# Paid sick leave in Singapore: how many days you get and how to count what is left

> The Employment Act's paid outpatient and hospitalisation sick leave by month of service, how the 60 hospitalisation days include the 14 outpatient days, how the entitlement is counted across calendar years, and how part-timers are pro-rated.

- Tool: [Paid Sick Leave Calculator Singapore](https://toolsg.com/en/paid-sick-leave-calculator)
- Language: en (available: en, zh)
- Last verified against official sources: 2026-11-02
- Source site: ToolSG — a planning guide, not official or financial advice. Cite the agencies listed under Sources.

## Key figures at a glance

| Fact | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Service needed for paid sick leave | 3 completed months — Under 3 months, sick leave is unpaid. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/sick-leave/eligibility-and-entitlement) |
| Tell your employer within | 48 hours — Inform, or try to inform, your employer of the absence. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/sick-leave/eligibility-and-entitlement) |
| Paid outpatient sick leave | 14 days a year — From 6 months of service. 5 days at 3 months, 8 at 4 months, 11 at 5 months. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/sick-leave/eligibility-and-entitlement) |
| Paid hospitalisation leave | 60 days a year — Includes the 14 outpatient days. 15 days at 3 months, 30 at 4 months, 45 at 5 months. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/sick-leave/eligibility-and-entitlement) |
| Part-time employees | Granted in hours — Pro-rated by working hours against a similar full-time employee. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/part-time-employment/leave) |
| Who is covered | Employees covered by the Employment Act — Check MOM's page if you are unsure whether the Act applies to you. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/sick-leave/eligibility-and-entitlement) |

## Taking paid sick leave: step by step

What to do when you are unwell, and how to keep track of what is left.

1. **Tell your employer** (Within 48 hours of the absence) — Inform your employer, or try to. This is a condition of getting paid sick leave.
2. **Get a medical certificate** (When you see the doctor) — Paid outpatient sick leave needs certification from a registered medical practitioner (or dentist). Hospitalisation leave needs a medical practitioner who can admit patients to hospital.
3. **Hand in the MC** (When you return to work) — Submit the medical certificate to your employer when you are back.
4. **Check what is left** (Before you plan time off) — Enter your months of service and the days you have taken to see the outpatient and hospitalisation days remaining. Tools: [Paid Sick Leave Calculator Singapore](https://toolsg.com/en/paid-sick-leave-calculator), [Singapore Annual Leave Entitlement Calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/annual-leave-calculator)

## Paid sick leave by month of service

You qualify after **3 completed months** of service. The entitlement then steps up each month until it reaches its full level at 6 months:

| Completed months | Paid outpatient sick leave | Paid hospitalisation leave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 | 5 days | 15 days |
| 4 | 8 days | 30 days |
| 5 | 11 days | 45 days |
| 6 and after | 14 days | 60 days |

Under 3 months, sick leave is unpaid. Months of service count from the day you start work.

## Hospitalisation leave includes outpatient leave

The 60 days of paid hospitalisation leave **include** the 14 outpatient days, so they are not added together. Once you have used 14 outpatient days, 46 hospitalisation days remain.

| At 6 months | Outpatient taken | Hospitalisation taken | Outpatient left | Hospitalisation left |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Example 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 57 |
| Example 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 46 |

At 4 months the entitlement is 8 and 30. With 2 outpatient and 10 hospitalisation days taken, 6 outpatient and 18 hospitalisation days are left.

> **Tip:** The calculator does this subtraction for you. Enter your completed months (or your start and as-of dates) and the days taken in the current period.

## Counting across calendar years

MOM's worked example follows someone who started on 7 August 2024 on a 5-day week. Leave taken in December 2024 is deducted from the 2024 entitlement, which at 4 and 5 months is 30 and 45 hospitalisation days. From 1 January 2025 the entitlement is counted afresh: at 6 months, on 7 February 2025, it resets to the full 14 and 60 days, and only leave taken from 1 January 2025 counts against it.

| As at | Months of service | Outpatient | Hospitalisation | Balance |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 7 Nov 2024 | 3 | 5 | 15 | Entitlement begins |
| 7 Dec 2024 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 30 − 10 = 20 |
| 7 Jan 2025 | 5 | 11 | 45 | 45 − 10 − 4 = 31 |
| 7 Feb 2025 | 6 | 14 | 60 | Reset for 2025: 60 − 4 = 56 |

The calculator does not apply the reset for you. Enter only the days taken in the current period.

