About the scheme
You may be eligible for cash-equivalent benefits in the form of Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit, Shared Parental Leave Benefit and Adoption Benefit if you have worked for at least a total of 90 days (continuously or non-continuously) in the 12 months prior to your child’s date of birth or adoptive child’s Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date, and you are not entitled to Government-Paid Leave schemes:
- as an employee under a contract of employment;
- as a self-employed parent (SEP) (i.e. you are not self-employed for at least 3 months prior to your child’s date of birth or adoptive child’s FIA date);
- as your employment has been terminated upon completion of your contract service;
- as you have been retrenched; or
- as you are on no-pay leave (at your request) for a continuous period ending at least 12 months after your child's date of birth.
Find out more based on your profile below.
For biological mothers
You will be eligible for Government-Paid Maternity Benefit and Shared Parental Leave Benefit. You can find out how the cash-equivalent benefit is calculated here.
| Scheme | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Government-Paid Maternity Benefit (GPMB) |
Eligible mothers who do not qualify for Maternity Leave (ML) due to their employment arrangements can enjoy Government-Paid Maternity Benefit. For the 1st and 2nd child order:
For the 3rd and subsequent child order:
|
| Shared Parental Leave Benefit (SPB) |
Eligible mothers who do not qualify for Shared Parental Leave (SPL) due to their employment arrangements can enjoy Shared Parental Leave Benefit. For child born from 1 April 2026 onwards**:
For child born from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026:
The Government will reimburse you for your income* in the weeks allocated to you in your sharing arrangement (i.e. number of weeks allocated to each parent), capped at $2,500 per 7 days. |
* Based on your aggregate gross rate of pay, employer CPF contribution and net trade income during the 12 months immediately before the child’s date of birth (computed by dividing total income in the 12 months over 365 days).
** If your child has an estimated delivery date that is on or after 1 Apr 2026, but is born before 1 Apr 2026, you may be eligible for 10 weeks of SPL. Please contact us via the form link in your acknowledgement email after completing your child’s birth registration on LifeSG.
1. Child’s profile
- Your child is a Singapore Citizen (SC) at birth or becomes a SC within 12 months from your child’s date of birth (inclusive of date of birth).
- For Shared Parental Leave Benefit, your child’s date of birth / estimated delivery date is on or after 1 Apr 2025.
2. Employment status
- You are not entitled for leave schemes:
- as an employee under a contract of employment;
- as a self-employed parent (SEP);
- as your employment has been terminated upon completion of your contract service*;
- as you have been retrenched; or
- as you are on no-pay leave (at your request) for a continuous period ending at least 12 months after your child's date of birth.
- You have been employed by one or more employers and / or have been self-employed (whether in Singapore or outside Singapore) for at least 90 days (continuously or non-continuously) in the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth.
- If you have been employed or self-employed outside Singapore:
- You are a resident in Singapore, and
- You are no longer employed or self-employed outside Singapore on your child’s date of birth.
* Leave not taken before the contract expires will be forfeited.
Government-Paid Maternity Benefit
1. Record your GPMB dates
- Record all start and end dates of your employment contract(s) or trade / business periods in the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth.
2. Submit your claim
- Submit your claims no later than 15 months after your child’s date of birth.
- Submit your claims online via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal under “Maternity Leave / Benefit”.
3. Check application status
- You may check your application status on the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal.
- If additional information is required, an officer will follow up with you after your submission.
Shared Parental Leave Benefit
1. Plan with your spouse
- Discuss your sharing arrangement (i.e. number of weeks of SPL allocated to each parent) with your spouse.
2. Submit your sharing arrangement
- Submit your sharing arrangement via LifeSG after your child’s birth using the Birth Registration service or Manage SPL Sharing Arrangement service.
3. Record your SPB dates
- Record all start and end dates of your employment contract(s) or trade / business periods in the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth.
4. Submit your claim
- Submit your claims no later than 15 months after your child’s date of birth.
- Submit your claims online via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal under “Shared Parental Leave / Benefit”.
5. Check application status
- You may check your application status on the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal.
- If additional information is required, an officer will follow up with you after your submission.
