Family & Social Child Developement

The Singapore Government offers a number of grants and policies for its residents to help raise a healthy family. From the moment your baby is born, the gamut of entitlements includes a cash bonus, coverage on childcare, medical assistance, library and basic transportation benefits, and more. Read on to find out your rightful benefits as a new parent.

Work Related Benefits

Government paid maternity leave

If your child is a Singapore citizen, as a mother you are entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave - four weeks immediately before and 12 weeks immediately after delivery.

Government paid paternity leave

Beginning 2017, all eligible working fathers, including the ones who are self-employed can avail of the benefit of a two-week government funded paid paternity leave. You are eligible if your child is a citizen of Singapore and if you are or were legally married to the mother of the child between the journey of conception and birth.

Childcare leave

Parents have a total of six days of childcare leave. The first three days are employer-paid and the last three days, Government-paid. Regardless of the number of children you have, the total child care leave you are entitled to is capped at six days per year until the year the child turns seven years old.

Unpaid Infant care leave

A full-time employee and parent of a Singaporean citizen child are also entitled to six days of unpaid infant care leave annually.

Working Mothers Tax Relief

Working mothers are entitled to claim the Working Mothers Child Relief (WMCR) at 15 per cent of your earned income for your 1st child, 20 per cent for the 2nd, and 25 per cent per child for all subsequent children, with a maximum cap at 100 per cent of your earned income.

The relief aims to encourage married women to continue working even after giving birth. Single or male taxpayers do not qualify for this relief.

If you are a working mother of a child who is a citizen of Singapore; a mother who is married, widowed or divorced, and you have earned income from employment or through pensions, from trade or business, or through a profession or vocation, you qualify for these benefits.

Family planning & healthcare benefits

Singaporeans are given a cash gift for each child that is born and a bonus child development account for early education and medical expenses.

Baby Bonus and Child Development Account

The baby bonus scheme, part of the Marriage and Parenthood Package, includes a cash gift, the CDA First Step grant and Government matching to savings in the childs CDA, a special savings account. For a child born on or after 1 Jan 2015 is eligible to get a cash gift (inclusive of the Baby Bonus Plus) of $8,000 for 1st and 2nd child and $10,000 for 3rd and subsequent child.

If your child is born on or after 24 Mar 2016, you can receive maximum CDA benefit of up to $6,000 for 1st and 2nd child, $12,000 for 3rd and 4th child $18,000 for 5th and subsequent child.

Medisave

According to the Singapore Ministry of Health, all new born citizens of the country that were born on or after 1 January 2015 are eligible for the enhanced $4,000 Medisave Grant for newborns.

Every newborn will have a CPF Medisave account opened and the grant will be credited automatically taking care of their healthcare expenses, childhood vaccinations recommended by pediatrics, hospitalisation, and approved outpatient treatments. Those born on or after 26 August 2012, but before 1 January 2015, qualify for a grant of $3,000.

Medishield Life Coverage

A compulsory fundamental health insurance called MediShield Life aids in paying for big hospital bills and selected costly outpatient treatments including dialysis and chemotherapy for cancer. MediShield Life automatically covers all babies who have Singapore citizenship by birth, including those with congenital and neonatal conditions for life.

Basic subsidy on childcare

If your child is a citizen of Singapore and you enroll your child in a licensed child care centre, you will be entitled to get a Basic Subsidy (BS) of up to $600 and up to $300 for infant care and child care respectively depending on your working status. You can also take the benefit of an Additional Subsidy (AS), ranging between $100- $440 for childcare and $200 - $540 for infant care along with BS on the basis of the household income level.

Tax Rebates for Parents

Parenthood Tax Rebate (PTR) worth $5,000 for the 1st child, $10,000 for the 2nd child, and $20,000 for the 3rd and each subsequent child are also available to parents in addition to the other benefits.

Everyday Privileges

Travel benefits

All children under 7 years old can travel without any fare on basic bus services, express bus services and trains. If your child is a non-Singapore Citizen or non-Singapore Permanent Resident, you will need to bring along your child's Passport (photocopy or original is accepted) when purchasing the Child Concession Card.

Library benefits

Libraries affiliated to the National Library Board are present all over the island. Singaporeans and Permanent residents can register for Basic library membership using their Singpass. However, there is a nominal registration fee for the Permanent residents of $10.50. As a non-citizen or non-permanent resident, you can also register for the library membership with your work permit, employment permit, dependents pass, special or visitors pass, student pass and Ministry of Education (MOE) School SmartCard, but you will have to pay a registration fee and an annual membership fee of $42.80.

Sources:

https://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/home/costs_and_financing/schemes_subsidies/Marriage_and_Parenthood_Schemes.html

http://www.transitlink.com.sg/PSdetail.aspx?ty=art&Id=50#2

https://www.ecda.gov.sg/Parents/Pages/FAQs-on-Enhanced-Infant-and-Child-Care-Subsidies.aspx

http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/paternity-leave

https://www.iras.gov.sg/IRASHome/Individuals/Locals/Working-Out-Your-Taxes/Deductions-for-Individuals/Working-Mother-s-Child-Relief--WMCR-/

https://www.msf.gov.sg/policies/Strong-and-Stable-Families/Supporting-Families/Pages/Baby-Bonus-Scheme.aspx

https://www.babybonus.msf.gov.sg/parent/web/home?

http://www.heybaby.sg/havingchildren/baby_bonus.html

http://www.heybaby.sg/havingchildren/Tax_parents.html

https://www.iras.gov.sg/IRASHome/Individuals/Locals/Working-Out-Your-Taxes/Deductions-for-Individuals/Parenthood-Tax-Rebate--PTR-/

http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/maternity-leave/leave-in-special-situations