Setting up a family is no easy feats. Think about all the commitments from the parents have to put in to see their kids prior to stepping out in the job market, earning the first salary. I think that worries a lot of couples.
Good news is the government has launched a New and Enhanced Marriage & Parenthood Package 2013. What this package aims to do is to help couples fulfil their family aspirations. The package comprises a comprehensive range of measures to address evolving needs as we move through life – from marriage, to becoming parents, and raising children.
At the Marriage and Parenthood Package 2013 Press Conference, on the 21st of January 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean emphasised that encouraging Marriage and Parenthood is fundamental in building a strong Singaporean core.
Setting Up A Home
| Measure | What it means | From |
| Housing Schemes & Grants | Priority is given to first-timer applicants in the purchase of new HDB flats. | Existing |
| First-timers may also apply for CPF Housing Grants (e.g. Family Grant, Additional CPF Housing Grant, Special CPF Housing Grant) to help them finance their flat purchase. | Existing | |
| Parents with 3 or more children are given priority allocation for new HDB flats. | Existing | |
| Parenthood Priority Scheme | First-timer married couples with children will be given priority allocation for their HDB flats by setting aside a proportion of flats for them. | Jan 2013 |
| Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme | First-timer married couples with children can rent a flat from HDB at an affordable rental rate while awaiting the completion of their flats. | Jan 2013 |
Who will benefit from this? – This change benefit those who have just started a family (with children) and is still waiting to get their HDB flats.
Additional information – According to HDB, the revised allocation with the introduction of Parenthood Priority Scheme (PPS) is as follows:
|
Build-To-Order Flats |
Sale of Balance Flats |
||||||||
|
Non-Mature Estates |
Mature Estates |
||||||||
|
Current Split |
First-timers |
Second-timers |
First-timers |
Second-timers |
First-timers |
Second-timers |
|||
|
85% |
15% |
95% |
5% |
95% |
5% |
||||
|
Revised split |
PPS first-timers |
Other first-timers |
Second-timers |
PPS first-timers |
Other first-timers |
Second-timers |
PPS first-timers |
Other first-timers |
Second-timers |
|
30% |
55% |
15% |
30% |
65% |
5% |
50% |
45% |
5% |
|
Having Children
| Measure | What it means | From |
| Medisave Maternity Package | Parents can utilise their Medisave to help pay for both delivery and pre-delivery medical expenses. | Existing |
| Medisave for Assisted Conception Procedures (ACP) | Couples can withdraw up to $6,000, $5,000 and $4,000 from Medisave for their 1st, 2nd and 3rd withdrawals for ACP respectively. | Existing |
| Enhanced Co-Funding for Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Treatment | The Government will co-fund up to 75% of the cost of each ART treatment received at public hospitals, with co-funding now extended to three fresh and three frozen cycles1. Couples with more than one child will now also be eligible for co-funding. | 1 Jan 2013 |
| Accouchement Fees for Higher-Order Births | Accouchement fees in public hospitals will no longer be differentiated across birth order. This will help defray the cost of deliveries for couples who may be thinking of having more children. | 1 Jan 2013 |
1Capped at up to $6,300 and $1,200 respectively for fresh and frozen treatment cycles.
Who will benefit from this? – Couples with problem conceiving and have financial commitments to worry.
Additional information – In a paper released by MOH, average charges per stimulated In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Cycle ranges from $6,000 to $13,000. With the implementation of this new measure, couples now pay $1,500 to $3,250 per cycle. The success rate of such treatment ranged from 16% to 28%.
Raising And Caring For Your Children
| Measure | What it means | From |
| Enhanced Baby Bonus | Parents will receive an enhanced cash gift of $6,000 (up from $4,000) each for their 1st and 2nd child, and $8,000 (up from $6,000) each for their 3rd and 4th child. The cash gift will be fully disbursed earlier, within 12 months of the child’s birth instead of the current 18 months. | 26 Aug 2012 |
| Savings to a child’s Child Development Account (CDA) are matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government for up to $6,000 each for the 1st and 2nd child, up to $12,000 each for the 3rd and 4th child, and up to $18,000 each from the 5th child onwards.With effect from 1 January 2013, the CDA will be extended by 6 years. This means that children born on or after 1 January 2006 will continue to have their CDAs open until 31 December of the year they turn 12, instead of 31 December of the year they turn 6. Parents can continue to save into the CDA and use CDA funds for their children and their siblings until 31 December of the year they turn 12. | 1 Jan 2013 | |
| Medisave Grant for Newborns | Each citizen newborn will have a CPF Medisave account opened for him/her, with a Medisave grant of $3,000 deposited.The first $1,500 will be deposited after birth registration, and the remaining $1,500 will be deposited in the subsequent year, provided that the child remains enrolled in MediShield or a Medisave-approved Integrated Shield Plan. | 26 Aug 2012 |
| MediShield Coverage for Congenital & Neonatal Conditions |
Newborns will be covered under MediShield from birth without having to be assessed for pre-existing conditions, including for congenital and neonatal conditions, so long as their parents do not opt them out. | 1 Mar 2013 |
| Parenthood Tax Rebate (PTR) | Parents can claim the PTR of $5,000 for their 1st child, $10,000 for their 2nd child, and $20,000 each for all subsequent children. | Existing |
| Qualifying/ Handicapped Child Relief (QCR/HCR) |
Parents can claim $4,000 per child under QCR, or $5,500 per child under HCR. | Existing |
| Working Mother’s Child Relief (WMCR) | Working mothers can claim the WMCR at 15% of earned income for their 1st child, 20% for the 2nd, and 25% per child for all subsequent children. | Existing |
| Grandparent Caregiver Relief (GCR) | Working mothers can claim a GCR of $3,000 if their children aged 12 years and below are cared for by the child’s grandparents. | Existing |
| Subsidies for Centre-Based Infant Care & Child Care | Parents currently enjoy monthly subsidies of up to $600 for infant care and $300 for child care respectively. | Existing |
| Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Concession | Parents can enjoy a $95 foreign domestic worker levy concession if they have a young child aged below 12, an elderly family member, or family members with disabilities staying in the same household. | Existing |
Who will benefit from this? – Couples who wish to have more kids but have financial commitments to worry.
