Tell your employer, and check which maternity leave you get
Your maternity leave depends on the baby's citizenship, not yours. Checked against mom.gov.sg on 22 September 2026.
- Who it applies to
- People who are employed
- On your timeline
- Paperbump schedules this usually between week 16 and week 18 of the pregnancy
- Official source
- mom.gov.sg
- Last checked
- 22 September 2026
What else to know
If the baby will be a Singapore citizen you get 16 weeks of Government-Paid Maternity Leave, and since 1 April 2025 that needs at least 4 weeks' notice to your employer — not 1 week — or you are entitled to only half the pay unless you had a good enough reason. If not, which is the case for most expat couples, you get 12 weeks under the Employment Act, provided you have served your employer for at least 3 continuous months before the birth: the first 8 weeks paid by your employer, the last 4 unpaid. One condition people miss on that employer-paid 8 weeks: you must have fewer than 2 living children of your own at the time of delivery. You can start the leave up to 4 weeks before the due date. Tell them early and in writing, and agree the dates.
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