Paternity leave in Singapore has changed more in the last two years than in the decade before it. Fathers now get four weeks of government-paid leave as a standard entitlement, and couples share a further pool of leave that reached its full size for babies born from 1 April 2026. This guide explains what each parent is entitled to, how the weeks can be split and timed, and how to turn the entitlements into a workable care plan for the first year.
Many parents-to-be still carry an older picture in their heads, often from friends who had children before April 2025, when fathers got two weeks plus two more only if the employer agreed.
The rules matter in a practical way, too. Once you know how many weeks each parent can take, and in what order, it is much easier to decide when grandparents step in, when infant care starts, or whether a live-in helper should arrive before the baby.
We link to the official Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and Made For Families pages throughout. Rules can change, so check them before you lodge dates with your employer.
What paternity leave in Singapore looks like now
According to MOM’s page on Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL), eligible working fathers, including self-employed fathers, get 4 weeks of paternity leave for a child whose date of birth, estimated delivery date or formal intent to adopt falls on or after 1 April 2025. For children with those dates before 1 April 2025, the entitlement was 2 weeks, plus an optional further 2 weeks if the employer chose to give them.
The number of days depends on how many days a week you normally work. MOM calculates it as 4 weeks multiplied by your working days per week, capped at 6 days a week. A father who works 5 days a week gets 20 days. One who works 6 days a week gets 24.
Your employer pays you as normal during the leave and then claims the money back from the government. MOM caps that reimbursement at $2,500 per week, or $10,000 for the full 4 weeks. MOM also states that it is an offence for an employer to dismiss an employee while he is on GPPL.
Who qualifies
- The child must be a Singapore citizen.
- Marriage: a biological father must be, or have been, lawfully married to the child’s mother at some point between conception and birth, or within 12 months after the birth.
- Employees need at least 3 continuous months of service with their employer before the birth.
- Self-employed fathers need at least 3 continuous months of engagement in their work before the birth, and must have lost income during the leave.
MOM notes that employers may choose to give GPPL to a father who meets every condition except the 3-month service rule, and MSF may reimburse them.
How the shared leave pool works
On top of their own entitlements, parents now share a pool of government-paid leave. MOM’s page on shared parental leave (SPL) sets out the phase-in: 6 weeks for children born from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, and 10 weeks for children born on or after 1 April 2026. A baby due in 2027 falls under the full 10 weeks.
The eligibility rules mirror the ones above: a Singapore citizen child, 3 months of service or self-employment before the birth, and for fathers the same marriage condition. All mothers qualify. Employers are again reimbursed up to $2,500 per week.
The default split, and how to change it
MSF’s announcement of the new SPL scheme explains that the pool is split equally by default. For births from 1 April 2026, that means 5 weeks for each parent. Couples can choose a different split when they register the birth on LifeSG. They can also change it up to four weeks after the birth through the “Manage SPL sharing arrangement” service on LifeSG. After that, any change needs both parents and their employers to agree.
If you already know one parent will take most of the pool, settle it before the birth and enter it at registration. The first four weeks with a newborn are not a good time for paperwork.
Timing the leave across the first year
Both types of leave come with a default pattern, which applies when you and your employer have not agreed anything different, and a flexible pattern, which needs your employer’s agreement.
Paternity leave
- Default: 4 continuous weeks, taken within 16 weeks after the birth.
- Flexible, by agreement: 4 continuous weeks at any point within 12 months of the birth, or the weeks broken into individual working days and used in any combination within those 12 months.
The shared pool
- Default: one continuous block, taken within the first 26 weeks after the birth.
- Flexible, by agreement: non-continuous leave, used within 12 months of the birth.
- MSF states that SPL is taken after Government-Paid Maternity Leave or GPPL has been used.
Notice to your employer
For both, MOM requires at least 4 weeks’ notice before the leave starts, unless your employer agrees to a shorter period. MSF encourages parents to tell their employers about their plans as early as possible once they are expecting, which also makes a flexible arrangement more likely.
Adding it up: up to 30 weeks between two parents
According to Made For Families, the government’s page on parental leave and benefits, eligible working parents can have up to 30 weeks of paid leave between them during the baby’s infancy. That is made up of:
- 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave for the mother;
- 4 weeks of paternity leave for the father;
- 10 weeks of shared leave, split however the couple decides.
Maternity leave rules are covered in our guide to maternity leave in Singapore. Parents of young children may also be entitled to childcare leave, which MOM sets out separately.
Planning newborn care around your leave
Thirty weeks sounds like a long time until you map it onto a calendar. The useful question is who will be at home in each week of the first year, and what happens when the leave runs out.
