Resource

Maternity Leave

Waiting to start on your journey of motherhood once your little bundle of joy arrives but also worried that you do not have a rest period from work to recover? In Singapore, a law is implemented to allow expecting working mothers to take time off to spend time with their new-borns while recovering from pregnancy and childbirth. This is called the Maternity Leave.

A working mother is entitled to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave if she meets the following criteria:

• The child is a Singapore Citizen
• For employee who has served her employer for at least 3 months before the birth of her child
• If she has given her employer at least 1 week’s notice before going on maternity leave and informed as soon as possible of her delivery. If not, she is only entitled to half the payment during maternity leave

 

Below shows the leave duration and maternity leave pay an eligible working mother is entitled to if her child is a Singapore citizen.

For the first and second child

Maternity leave duration = 16 weeks

Paid maternity leave by employer = First 8 weeks

Paid maternity leave by government = Pay for 9^th to 16^th week, capped at $10,000 per 4 weeks or a total of $20,000 per child order

For the third child and onwards

Maternity leave duration = 16 weeks

Paid maternity leave by employer = Not applicable

Paid maternity leave by government = Pay for full 16 weeks, capped at $10,000 per 4 weeks or a total of $40,000 per child order

 

In the event where the child is a Non-Singaporean citizen, a working mother needs to have served her employer at least 3 continuous months before the birth of her child to be entitled to maternity leave. Her leave entitlement and leave pay is as follows.

Maternity leave duration = 12 weeks

Paid maternity leave by employer = First 8 weeks of maternity leave during the mother’s first and second pregnancy.

Employers can also pay the mother during the last 4 weeks of maternity leave depending on mutual agreement in her employment contract. 

 

More details about Maternity Leave can be found at https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/maternity-leave/eligibility-and-entitlement

 

How to apply?

At company using WhyzeHR HR & Payroll Software

As an employee:

1. Inform your employer in advance of your leave arrangement, or submit a Plan Leave in WhyzeHR Employee Self Service (ESS) portal.
2. Submit the Plan Leave for approval. Or, if Plan Leave is not submitted in Step 1, submit a maternity leave application directly in ESS for approval instead. 

 

As an employer:

1. Approve employee’s maternity leave application in ESS portal.
2. Generate a pre-filled in GPML form via WhyzeHR for your record.
3. Submit your employee’s claims online via the GPL Portal no later than 3 months after the last date of your employee’s maternity leave taken.

 

 

At company NOT using WhyzeHR HR & Payroll Software

As an employee:

1. Inform your employer in advance of your leave arrangement.
2. Fill up and submit the declaration form (GPML1) to your employer with all the necessary supporting documents.
3. Apply for maternity leave according to your employer’s leave application procedures.

 

As an employer:

1. Obtain the declaration form (GPML1) and supporting documents from your employee.
2. Submit your employee’s claims via the GPL Portal in a period of 3 months from the last day of your employee’s maternity leave.
3. Log in to GPL Portal to check your application status. A notification will be sent to you and your employee once your application is processed.

 

Link to download GPML1 form:

https://www.profamilyleave.gov.sg/Documents/PDF/GPML1.pdf

 

Link to GPL portal:

https://www.profamilyleave.gov.sg/Pages/LoginToEservice.aspx?Module=Employee

 

For a detailed demo on how to apply GPML for employers, visit

https://www.profamilyleave.gov.sg/Pages/Online-Demo-Detail.aspx?categoryId=Government-Paid%20Maternity%20Leave&subcatId=View%20Demo%20For%20Employers

 

Whyze HR & Payroll software streamlines maternity leave application and approval process. The system generated GPML form enables employers to submit claims to GPL portal easily. To find out more, call us at 6838 0161 or email us at enquiry@whyze.com.sg.