SINGAPORE - From April 1, female employees at Standard Chartered Bank Singapore will be offered 20 weeks of maternity leave.
This is up from the 16 weeks of maternity leave required by the Ministry of Manpower.
Here is a quick look at what working mothers - and fathers - in Singapore are entitled to when it comes to parenthood leave.
Maternity leave
Working mothers are entitled to either 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) or 12 weeks of maternity leave, depending on certain criteria.
To find out what the criteria are, click here.
For 16 weeks of GPML, working mothers must meet the following requirements:
- Child is a Singapore citizen;
- Lawfully married to the child's father between conception and birth;
- For employees: served employer for a continuous period of at least three months before the birth of child;
- For self-employed: engaged in work for a continuous period of at least three months before the birth of child, and have lost income during the paternity leave period.
Under the GPML scheme, the first eight weeks' salary for a mother's first and second births will be paid by the employer. The last eight weeks will be reimbursed by the Government.
The full 16 weeks will be covered by the Government for a mother's third and subsequent births.
For 12 weeks of maternity leave, the employer will pay the usual monthly salary for the first eight weeks. The last four weeks are unpaid, unless otherwise stated in one's employment contract.
Paternity leave
Eligible working fathers, including those who are self-employed, get two weeks of paid paternity leave funded by the Government.
Each week is capped at $2,500, including CPF contributions.
To be entitled to Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL), a working father must fulfil the following requirements:
- Child is a Singapore citizen;
- Lawfully married to the child's mother between conception and birth;
- For employees: served employer for a continuous period of at least three months before the birth of child;
- For self-employed: engaged in work for a continuous period of at least three months before the birth of child, and have lost income during the paternity leave period.
Shared parental leave
A working father can apply to share one week of his wife's 16 weeks of GPML.
This is subject to his wife's agreement, and is capped at $2,500, including CPF contributions.
It can be taken either in one continuous week, or split into working days in any combination within 12 months after the birth of the child.
To be eligible, a father's child must be a Singapore citizen; the child's mother qualifies for GPML; and the father is lawfully married to the child's mother.
Adoption leave
Four weeks of government-funded leave for adoptive mothers, capped at $10,000. The leave can start from their formal intention to adopt, and must be consumed before the child's first birthday.
Changes from July 1, 2017: Adoption leave will be extended to 12 weeks for adoptive mothers who adopt a child below 12 months old
To be eligible, the following criteria must be met:
- Adopted child is below the age of 12 months at the point of the mother's formal intent to adopt;
- Adopted child is a Singapore citizen; if the child is a foreigner, one of the adoptive parents must be a Singapore citizen and the child must become a Singapore citizen within six months of the adoption;
- Must be lawfully married at the point of formal intent to adopt;
- Must have served employer or been self-employed for a continuous period of at least three months immediately before the formal intent to adopt;
- Adoption order must be passed within a year from the formal intent to adopt.
Source: Ministry of Manpower website
