Employees are eligible under either the Child Development Co-Savings Act, the Employment Act or both.

The Child Development Co-Savings Act

This Act covers parents of Singapore citizen children, including those employed as managerial, executive and confidential staff. An employee is entitled to maternity leave under this Act if the following requirements are met:

Eligible employees are entitled to absent themselves from work for four weeks immediately before and 12 weeks immediately after delivery for a total of 16 weeks maternity leave. By agreement with the employer, the employee may take the last eight weeks of maternity leave flexibly over the 12 months following the child’s birth – this translates to 48 days.

The Employment Act

Where an employee is covered by the Employment Act but not the Child Development Co-Savings Act, they are entitled to 12 weeks maternity leave. The employee is paid for the first eight weeks by the employer at the monthly gross rate of pay if she has:

1. fewer than two living children, excluding the newborn;
2. worked for at least three months before the child’s birth. The last four weeks can be taken flexibly over the following 12 month period; and
3. given the employer at least one week’s notice before going on leave and informed them as soon as practicable of the delivery – where such notice is not given the employee is only entitled to half payment unless she can show good cause for this.

If the employee qualifies for Government-paid maternity leave under the Child Development Co-Savings Act, she will be paid by the employer for the entire 16 weeks of maternity leave, regardless of the child’s birth order. The employer may then claim reimbursement for the last eight weeks of the first and second confinements and the full 16 weeks for the third and any subsequent confinements.

For more information about maternity leave, please visit this page of the Ministry of Manpower.