For adoptive mothers
You will be eligible for Government-Paid Adoption Benefit and Shared Parental Leave Benefit. You can find out how the cash-equivalent benefit is calculated here.
| Scheme | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Government-Paid Adoption Benefit (GPAB) |
Eligible mothers who do not qualify for Adoption Leave (AL) due to their employment arrangements can enjoy Government-Paid Adoption Benefit. For the 1st and 2nd child order:
For the 3rd and subsequent child order:
|
| Shared Parental Leave Benefit (SPB) |
Eligible mothers who do not qualify for Shared Parental Leave (SPL) due to their employment arrangements can enjoy Shared Parental Leave Benefit. Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date from 1 April 2-26 onwards:
Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026:
The Government will reimburse you for your income* in the weeks allocated to you in your sharing arrangement (i.e. number of weeks allocated to each parent), capped at $2,500 per 7 days. |
*Based on your aggregate gross rate of pay, employer CPF contribution and net trade income during the 12 months immediately before the child’s FIA date (computed by dividing total income in the 12 months over 365 days).
1. Child’s profile
- You apply to adopt a child in accordance with any Singapore law relating to the adopting of children.
- Your child is below 12 months old on your Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date.
- For Shared Parental Leave Benefit, your child’s FIA date is on or after 1 Apr 2025.
2. Parent’s profile
- You are not the biological mother of the child.
- If your child is not a Singapore Citizen (SC), either you or your husband (if he is a joint applicant to the adoption) has been a SC since the date on which the dependent’s pass (DP) is issued.
3. Employment status
- You are not entitled for leave schemes:
- as an employee under a contract of employment;
- as a self-employed parent (SEP);
- as your employment has been terminated upon completion of your contract service*;
- as you have been retrenched; or
- as you are on no-pay leave (at your request) for a continuous period ending at least 12 months after your child's date of birth.
- You have been employed by one or more employers and / or have been self-employed (whether in Singapore or outside Singapore) for at least 90 days (continuously or non-continuously) in the 12 months immediately before your child’s FIA date.
- If you have been employed or self-employed outside Singapore:
- You are a resident in Singapore, and
- You are no longer employed or self-employed outside Singapore on your child’s FIA date.
* Leave not taken before the contract expires will be forfeited.
| To note |
|---|
|
The Government may recover the whole or any part of the payment for the benefit reimbursed / granted if:
|
Government-Paid Adoption Benefit
1. Record your GPAB dates
- Record all start and end dates of your employment contract(s) or trade / business periods in the 12 months immediately before your child’s Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date.
2. Submit your claim
- Submit your claims no later than 15 months after your child’s date of birth.
- Submit your claims online via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal under “Adoption Leave / Benefit”.
3. Check application status
- You may check your application status on the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal.
- If additional information is required, an officer will follow up with you after your submission.
Shared Parental Leave Benefit
1. Plan with your spouse
- Discuss your sharing arrangement (i.e. number of weeks of SPL allocated to each parent) with your spouse.
2. Submit your sharing arrangement
- Submit your sharing arrangement via LifeSG after your child’s Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date using the Birth Registration service or Manage SPL Sharing Arrangement service.
3. Record your SPB dates
- Record all start and end dates of your employment contract(s) or trade / business periods in the 12 months immediately before your child’s FIA date.
4. Submit your claim
- Submit your claims no later than 15 months after your child’s date of birth.
- Submit your claims online via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal under “Shared Parental Leave / Benefit”.
5. Check application status
- You may check your application status on the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal.
- If additional information is required, an officer will follow up with you after your submission.
For biological and adoptive fathers
You will be eligible for Government-Paid Paternity Benefit and Shared Parental Leave Benefit. You can find out how the cash-equivalent benefit is calculated here.
| Scheme | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Government-Paid Paternity Benefit (GPPB) |
Eligible fathers who do not qualify for Paternity Leave (PL) due to their employment arrangements can enjoy Government-Paid Paternity Benefit.
|
| Shared Parental Leave Benefit (SPB) |
Eligible fathers who do not qualify for Shared Parental Leave (SPL) due to their employment arrangements can enjoy Shared Parental Leave Benefit. For child born / Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date from 1 April 2026 onwards**:
For child born / Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date from 1 April 2025 to March 2026:
The Government will reimburse you for your income* in the weeks allocated to you in your sharing arrangement (i.e. number of weeks allocated to each parent), capped at $2,500 per 7 days. |
* Based on your aggregate gross rate of pay, employer CPF contribution and net trade income during the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth or adoptive child’s FIA date (computed by dividing total income in the 12 months over 365 days).
