In short: employees covered by Singapore's Employment Act get 7 to 14 days of paid annual leave depending on service, 14 days of outpatient sick leave and up to 60 days of hospitalisation leave, 11 public holidays, and access to government-paid maternity (16 weeks), paternity (4 weeks) and shared parental leave (10 weeks for children born on or after 1 April 2026).
Annual leave
Employees with at least 3 months of service are entitled to paid annual leave:
| Year of service | Days of annual leave |
|---|---|
| 1st year | 7 |
| 2nd year | 8 |
| 3rd year | 9 |
| 4th year | 10 |
| 5th year | 11 |
| 6th year | 12 |
| 7th year | 13 |
| 8th year and after | 14 |
Leave is pro-rated for employees who have served at least 3 months but less than a full year. Companies may give more leave than the statutory minimum, and many do.
Sick and hospitalisation leave
| Months of service | Outpatient sick leave | Hospitalisation leave* |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | 5 days | 15 days |
| 4 months | 8 days | 30 days |
| 5 months | 11 days | 45 days |
| 6 months and after | 14 days | 60 days |
Maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
- Maternity leave: 16 weeks of government-paid maternity leave for eligible working mothers of Singapore Citizen children.
- Paternity leave: 4 weeks of government-paid paternity leave for eligible fathers of children born on or after 1 April 2025, which employers must grant.
- Shared parental leave: 6 weeks for children born from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, increasing to 10 weeks for children born on or after 1 April 2026, shared between both parents.
Employers pay the employee and then claim reimbursement from the government, so accurate leave records matter.
Childcare leave
Eligible parents get 6 days of childcare leave a year if they have a Singapore Citizen child below 7 years old, and 2 days of extended childcare leave a year for children aged 7 to 12.
Public holidays
Singapore has 11 gazetted public holidays each year. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday. If an employee works on a public holiday or it falls on their rest day or non-working day, employers must give an extra day's pay or a day off in lieu, as set out by MOM.
HRMatters applies all of these entitlements automatically, pro-rates them for new joiners, and gives you a clean record for government reimbursement claims.
This guide is general information for Singapore employers, not legal or tax advice. Rates and rules change; always confirm against official CPF Board, IRAS and MOM sources.