10 extra weeks of shared parental leave by April 2026

Two extra weeks of voluntary paternity leave to be mandatory from April 1, 2025

- Shermaine Ang

Parents-to-be will get another 10 weeks of shared leave on top of their current leave entitlement, bringing the total amount of government-paid parental leave to 30 weeks by April 1, 2026.

The two extra weeks of voluntary paternity leave will also be made mandatory from April 1, 2025, meaning that employers must grant such leave applications.

The changes are being made in response to feedback that parents would like more time with their children, and to encourage dads to play a bigger role, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his first National Day Rally speech on Aug 18. They are part of efforts to build a more family-friendly Singapore, he added.

In short: Mums get 16 weeks of maternity leave, while dads get four weeks of paternity leave. On top of that, parents will have 10 weeks of leave to be shared between them. This works out to around 72 months of paid leave for parents of Singaporean babies.

To give employers time to adjust, changes to the shared parental leave scheme will be made in two phases, starting with six weeks of shared leave from April 1, 2025, then the full 10 weeks from April 1, 2026.

These moves were among the key announcements in PM Wong's Aug 18 speech. An additional two weeks of voluntary paternity leave had been introduced in January 2024, with the intention of making it mandatory at a suitable time.

PM Wong spoke of changing attitudes and mindsets, noting that Singapore has come a long way in promoting women's development.

"But I think some of us still believe that fathers should be the exclusive breadwinners, and mothers the main caregivers. That has to change.

"Women these days have every opportunity to excel in their careers. It's not possible for them to pursue their goals and still carry a heavier share of the caregiving and housework responsibilities.