Shared Parental Leave Phase 2: Now in Effect
What employers and employment lawyers should be looking out for.
LEGAL PULSE · SINGAPORE · MAY 2026
From 1 April 2026, eligible working parents of Singapore Citizen children born on or after that date are entitled to 10 weeks of Shared Parental Leave (SPL). Phase 2 of the expanded SPL scheme has commenced, bringing the total pool of government-paid parental leave to 30 weeks for the first time. The change is not complex, but it has direct implications for employment contracts, leave policies, payroll configurations, and how employers handle reallocation requests. Employment lawyers advising clients on compliance need to be across the full picture.
WHAT CHANGED ON 1 APRIL 2026
Phase 2 increases the SPL pool from 6 weeks to 10 weeks. The default split remains equal between parents, now 5 weeks each rather than 3 weeks each. Everything else in the mechanics of the scheme is unchanged from Phase 1.
For context: The earlier Phase 1 change in April 2025 did more structural work. That was when Government-Paid Paternity Leave became fully mandatory at 4 weeks (up from 2 mandatory weeks) and the SPL scheme was introduced for the first time, replacing the old arrangement where mothers could transfer up to 4 weeks of maternity leave to fathers. Phase 2 is a quantum increase within the established framework.
SINGAPORE’S PARENTAL LEAVE REGIME AS AT 1 APRIL 2026
The 30-week total is built from three separate schemes under the Child Development Co-Savings Act. They have different eligibility conditions and operate sequentially in most cases.
All SPL is fully government-funded, capped at S$2,500 per week. Employers pay employees first and claim reimbursement via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) portal. For employees earning more than approximately S$10,000 per month (prorated to the weekly cap), the difference above the cap is the employer’s cost unless the employer has agreed to top it up.
HOW SPL WORKS IN PRACTICE
The default and reallocation
By default, each parent receives 5 weeks. Parents who want a different split have a 4-week window from birth to change it via LifeSG without employer involvement. After that window closes, any reallocation requires mutual employer agreement from both parents’ employers. Employers need a documented process for both scenarios.
If parents cannot agree a leave plan with their employer, the fallback is a continuous block: SPL must be taken immediately following GPML (Government-Paid Maternity Leave), AL (Adoption Leave), or GPPL (Government-Paid Paternity Leave) (whichever applies), within the first 26 weeks of the child’s birth, on at least 4 weeks’ notice. Employers cannot refuse this fallback arrangement, but they can agree to something different if it suits both parties better.
Consumption window
All 10 weeks must be consumed within the first 12 months of the child’s birth. Unused SPL does not carry over. For employers, this means workforce planning needs to account for a 12-month window, not just the immediate post-birth period.
Eligibility conditions to watch
Three conditions may catch employers out in practice.
First, the child must be a Singapore Citizen, or become one within 12 months of birth. A child born to permanent residents who later naturalise will qualify retroactively, so employers need to keep eligibility open for the 12-month window.
Second, the father must be lawfully married to the mother at the time of birth (or before conception, or within 12 months of birth). Unmarried fathers are not eligible for GPPL and therefore not eligible for SPL.
Third, the 3-month continuous service requirement means employees on probation at the time of birth may not qualify, depending on how long their probation runs.
WHAT EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR
Review employment contracts
Any contract referencing specific SPL weeks (e.g., “6 weeks SPL”) should be updated to reflect 10 weeks. Contracts silent on quantum but incorporating statutory entitlements by reference are compliant without amendment.
Update staff handbooks and leave policies
Any handbook section on parental leave or SPL should reflect the new 10-week entitlement and the 5+5 default split. Update the reallocation process and notice requirements.
Update payroll systems
Payroll must be configured to calculate SPL at actual pay up to the S$2,500/week government reimbursement cap. Salary above the cap is the employer’s cost unless contractually enhanced.
Establish a reallocation process
Employers should have a documented process for handling reallocation requests: those within the first 4 weeks (employee-initiated via LifeSG) and those after 4 weeks (requiring mutual employer consent). Best to document decisions.
Prepare for reimbursement claims
SPL is fully government-reimbursed up to the cap. Employers pay first and claim via the Government-Paid Leave (GPL) portal. Check that payroll and finance teams know the claims process.
Review enhanced contractual leave
Employers who voluntarily offered enhanced SPL above the Phase 1 entitlement of 6 weeks may now find their contractual terms have been absorbed by the statutory floor. Consider whether the contractual enhancement still adds value or needs revision.
Brief managers on WFA implications
Workforce planning decisions that disadvantage employees taking parental leave will face scrutiny under the incoming Workplace Fairness Act (end-2027). Managers approving or deferring requests should document their reasoning.
The WFA forward-look
The Workplace Fairness Act, expected to commence at the end-2027, will prohibit adverse employment decisions on the basis of protected characteristics including caregiving responsibilities and pregnancy. Parental leave-taking will sit squarely within the Act’s scope. Employers who build workforce planning practices now that accommodate extended parental leave absences are better positioned when the WFA comes into force.
The Phase 2 change is operationally straightforward, but documentation and policy need to be updated. Whether there will be a Phase 3 expanding SPL further has not been formally announced, but the direction of travel in Singapore’s parental leave policy over the past two years makes continued expansion plausible.
Sources: MSF announcement – 10 weeks SPL from 1 April 2026 · Made For Families – SPL official scheme page · Strategy Group – Phase 1 commencement announcement (Apr 2025) · MOM – Paternity Leave · Lockton – Singapore enhanced parental leave update · Human Resources Online – Singapore policy changes 2026 · People Matters – SPL expansion to 10 weeks