Childcare Leave (Singapore)
Statutory paid leave granted to working parents in Singapore to care for their young children, with entitlements varying based on the child's age and the employee's citizenship status under the Child Development Co-Savings Act.
- What Is Childcare Leave in Singapore?
- Eligibility Criteria for Childcare Leave
- Childcare Leave Entitlements: Full Breakdown
- Government-Paid Childcare Leave: How Reimbursement Works
- Singapore Childcare Leave vs Other Countries
- Childcare Leave Usage Statistics [2026]
- How to Administer Childcare Leave in Your HRIS
- Common Mistakes Employers Make with Childcare Leave
- Frequently Asked Questions About Childcare Leave in Singapore
What Is Childcare Leave in Singapore?
Key Takeaways
- ✓Parents of children under 7 who are Singapore citizens get 6 days of paid childcare leave per year (3 employer-paid, 3 government-paid). PR parents get 2 employer-paid days.
- ✓Parents with children aged 7 to 12 receive 2 days of extended childcare leave per year (employer-paid), but only for Singapore citizen children.
- ✓Eligibility requires at least 3 months of continuous service with the current employer.
- ✓The leave is per parent, not per child. Having three children doesn't triple the entitlement.
- ✓Unused childcare leave doesn't carry over to the next year. It's strictly use-it-or-lose-it.
Childcare leave is part of Singapore's suite of pro-family employment protections. It exists because the government recognized that working parents need time off specifically for their children, whether that's for school events, medical appointments, or simply spending time together during school holidays. The entitlement comes from the Child Development Co-Savings Act (CDCA), not the Employment Act, which matters because the CDCA has its own eligibility criteria. The most important distinction is citizenship. Parents of Singaporean citizen children get significantly more leave than parents of PR children. This is deliberate policy tied to Singapore's push to boost its birth rate. For HR teams, the tricky part is tracking eligibility correctly. You need to know the child's age, the child's citizenship status, the employee's length of service, and whether the employee has already used their entitlement for the year. Get any of these wrong, and you'll either shortchange the employee or grant leave they aren't entitled to.
Eligibility Criteria for Childcare Leave
Both the employee and the child must meet specific conditions. Here's the full breakdown.
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Employee type | Covered under the Employment Act or a contract of service (includes part-time employees) |
| Length of service | At least 3 continuous months with the current employer |
| Child's age (standard) | Under 7 years old for the 6-day or 2-day entitlement |
| Child's age (extended) | 7 to 12 years old for the 2-day extended entitlement |
| Child's citizenship (6 days) | Child must be a Singapore citizen |
| Child's citizenship (2 days) | Child who is a PR or non-citizen qualifies for the 2-day employer-paid entitlement only |
| Relationship | Biological parent, adoptive parent, or step-parent of the child |
| Per parent | Each parent gets their own entitlement. Both parents working for the same company each get their full allocation |
Childcare Leave Entitlements: Full Breakdown
The entitlement structure has multiple tiers based on child's age, citizenship, and the employee's status.
Standard childcare leave (child under 7)
For Singapore citizen children: 6 days per year per parent. The first 3 days are employer-paid. The remaining 3 days are government-paid (capped at $500 per day, including CPF contributions). For PR children or non-citizen children: 2 days per year per parent, fully employer-paid. No government reimbursement applies. Part-time employees receive prorated entitlements based on their working hours relative to a full-time equivalent.
Extended childcare leave (child aged 7 to 12)
Only available when the child is a Singapore citizen. The entitlement is 2 days per year per parent, fully employer-paid. There's no government co-payment for extended childcare leave. This entitlement was introduced in 2008 to extend family support beyond the early childhood years. Once the youngest qualifying child turns 13, the entitlement stops completely.
Unpaid infant care leave
In addition to paid childcare leave, parents of Singapore citizen children under 2 get 6 days of unpaid infant care leave per year. This is separate from and on top of the 6 days of paid childcare leave. Total leave available for a parent with a Singapore citizen child under 2: 6 paid days + 6 unpaid days = 12 days per year dedicated to childcare.
Government-Paid Childcare Leave: How Reimbursement Works
Understanding the government co-payment saves your company money and ensures employees get their full entitlement.
