Your wife is about to give birth and you, as a new dad, cannot wait to witness the beauty of having a baby. Before you plan the things you will and want to do when the D-day comes, make sure that you have filed paternity leave accordingly. Here are things you need to know about paternity leave in Singapore:
Working fathers, including those who are self-employed, will be entitled to 1 week of Government-Paid Paternity Leave for all births provided they meet the following criteria:
- Child is a Singapore Citizen born on or after 1 May 2013
- The child’s parents are lawfully married
- Father must have served his employer for a continuous duration of at least 3 calendar months immediately preceding the birth of the child; or
- For self-employed fathers, they must have been engaged in a particular business/ trade/ profession for a continuous duration of at least 3 calendar months immediately preceding the birth of the child; and have lost income as a result of not engaging in the trade, business, profession or vocation during the paternity leave period.
Paternity leave is to be taken within 16 weeks after the birth of the child. It can also be taken flexibly within 12 months after the birth of the child, if there is mutual agreement between the employer and employee. The 1 week of paternity leave will be funded by the Government (capped at $2,500 including CPF contributions).
Adoptive fathers are also eligible for Government-paid paternity leave if they meet the following eligibility criteria:
- The adopted child is below 12 months of age
- The adopted child is a Singapore Citizen, or in cases where the adopted child is not a Singapore Citizen, at least one of the adoptive parents must be a Singapore Citizen
- The child’s parents are lawfully married at the point of the ‘formal intent to adopt’*
- The adoptive father must have served his employer – or, if self-employed, have been engaged in a particular business, trade or profession – for a continuous period of at least 3 months immediately preceding the point of ‘formal intent to adopt’
- The Adoption Order is granted within 1 year from the point of ‘formal intent to adopt’, and the adopted child obtains Singapore Citizenship within 6 months after the Adoption Order is passed; AND
- The father is an applicant to the adoption.
Note: ‘Formal intent to adopt’ refers to the point of filing of the adoption petition to the Family Court for adoption (Singapore Citizen child); or the point of issuance of a document stating that the application for the Dependant’s Pass for the adopted child has been approved (non-Singapore Citizen child).
For the leave application and claim reimbursement, please visit the Profamily Leave website.For more details on other enhancements on the Marriage and Parenthood Package, please visit the Hey Baby website or call 1800 227 1188.
For more details and FAQs related to the Marriage and Parenthood leave measures, please refer to the Employee’s Guide and Employers’ Guide.
Information from Ministry of Manpower Website