Additional information – The amount of cash gift may be pro-rated depending on the age of the child when he/she obtains Singapore Citizenship, if the child is not a Singapore Citizen at birth. Please refer to the table below:
|
Age of child when he/she obtains Citizenship |
Cash Gift |
|
|
First and Second Birth Orders |
Third and Fourth Birth Orders |
|
| Below 6 months |
$6,000 |
$8,000 |
| Between 6 months and before 12 months |
$4,500 |
$6,000 |
| Between 12 months and before 18 months |
$3,000 |
$4,000 |
| Between 18 months and before 24 months |
$1,500 |
$2,000 |
| Beyond 24 months |
N.A. |
N.A. |
As long as a child is born alive (i.e. not a stillbirth), it will be counted as a live birth. Children who are not Singapore Citizens and stepchildren are not considered in the counting of birth order.
Supporting Work-Life Harmony
| Measure | What it means | From |
| Maternity Leave | Working mothers are entitled to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. | Existing |
| Extended Child Care Leave | Both parents have 6 days of paid child care leave per year each if they have at least one child aged below 7 years. | Existing |
| Both parents have 2 days of paid child care leave per year each if they have at least one child aged 7-12 years.2 | 1 May 2013* | |
| Infant Care Leave | Both parents have 6 days of unpaid infant care leave per year each if they have at least one child aged below 2 years. | Existing |
| Adoption Leave | Adoptive mothers with an adopted infant aged below 12 months will be entitled to 4 weeks of paid adoption leave. | 1 May 2013 |
| Enhanced Maternity Protection for Pregnant Employees | Working mothers will be entitled to maternity leave benefits if they are dismissed without sufficient cause or retrenched within the full duration of their pregnancy. | 1 May 2013 |
| Government-Paid Maternity Benefit for Shorter-Term Workers | Working mothers who are not eligible for maternity leave may apply to receive the Government-Paid Maternity Benefit, as long as they have been in employment for a total of at least 90 days in the 12 months leading up to childbirth. | 1 Jan 2013** |
| Work-Life Works! Fund | Organisations may tap on the Work-Life Works! (WoW!) Fund to subsidise consultancy, training and infrastructure costs that lead to the implementation of better work-life strategies. | Existing |
| The existing WoW! Fund will be enhanced to provide incentives to encourage employers to offer flexible work arrangements for their employees. | 1 Apr 2013 |
2 Parents with children in both age groups, i.e. those below 7 years, as well as those between 7 and 12 years, will have a total child care leave entitlement of 6 days per year for each parent.
* Employers are encouraged to introduce these policies from 1 Jan 2013 onwards. From 1 May 2013, it will be mandatory for employers to comply with these policies.
** Claims will be processed from 1 May 2013 onwards, when the systems are ready.
Who will benefit from this? – Pregnant working mother, especially those on shorter term contract and couples who decide on adopting a kid.
Additional information – For adoptive parents, they must fulfilled the following requirements:
- Residents of Singapore
- At least 25 years of age
- At least 21 years older than the child
These rules may be waived if special circumstances justify the adoption (if the prospective parent and the adopted child are blood relatives, for instance). For more information on adoption procedure, please visit www.adoption.gov.sg.
Encouraging Shared Parental Responsibility
| Measure | What it means | From |
| Paternity Leave | Working fathers will be entitled to one week of paid paternity leave. | 1 May 2013* |
| Shared Parental Leave | Working fathers will be entitled to share 1 week of the 16 weeks of maternity leave, subject to the agreement of the mother. | 1 May 2013* |
* Employers are encouraged to introduce these policies from 1 Jan 2013 onwards. From 1 May 2013, it will be mandatory for employers to comply with these policies.
Who will benefit from this? – Busy working mothers, who now will have option to share 1 week of the 16 weeks of their maternity leave.
Additional information – The application process for Shared Parental Leave is as follows:
- You and your spouse should decide on your leave arrangements before your child is born, or anytime before your child turns 12 months old.
- If you decide to share, notify your respective employers in advance.
- The mother will need to register the decision to allocate shared parental leave to the father on the Shared Parental Leave Allocation System available on the Profamily Leave website www.profamilyleave.gov.sg from 1 May 2013. Before 1 May 2013, you can download a hardcopy form from the Profamily Leave website.
- Once registered, the system will enable the mother to print out a confirmation letter.
- A copy of this letter should be handed to your respective employers when you apply for Government-Paid Maternity Leave or shared parental leave.
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