## Part-time employees

Paid sick leave for part-timers is granted **in hours**, with no need to convert to days. It is pro-rated against a similar full-time employee:

*your hours a week ÷ their hours a week × their sick leave days × their hours a day*

MOM's example: 20 hours a week against a full-timer on 44 hours a week, 14 days and 8 hours a day gives **50.9 hours** of outpatient sick leave a year. By the same formula, 60 days gives 218.2 hours of hospitalisation leave. A part-timer who works 4 hours a day has 4 hours deducted for each working day taken as sick leave.

## What this guide does not cover

MOM's page does not say whether weekends and public holidays inside a medical certificate count as days taken, so the calculator leaves that to you and your employer. It also does not model contracts that give more than the Act, or who is excluded from the Act. Your employer may allow more sick leave than the Act requires; days beyond the paid entitlement are not paid sick leave under the Act.

## Common mistakes

- **Adding the 14 and the 60.** The 60 includes the 14.
- **Counting from the wrong date.** Months of service run from the day you start work, not from the end of probation.
- **Forgetting the 48 hours.** Late notice can put paid sick leave at risk.
- **Using last year's days.** Enter only the days taken in the current period.

## Which tool for what

- [Annual leave calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/annual-leave-calculator): annual leave by year of service, which also shows the sick leave schedule.
- [No-pay leave calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/no-pay-leave-calculator): salary lost when you take unpaid leave.
- [Notice period calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/notice-period-calculator): how much notice is due when you resign.

## Frequently asked questions

**How many paid sick leave days do I get in Singapore?**

Once you have completed 6 months of service, 14 days of paid outpatient sick leave and 60 days of paid hospitalisation leave a year, if you are covered by the Employment Act. Before that it steps up by month: 5 and 15 days at 3 months, 8 and 30 at 4 months, 11 and 45 at 5 months.

**Does hospitalisation leave include outpatient days?**

Yes. The 60 days of paid hospitalisation leave include the 14 outpatient days. If you have used 14 outpatient days, 46 hospitalisation days remain.

**When does paid sick leave start?**

After 3 months of service. Under 3 months, sick leave is unpaid. You must also inform, or try to inform, your employer within 48 hours of the absence.

**Does paid sick leave reset every year?**

MOM’s worked example shows leave taken in December counting against that year, and the entitlement being counted afresh from 1 January, at the full 14 and 60 days once six months of service are completed.

**How does paid sick leave work for part-time employees?**

It is granted in hours, pro-rated against a similar full-time employee: your hours a week divided by theirs, times their sick leave days, times their hours a day. MOM’s example is 20 hours against 44 hours a week, 14 days and 8 hours a day, which gives 50.9 hours a year.

**What if I take more sick leave than my entitlement?**

The days beyond the paid entitlement are not paid sick leave under the Employment Act. Your contract or employer may allow more, so check with HR.

**Is this MOM advice?**

No. The figures follow MOM’s published sick leave page. This is not legal advice.


## Sources

- [MOM — Sick leave: eligibility and entitlement](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/leave/sick-leave/eligibility-and-entitlement) — The entitlement table, the 48-hour rule, certification and the hospitalisation cap.
- [MOM — How do I compute my sick leave entitlement if my first 6 months of employment spans across 2 calendar years?](https://www.mom.gov.sg/faq/sick-leave/how-do-i-compute-my-sl-entitlement-if-my-1st-6-months-of-employment-spans-across-2-calendar-years) — The worked example of counting across calendar years.
- [MOM — Leave for part-time employees](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/part-time-employment/leave) — The part-time formula and example.