-statutory), as well as their eligibility and minimum requirements (if applicable).
Read Also: Minimum Requirements For Key Employment Terms (KETs) On Employees Contracts
Statutory Leaves In Singapore That Are Mandated By The Government:
#1 Annual Leave
Under the Employment Act, employees are entitled to paid annual leave if they have worked for at least 3 months. All employees are entitled to a minimum of 7 days of annual leave per year.
The number of annual leaves an employee gets must also increase one day for each year of service until a maximum of 14 days of annual leaves a year.
| Years Worked In Company | Entitled Days Of Annual Leaves |
| 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 8 |
| 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 11 |
| 6 | 12 |
| 7 | 13 |
| 8 and beyond | 14 |
Of course, employers can (and many do) give more than the minimum 7 to 14 days of annual leave to their workers.
#2 Public Holidays (PH) and Off-in-Lieu
Employees in Singapore are entitled to 11 paid public holidays (PH) per year.
Should businesses require your employees to work on a PH, you are required to pay them an additional day of salary or grant them an off-in-lieu.
Read Also: How Much Employers Have To Pay Employees For Working On A Public Holiday?
#3 Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML)
Working mothers are entitled to up to 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML). Eligibility requirements include employees having worked with your company for at least 3 months.
For employees having their first and second children, the employer co-funds the first 8 weeks of maternity leave while the government covers the remaining 8 weeks. For a female employee’s third and subsequent child, the government will pay for the full 16-week duration of the maternity leave.
Read Also: Maternity Leave: Understanding The Rights Of A Pregnant Employee In Singapore
#4 Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL)
In efforts to get fathers to be more involved in raising children, working dads are entitled to up to 4 weeks of Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL) for children born from 1 January 2025.
For children born between 1 Jan 2024, only 2 weeks out of the 4 weeks is mandatory, while employers can provide another 2 weeks on a voluntary basis. All 4 weeks will be considered Government Paid Paternity Leave. For children born prior to 1 Jan 2024, there were only 2 weeks of mandatory Government Paid Paternity Leave.
Eligibility requirements include being legally married to your child’s mother between conception and birth and having worked with your company for at least 3 months.
GPPL is capped at $2,500 per week, including CPF contributions.
Read Also: Guide To Understanding How Government-Paid Paternity Leave Works in Singapore
#5 Shared Parental Leave (SPL)
For children born from 1 April 2025, Shared Parental Leave (SPL) allows both working mums and dads to share up to 6 additional weeks of Government-Paid Leave. For children born on 1 April 2026 onwards, the SPL will be up to 10 additional weeks of Government-Paid Leave.
All 6 and 10 weeks, respectively, will be paid for by the government.
Prior to this (i.e. for children born before 1 April 2025), the scheme was for working fathers to share between 1 and 4 weeks of their wife’s Government Paid Maternity Leave, subject to her agreement.
Adoptive parents are also eligible for Shared Parental Leave (SPL).
Read Also: Guide To Understanding How Shared Parental Leave Works In Singapore
#6 Government Paid Adoption Leave
Adoption leave entitles working mothers up to 12 weeks of paid adoption leave. For their 1st and 2nd child order, 8 weeks of this will be paid by the government and 4 weeks are to be paid for by the employer, and up to for the 3rd and subsequent child order, all 12 weeks will be paid for by the government. This is to help adoptive parents to bond with and care for their adopted infants.
To be eligible for adoption leave, your employee’s adopted child must be less than 12 months old when she made her formal intent to adopt. The adoption order also has to be passed within a year from the formal intent to adopt.
Employees or their spouse also has to be a Singapore citizen, and the child must be a Singapore citizen or become a Singapore citizen within 6 months of the adoption.
Similar to most other leave entitlements, employees must have also worked for your company for a continuous period of at least 3 months before they made their formal intent to adopt.
Capped at $10,000 per every 4-week leave taken, including CPF, adoption leave must be used before the adoptive child turns 1. For first and second-adopted children, employers will co-pay the first month while the government covers the second and third month.
For employees who adopt more than 2 children, the government will pay for the entire 3-months duration of their adoption leave from their third and subsequent adoptive child. Do note that reimbursement will be capped at $20,000 for the first and second children, and $30,000 for the third and subsequent children, including CPF.
Up to 4 weeks of Government Paid Adoption leave can also be shared with adoptive fathers.
