Paternity Leave Policy in Singapore

We have previously discussed Singapore’s maternity leave policy, but is there a policy that covers paternity leave for fathers? Yes, there is! Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has provided a comprehensive plan to regulate this. Working fathers who are qualified, including self-employed fathers, are entitled to two weeks of paid paternity leave subsidized by the government. Here is all you need to know about it.

Eligibility

If you are a working father, you are eligible for Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL) for all newborns if they meet the following criteria: your child is a Singaporean and between pregnancy and birth, you are or were legally married to the child's mother. If you are an employee, you must have worked for your company for at least three months prior to the birth of your child. If you are self-employed, you need to have already been working for at least three months prior to the birth of your child and have lost income during the paternity leave period.

Entitlement

You are entitled to two weeks of Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL), and your weekly GPPL entitlement is determined by the number of working days in a week. For example, if you work six days each week, you will receive 12 days of GPPL. As a working father, fathers of citizen children born (or with EDD) on or after January 1, 2017, are eligible to two weeks of GPPL. The weekly GPPL limit is $2,500, including CPF contributions.

Here is a table provided by Singapore’s MOM to give you a better insight on this:

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Shared Parental Leave

Aside from this Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL), you can take an additional 4 weeks of shared parental leave. You can now apply as a working father to share up to 4 weeks of your wife's 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave, subject to your wife's approval. If you are a working father, even self-employed fathers, you are eligible for shared parental leave if you fulfill the following criteria:

• Your child is a Singaporean.
• The mother of the child is entitled for government-paid maternity leave (GPML).
• You are legally married to the mother of the child.

If your citizen child is born or has an estimated delivery date (EDD) on or after July 1, 2017, you are eligible for up to four weeks of shared parental leave, with a weekly maximum of $2,500 including CPF. Shared parental leave is provided in full-week increments; for example, your wife may give 1 to 4 weeks of shared parental leave. However, if your Singaporean child is born or has an EDD before July 1, 2017, you are eligible to one week of shared parental leave, with a cap of $2,500 including CPF.

Here is a table provided by Singapore’s MOM regarding shared parental leave:

You can visit this link to find out more about shared parental leave.

How to Claim for Paternity Leave

If you are an employee considering paternity leave, notify your employer as soon as possible so that they can verify your eligibility and create suitable work arrangements. Submit the declaration form (GPPL1) to your employer together with all supporting documentation. For you to identify your eligibility, your company may use its own declaration form or process. Apply for GPPL using your company's leave application processes.

The process is a bit different if you are a self-employed father when you are applying for Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL). First, keep a record of your GPPL dates. Then, no later than three months following the end of your GPPL, submit your claim online using the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal. You may track the status of your application on the GPL Portal. Once your application has been processed, you will be notified. As a self-employed individual, you will be entitled for compensation for income lost while taking the GPPL. This is determined using your applicable Notice of Assessment from the Singapore Inland Revenue Authority (IRAS). Here is a full list of the standard service processing time. 

Raising a kid takes more than just a mother’s role; fathers need to be just as involved before, during and after a childbirth. Thanks to Singapore’s comprehensive Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL) policy, this is made possible. Good luck, fathers!

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image source: UNICEF Connect