** If your child has an estimated delivery date that is on or after 1 Apr 2026, but is born before 1 Apr 2026, you may be eligible for 10 weeks of SPL. Please contact us via the form link in your acknowledgement email after completing your child’s birth registration on LifeSG.
For biological fathers
1. Child’s profile
- Your child is a Singapore Citizen (SC) at birth or becomes a SC within 12 months from your child’s date of birth (inclusive of date of birth).
- For Shared Parental Leave Benefit, your child’s date of birth / estimated delivery date is on or after 1 Apr 2025.
2. Marital status
- You are / were married to your child’s mother:
- At some point between conception and before your child’s birth (regardless of whether such marriage remains subsisting at the time of your child’s birth); or
- Within 12 months from your child’s date of birth (inclusive of date of birth).
3. Employment status
- You are not entitled for leave schemes:
- as an employee under a contract of employment;
- as a self-employed parent (SEP);
- as your employment has been terminated upon completion of your contract service*;
- as you have been retrenched; or
- as you are on no-pay leave (at your request) for a continuous period ending at least 12 months after your child's date of birth.
- You have been employed by one or more employers and / or have been self-employed (whether in Singapore or outside Singapore) for at least 90 days (continuously or non-continuously) in the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth.
- If you have been employed or self-employed outside Singapore:
- You are a resident in Singapore, and
- You are no longer employed or self-employed outside Singapore on your child’s date of birth.
- Leave not taken before the contract expires will be forfeited.
For adoptive fathers
1. Child’s profile
- You apply to adopt a child in accordance with any Singapore law relating to the adopting of children.
- Your child is below 12 months old on your Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date.
- For Shared Parental Leave Benefit, your child’s FIA date is on or after 1 Apr 2025.
2. Parent’s profile
- You are not the biological father of the child.
- If your child is not a Singapore Citizen (SC), either you or your wife (if she is a joint applicant to the adoption) has been a SC since the date on which the dependent’s pass (DP) is issued.
3. Employment status
- You are not entitled for leave schemes:
- as an employee under a contract of employment;
- as a self-employed parent (SEP);
- as your employment has been terminated upon completion of your contract service*;
- as you have been retrenched; or
- as you are on no-pay leave (at your request) for a continuous period ending at least 12 months after your child's date of birth.
- You have been employed by one or more employers and / or have been self-employed (whether in Singapore or outside Singapore) for at least 90 days in the 12 months immediately before your child’s FIA date.
- If you have been employed or self-employed outside Singapore:
- You are a resident in Singapore, and
- You are no longer employed or self-employed outside Singapore on your child’s FIA date.
- Leave not taken before the contract expires will be forfeited.
| To note |
|---|
|
The Government may recover the whole or any part of the payment for the benefit reimbursed / granted if:
|
Government-Paid Paternity Benefit
- Record all start and end dates of your employment contract(s) or trade / business periods in the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth or Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date.
2. Submit your claim
- Submit your claims no later than 15 months after your child’s date of birth.
- Submit your claims online via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal under “Paternity Leave / Benefit”.
3. Check application status
- You may check your application status on the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal.
- If additional information is required, an officer will follow up with you after your submission.
Shared Parental Leave Benefit
1. Plan with your spouse
- Discuss your sharing arrangement (i.e. number of weeks of SPL allocated to each parent) with your spouse.
2. Submit your sharing arrangement
- Submit your sharing arrangement via LifeSG after your child’s birth or Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA) date using the Birth Registration service or Manage SPL Sharing Arrangement service.
3. Record your SPB dates
- Record all start and end dates of your employment contract(s) or trade / business periods in the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth or FIA date.
4. Submit your claim
- Submit your claims no later than 15 months after your child’s date of birth.
- Submit your claims online via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal under “Shared Parental Leave / Benefit”.
5. Check application status
- You may check your application status on the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) Portal.
- If additional information is required, an officer will follow up with you after your submission.