- Map the year week by week. Mark the due date, the mother’s maternity leave, the father’s 4 weeks and the shared pool. Add anything else that matters, such as a grandparent’s trip or a busy period at work.
- Decide whether to overlap or stagger. Many fathers take their leave in the first weeks, when the mother is recovering from the birth and the household needs two adults. Staggering stretches the time a parent is at home; overlapping gives more support in the hardest stretch.
- Use the shared pool to bridge the gap. The weeks just before a parent returns to work are often the hardest to cover. A father who takes a block of shared leave after the mother goes back can give the baby a few more weeks at home and give the family time to settle into a new routine.
- Line up care for the return to work. Compare the options well before you need them. Our guide to infant care costs compared with hiring a helper sets out the trade-offs.
Leave gives you time at home, not medical answers. See a doctor if you are worried about your baby, and call 995 in an emergency.
Where a live-in helper fits in
For many families, a helper takes over when the leave ends. Some prefer her to arrive before the birth, so she can learn the household routine while both parents are still at home.
If this is your first helper, build MOM’s onboarding steps into your timeline. First-time employers must attend the Employers’ Orientation Programme at least 2 working days before the Work Permit application. A first-time helper must attend the 1-day Settling-in Programme within 7 days of arrival (excluding Sundays and public holidays) and can only start work after attending it. She must also pass a medical exam within 2 weeks of arrival.
There is a cost point worth knowing. MOM’s levy concession for a young child applies to a Singapore citizen child below 16, and for a parent it runs from the child’s birth. The concessionary levy is $60 a month, compared with $300 for a first helper at the normal rate, subject to MOM’s conditions.
Femme5 places full-time live-in helpers and arranges live-in help for newborn and confinement care. Our practical guide to hiring a helper for newborn care covers what to ask at interview.
Related guides: Nanny or Babysitter in Singapore? Why Families Pick a Helper and Helper Childcare Routine: How Your Maid Can Help Your Family.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many weeks of paternity leave do fathers get in Singapore?
Eligible fathers get 4 weeks of Government-Paid Paternity Leave for a child whose date of birth, estimated delivery date or formal intent to adopt falls on or after 1 April 2025. The child must be a Singapore citizen, the father must meet the marriage condition, and employees need at least 3 continuous months of service before the birth. The number of days is 4 weeks multiplied by your normal working days per week, capped at 6 days a week, so a 5-day worker gets 20 days.
How is the shared leave split between parents?
For babies born on or after 1 April 2026, the pool is 10 weeks, split equally by default so each parent gets 5 weeks. Couples can choose a different split when they register the birth on LifeSG, or change it within four weeks of the birth through LifeSG’s “Manage SPL sharing arrangement” service. After those four weeks, any change needs the agreement of both parents and their employers.
Do I have to take paternity leave all at once?
Not necessarily. By default, it is taken as 4 continuous weeks within 16 weeks of the birth. If your employer agrees, you can instead take the 4 weeks as a continuous block at any point in the child’s first 12 months, or break them into individual working days used within those 12 months. You must give at least 4 weeks’ notice unless your employer accepts less.
What if my baby was born before 1 April 2026?
The entitlement depends on the birth date, estimated delivery date or adoption date. For children born from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, the shared pool is 6 weeks, split 3 and 3 by default. For children with dates before 1 April 2025, paternity leave was 2 weeks plus an optional 2 if the employer agreed, and MOM says dates from 1 July 2017 to 31 March 2025 fall under the older 2013 Shared Parental Leave scheme. Check MOM’s pages for the rules that apply to your child.
Conclusion
The current rules give a Singapore family far more paid time at home than they did a few years ago: 4 weeks of paternity leave for the father, 16 weeks of maternity leave for the mother, and a shared pool of 10 weeks for babies born from 1 April 2026. The details that trip parents up are the four-week window for changing the split, the 4 weeks’ notice, and the difference between the default pattern and the flexible one that needs your employer’s agreement.
Sort those out before the birth, map the year week by week, and decide early who will care for the baby once the leave is used.
If your plan includes a live-in helper for when the leave runs out, we are happy to talk it through. You can get in touch with the Femme5 team to discuss your family’s needs, read more about how we work with employers, or explore what a good placement looks like.
The Femme5 Team
Maid placement specialists, Femme5 Maid Agency
Our consultants work with Singaporean and expatriate families on helper matching, contracts and MOM compliance, and we verify the regulatory guidance in our articles directly against the Ministry of Manpower’s published requirements.
