Childcare Leave in Singapore [enhanced]

Child Care Leave in Singapore is provided for under Part IX of the Singapore Employment Act, and Part III of the Singapore Child Development Co-Savings Act.

 

Eligibility under the Employment Act

Parents of non-citizens or single (unmarried) parents covered under the Employment Act are entitled to two days of childcare leave per year if:

• The child (including legally adopted children or stepchildren) is below seven years of age; and
• The employee has worked for the employer for at least three months.

Childcare leave for each parent is capped at two days per year regardless of the number of qualifying children.

Fixed-term contract/temporary/part-time employees are entitled to childcare leave, provided an employee has served the employer for a period of not less than three months.  The entitlement for non full-time employees is pro-rated according to the formula below:

Eligibility under the Child Development Co-Savings Act

An employee is entitled to six days of childcare leave per year if he/she is covered under the Child Development Co-Savings Act. The Child Development Co-Savings Act covers all parents of Singapore citizens, including managerial, executive or confidential staff if all four of the following conditions are met:

1. The child (including legally adopted children or stepchildren) is below seven years of age on or after 31 October 2008;
2. The child is a Singapore Citizen;
3. The child’s parents are lawfully married (including divorced or widowed parents); and
4. The employee has worked for the employer for at least three months.

The first three days of childcare leave will be employer-paid and the last three days Government-paid (capped at $500 per day, including CPF).

From 1 May 2013, each parent will be entitled to 2 days of Government-Paid Childcare Leave if they have a Singapore Citizen child between the ages of 7 and 12 and meet the condition (2), (3) & (4) above.

Parents with children in both age groups, i.e. those below 7 years, as well as those between 7 and 12 years, will have a total child care leave entitlement of 6 days per year for each parent.

The 2 days of child care leave for parents with children between the ages of 7 and 12 will be funded by the Government (capped at $500 per day including CPF contributions).

OR

• The parent is self-employed and has been engaged in a particular business / trade / profession for a continuous duration of at least three months; and has lost income as a result of not engaging in the trade, business, profession or vocation during the childcare leave period.

The first three days of childcare leave will be employer-paid and the last three days Government-paid (capped at $500 per day, including CPF). Regardless of the number of children, the total childcare leave entitlement for each parent is capped at six days per year until the year the child turns seven years old.

 

The number of days of childcare leave that a working parent can benefit from will add up to a total of 42 days over a seven-year period.

Childcare leave is prorated for employees who are new, or who terminate their employment contracts are calculated as follows:

Related sites:

• Infant care leave
• Paternity leave