Childcare Leave in Singapore: The NDR 2026 Increase Explained

Childcare leave in Singapore is going up, but not yet. Today, each eligible working parent of a Singapore Citizen child gets 6 days of paid childcare leave a year while the youngest child is under 7, then 2 days of extended childcare leave while the youngest is 7 to 12. At the National Day Rally on 23 August 2026, the Government announced that each working parent with children up to 12 years old will get 8 days for one child, 10 days for two and 12 days for three or more, with the Government reimbursing employers for the full period, up to a reimbursement limit.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) says the implementation date and eligibility criteria will be released later. Until then the current rules apply, including the one most parents forget: this year's days do not carry over.

How much childcare leave do I get now?

MOM's pages set out the current Government-Paid Childcare Leave. You qualify for 6 days a year if your child is a Singapore Citizen below 7 and you have worked for your employer for at least 3 continuous months. Self-employed parents qualify after 3 continuous months of work if they lose income during the leave.

The 6 days apply regardless of how many children you have, and are capped at 42 days for each child. Once your youngest Singapore Citizen child is 7 to 12, you get 2 days of extended childcare leave instead. If you have children in both age groups, MOM says the total is still a maximum of 6 days per parent a year.

If your child is not a Singapore Citizen, the Employment Act gives 2 days a year, paid by the employer, until the year the child turns 7, provided you have 3 months of service.

What did National Day Rally 2026 change?

The gov.sg families page lists the new entitlement under "For Parents": working parents with children up to 12 years old will each receive more childcare leave, with 8 days for one child, 10 days for two children and 12 days for three or more. Three things change at once:

• The count follows the number of children, where today it is flat at 6 days.
• The age band widens: the announced days cover children up to 12, where today the 6-day entitlement stops once the youngest child turns 7 and only 2 days remain.
• Employers are reimbursed for every day, where today they pay the first 3 of the 6 days for a child under 7 themselves. MOM says this applies to parents of Singapore Citizen children, up to the reimbursement limit.

The leave sits inside a wider package announced the same night, from a S$10,000 Baby Gift to lower preschool fees by 2030; our guide to NDR 2026 family support covers the money side.

How many extra days will my family get?

These households are fictional. The figures use MOM's current rules and the numbers announced on gov.sg, and assume both parents work and qualify. The final eligibility rules could change the answer for some families, for example around the age cut-off.

• The Tan family, one child aged 4: 6 days each now, 8 days each under the new scheme. Together: 12 days become 16.
• The Rahmans, children aged 5 and 9: 6 days each now, because the 6-day cap applies when children are in both age groups. Under the new scheme, 10 days each. Together: 12 become 20.
• The Pillais, one child aged 9: 2 days of extended childcare leave each now, 8 days each under the new scheme if a 9-year-old counts as a child up to 12, as the announcement suggests. Together: 4 become 16.
• The Lims, children aged 3, 7 and 11: 6 days each now, 12 days each under the new scheme. Together: 12 become 24.

The biggest proportional gain goes to families whose only or youngest child is already in primary school, who today have just 2 days each.

When does the new childcare leave start?

MOM has not published one. Its eligibility and extended childcare leave pages (both updated 24 August 2026) say that more details, "including the implementation date and eligibility criteria", will be released later. We could not open the National Population and Talent Division's Rally release, so we cannot rule out that it says more. Do not plan the rest of 2026 around the higher numbers.

What should I do with this year's leave?

MOM says childcare leave must be used by the end of the leave year and cannot be carried forward. By default, the leave year is the calendar year, though you can agree a different 12-month period with your employer.

If your leave year ends on 31 December, the year-end school holidays are the obvious time to use what is left. MOE's 2026 school calendar ends Term 4 on Friday, 20 November. A short checklist, which is ours:

1. Check your balance and leave year in your HR system now.
2. Map the holiday weeks that need cover and set leave against the gaps first; our holiday camp guide helps compare paid cover for the rest.
3. Keep a day or two in reserve for illness or a school closure; our haze and school closure guide explains when MOE would close schools.
4. Employers: reimbursement claims go through the Government-Paid Leave Portal, which MOM links from its childcare leave pages.

More planning help is in our routines topic, including the weekly family admin routine.

Common questions