All About Employee Leave & PTO in Singapore
Learn what you need to know about leave requirements in Singapore and how Justworks EOR can help you streamline hiring.
How an EOR Can Help with Employee Leave & PTO
Employers should know the rules governing protected employee leave and paid annual holidays when hiring in Singapore. Working with a global employer of record like Justworks can provide tailored support and assistance on HR tasks, saving you considerable time, effort, and resources. Through our EOR services, Justworks offers guidance to ensure your company’s leave policies align with Singaporean standards.
Employee Leave & PTO Expectations in Singapore
Employees in Singapore are entitled to receive time off for public holidays, maternity/paternity and parental leave, vacation leave, sick leave, and medical leave.
Vacation Leave
How much vacation leave an employee receives depends on how long an employee has worked for their employer:
Under and up to 12 months of service: Seven days
After 12 months of service: One additional day per year of service, up to 14 days total
Personal Leave
All male employees in Singapore are required to enlist in the military. Employers must grant time off if an employee is called for national service. Employers can decide if they want to continue to make social security contributions while the employee is on active military service. If they do, employers are entitled to a tax deduction through the Ministry of Defense after the employee returns.
Sick Leave
Yearly sick leave and medical leave entitlements depend on the length of employment:
Three to six months: up to 11 days for cases that don’t require hospitalization or 15-25 days for cases that require hospitalization
Six months: 14 days for cases that don’t require hospitalization or 60 days of sick leave for cases that require hospitalization
Maternity Leave
Generally, female employees are entitled to 16 weeks of statutory maternity leave. To qualify the employee must have been employed for three months and their newborn must be a Singaporean citizen or become a Singaporean citizen within 12 months of birth. Employees ineligible for the full 16 weeks of maternity leave may qualify to receive their full gross pay as a contractual benefit for up to eight weeks of leave.
Paternity Leave
Eligible male employees who’ve been employed for at least three months up to childbirth are entitled to four weeks of paternity leave. To qualify, their child must either be a Singaporean citizen or become a Singaporean citizen within 12 months of birth. New fathers must be legally married to the mother at the time of conception or legally marry the mother before the child is born or within 12 months of the child’s birth.
Parental Leave
Besides maternity and paternity leave benefits, employers are also required to grant various forms of parental leave, including:
Adoption Leave: Adopting mothers are entitled to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
Childcare Leave: Female employees may be entitled to six days of paid parental leave to care for children under the age of seven.
Extended Childcare Leave: Eligible female employees may be entitled to extended leave to care for children between the ages of seven and 13.
Infant Care Leave: In certain circumstances, new mothers are entitled to up to 12 days of unpaid infant care leave.
Shared Parental Leave: Eligible female employees are entitled to share up to four weeks of their maternity leave with their male spouse.
Public Holidays in Singapore
All employees in Singapore are entitled to 11 public holidays off. If the public holiday falls on a weekend, they must receive the next working day off. Employers and employees may agree to substitute additional days off for working on a public holiday.
Public holidays in Singapore:
New Year’s Day: January 1
Chinese New Year: Two days
Hari Raya Puasa
Hari Raya Haji
Good Friday
Labour Day: May 1
Vesak Day
National Day: August 9
Deepavali
Christmas Day: December 25
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