Claim process
Employers pay the employee's full salary for all 6 days upfront. After the leave is taken, employers submit a reimbursement claim to the government for the 3 government-paid days through the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) portal. The government reimburses up to $500 per day (inclusive of CPF contributions). If the employee's daily salary exceeds $500, the employer absorbs the difference for those 3 days. Claims must be submitted within 3 months of the leave being taken.
Cap calculation
The $500 daily cap is calculated based on the employee's gross daily rate of pay. For monthly-rated employees, the daily rate is: monthly gross salary / number of working days in the month. If an employee earns $8,000 per month with 22 working days, their daily rate is $363.64, which is under the cap. The government reimburses the full amount plus employer CPF contributions on that amount. For an employee earning $15,000 per month (daily rate: $681.82), the government reimburses $500 per day, and the employer pays the remaining $181.82 per day for the 3 government-paid days.
Singapore Childcare Leave vs Other Countries
How does Singapore's childcare leave compare to similar entitlements in other jurisdictions?
| Country | Childcare Leave Entitlement | Child's Age Limit | Paid/Unpaid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 6 days (citizens) / 2 days (PRs) + 2 days extended | Under 7 (standard), 7 to 12 (extended) | Paid (government co-funded for citizens) |
| South Korea | Up to 1 year per parent | Under 9 or Grade 2 | Paid (80% of salary, capped) |
| Germany | 10 days per parent per child per year (sick childcare) | Under 12 | Paid (via health insurance) |
| Australia | No specific childcare leave (covered under personal/carer's leave) | N/A | 10 days paid personal/carer's leave |
| United Kingdom | 18 weeks unpaid parental leave per child | Under 18 | Unpaid |
| Japan | Childcare leave until child turns 1 (extendable to 2) | Under 1 to 2 | Paid (67% for first 180 days, then 50%) |
Childcare Leave Usage Statistics [2026]
Data showing how childcare leave is used in Singapore and the broader family-leave context.
How to Administer Childcare Leave in Your HRIS
Getting childcare leave right in your HR system prevents payroll errors and ensures correct government claims.
- Set up childcare leave as a distinct leave type, separate from annual leave, sick leave, and parental leave.
- Track each employee's qualifying children: date of birth, citizenship status, and relationship to the employee.
- Configure different entitlement tiers: 6 days for citizen children under 7, 2 days for PR/non-citizen children under 7, 2 days extended for citizen children aged 7 to 12.
- Set the leave balance to reset on January 1 each year with no carryover.
- Tag 3 of the 6 citizen-child days as government-reclaimable and build a reminder workflow for submitting GPL claims within the 3-month window.
- Prorate entitlements for employees who join mid-year based on the remaining months in the calendar year.
- Run an annual audit in December to flag employees whose children will age out of eligibility the following year.
Common Mistakes Employers Make with Childcare Leave
These errors lead to MOM complaints, incorrect pay, and missed government reimbursements.
Confusing per-child with per-parent entitlements
The childcare leave entitlement is per parent, not per child. An employee with three children under 7 still gets 6 days, not 18. The youngest qualifying child determines eligibility. If you have one child aged 5 (citizen) and one aged 10 (citizen), you get 6 days of standard childcare leave (because of the under-7 child) and 2 days of extended childcare leave (because of the 7-to-12 child). But you don't get 8 days total. The standard and extended entitlements are separate buckets.
Missing the government reimbursement claim
Employers who forget to submit GPL claims within 3 months lose the reimbursement permanently. For a team of 20 parents each taking 3 government-paid days at $500 per day, that's $30,000 left on the table. Set up calendar reminders or automated workflows triggered by childcare leave approvals.
Not verifying child's citizenship status
The entitlement difference between a Singapore citizen child and a PR child is significant: 6 days vs 2 days. Some employers grant 6 days to all parents without checking, then can't claim government reimbursement because the child isn't a citizen. Collect the child's birth certificate or citizenship certificate as part of your onboarding documentation for parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can both parents take childcare leave on the same day?
Does childcare leave apply to adoptive parents?
What happens when the child turns 7 mid-year?
Can an employer refuse a childcare leave request?
Is childcare leave prorated for new joiners?
Do part-time employees get childcare leave?
Written by Adithyan RK