#7 Government-Paid Childcare Leave (GPCL)
Employees who are parents with Singaporean children below the age of 7 are entitled to 6 days of Government-Paid Childcare Leave (GPCL) per parent per year. Any unused leave from one year cannot be carried forward to the next annual year.
The total number of GPCL that a parent may receive is capped at 42 days (6 days a year x 7 years).
As with the majority of employment entitlements, eligibility requirements include being employed (for employees) or being engaged in your work (for those who are self-employed) for at least 3 continuous months.
GCPL payouts are capped at $500 per day, including CPF. Employers have to pay for the first 3 days of the GPCL, while the government will only provide compensation for the remaining 3 days.
Read Also: 10 Things Employers Need To Know About The Government Paid Childcare Leave (GPCL)
#8 Extended Childcare Leave (ECL)
Parents who do not consume their full 42 days of Government Paid Childcare Leave entitlement can still draw on this scheme for up to 2 days of Extended Childcare Leave (ECL) each year from when their children are in primary school – between ages 7 and 12 years.
When parents draw on the Extended Childcare Leave, both days will be paid for by the government. This is also capped at $500 per day, including CPF.
#9 Unpaid Infant Care Leave
If your child is a Singapore citizen and below the age of 2, you are entitled to 6 days per year of unpaid infant care leave, in addition to the paid childcare leave you’re eligible for. From 1 January 2024, the number of unpaid infant care leave will be increased to 12 days per year.
#10 Outpatient Sick Leave and Hospitalisation Leave
Employees are entitled to up to 14 days of paid outpatient sick leave and up to 60 days of paid hospitalisation leave.
Employees will have to provide their employer with a Medical Certificate (MC) to qualify for paid sick leave. To qualify for paid hospitalisation leave, employees are required to have gone for a day surgery or have been warded in the hospital. Sick leave or hospitalisation leave are not for cosmetic procedures.
Read Also: Medical Benefits That Businesses Have To Legally Provide For Their Employees In Singapore
#11 National Service Leave
Under section 23 in the Enlistment Act, it is stated that employers are obligated to grant their employees a paid leave of absence when they are called to perform NS duties.
In the case of full-time National Service, section 21 of the Enlistment Act further states that employers are required to arrange for an employee’s to return to work as soon as they complete training if they have worked with the company for at least 6 months.
For duties pertaining to reservist or voluntary service, employers are encouraged to opt for the DIRECT scheme – to help employees claim Make-Up Pay, and to continue paying their salaries as usual.
Read Also: How Much Can Employers Claim When Their NSmen Employees Go For In-Camp Training (ICT)
Types Of Non-Statutory Leaves Offered By Singapore Companies:
#12 Unpaid Leave
Unpaid leave is a leave of absence without pay granted by the employer at the request of their employee. As it is not mandated by the government, there isn’t a maximum number of days of unpaid leave that should be given.
#13 Sabbatical
Usually offered to long-serving employees (more than 5 years), a sabbatical provides an extended period of leave that’s usually between 2 months to a year. While the extent differs between companies, the reason is to give good employees time off to pursue their interests and passions before rejoining the business when they’re ready.
#14 Marriage Leave
Another common practice for most companies is to offer 2-3 days of paid marriage leave. Depending on how you want to control the system, you may ask for employees to provide their Marriage Certificate. This will typically be taken along with annual leaves for a honeymoon (in most other years).
#15 Compassionate/Bereavement Leave
It is common practice for most companies to provide employees with 2 to 3 days of paid compassionate leave to attend or prepare for the funeral of immediate family members.
#16 Family Care Leave / Child Sick Leave
Some firms also provide paid leaves for employees to take care of their family members, including parents, grandparents, children or spouse.
In some instances, a medical certificate for their sick family members are required.
#17 Study/Exam Leave
For part-time students, juggling work and studies is no easy feat – especially when exams are nearing. Many companies are also providing their employees 2-3 days or even 1 to 2 weeks to prepare for and take their papers.
This can be a win-win as employees upgrade themselves while in your employment.
#18 Birthday Leave
Most, if not all employees wouldn’t want to work on their birthday. Many companies understand this and do grant employees 1 day of paid birthday leave. Since you’re already providing a leave that isn’t mandated by the government, being flexible to allow employees to use it within a space of time around their birthdays instead of on the day itself only can make sense.
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