Sick leave eligibility and entitlement in Singapore: What every service industry employee should know!

Understanding your sick leave entitlement in Singapore is essential, particularly for employees in the service industry, where physical work is often required.

Whether you work as a hotel frontline staff, F&B crew, or retail employee, knowing your rights under the Employment Act ensures you are well protected.

According to MOM sick leave guidelines, employees are entitled to paid outpatient leave and hospitalization leave, provided they meet certain conditions—including a valid medical certificate (MC) from a registered clinic or hospital.

Some of the most frequently asked questions include:

In this guide, we will also uncover these interesting facts:

The consequences of faking a medical leave
Whether you're still entitled to take sick leave during your notice period
Useful email and message template for applying for sick leave
Whether unutilized sick leave can be converted into cash?
When is hospitalization leave considered invalid?
Lesser-known facts about hospitalization leave

Overview of Sick Leave in Singapore

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), available statistics on sick leave in Singapore (1) indicated that, before the pandemic, 61.3% of employees in both the public and private sectors took paid outpatient sick leave. In comparison, 7.8% took hospitalization leave annually.

On average, each employee in the service sector utilized 5.3 days of outpatient sick leave and 14.6 days of hospitalization leave per year, supported by valid medical certificates.

However, a regional study conducted by Milieu involving over 6,000 employees across Southeast Asia revealed a different reality: 71% of employees chose not to take sick leave even when they were feeling unwell. The unwillingness to take sick leave in Singapore was even higher, at 77% (2).

The Singapore Manpower Minister, Tan See Leng, emphasized that (2) companies should not judge employees by the number of sick leaves they take. Attendance rewards may discourage people from resting when they are ill, which contradicts the principles of the Employment Act that aim to safeguard workers’ well-being.

Taking fake MC in Singapore: What are the consequences?

In 2024, a company discovered a Singapore-based software developer forging a fake medical certificate using Photoshop (3).

The software developer had altered a previously issued hospitalization certificate by changing the hospital details, modifying the dates, and obscuring the QR code to make the document appear genuine.

During her 9-day hospitalization leave, she received a total of S$3,541.15 in salary, which she later repaid to the company. Her company terminated her within 24 hours.

Additionally, after the HR department lodged a police report, she was fined $ 5,000 by the court.

According to Channel News Asia (4):

MOM medical leave entitlement and eligibility

To qualify for both outpatient sick leave and hospitalization leave in Singapore, employees must meet all of the following conditions:

You must have worked for your employer for at least 3 months.
You must be certified unfit for work by a registered medical practitioner under the Medical Registration Act or the Dental Registration Act.
Deadline to Notify Employer: You must inform your employer within 48 hours of your absence, in accordance with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) sick leave entitlements (5).

Sick leave without a medical certificate (MC) in Singapore?

If you don’t have a valid medical certificate, your employer is not obligated to grant paid sick leave.

Taking sick leave without an MC is not recognized under the Employment Act and may be treated as unpaid leave.

Days of Entitlement according to length of service

According to the Employment Act, you are entitled to the full sick leave benefits after 6 months of service (5):

14 days of paid outpatient sick leave
60 days of paid hospitalization leave, which includes 14 days of paid outpatient leave.

Example: If you take 10 days of hospitalization leave in a year, you will have 50 days left for hospitalization leave and 4 days left for outpatient leave.

You won’t receive the full 14 days because they are counted together.

Pro-rated Sick Leave

If you have been employed for less than 6 months, your leave entitlement will be pro-rated as follows:

Commonly asked questions about sick leave in Singapore

Can I take sick leave during probation period?

Yes. Your employer cannot disapprove your sick leave even if you are still on probation (6), as long as you have worked for more than 3 months.

However, MOM encourages employers to be flexible, even for employees with less than 3 months of service, though it’s not mandatory.

Can you take sick leave during your notice period?

Yes, during your notice period, you are still covered under the Employment Act. Therefore, any sick leave, whether paid or unpaid, taken during your notice period will be considered as part of it.

In this case, your employer cannot extend your notice period or demand compensation for short notice due to your sick leave (7).

Is sick leave convertible to cash?

No, unutilized sick leave cannot be converted into encashment or incentives.

In fact, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) explicitly prohibits employers from offering cash incentives for unused sick leave, effective from 1 January 2023. Companies that fail to comply may face enforcement action (9).

Additionally, Employers cannot consider the number of paid sick leave days taken as a negative factor during performance appraisals or promotion assessments, as prohibited by MOM.

Nevertheless, employers may offer incentives to employees who did not take any unpaid leave throughout the year. They may also provide flexible benefits, such as reimbursement of unused medical treatment fees, provided these do not involve unused statutory sick leave.

How to inform your manager about sick leave?

How to write a sick leave email to your employer, especially if your company requires formal communication, such as working in a hotel, hospital, office reception, or customer service desk in the service industry.
Here is the template:

If your role in the service industry does not require a formal email, here is a simple sick leave message template you can use to inform your manager via WhatsApp or SMS, along with your MC image:

Hospitalization Leave in Singapore

How to get hospitalization leave?

Hospitalization leave is granted when:

You are admitted to a hospital or
You are certified to require hospitalization

For instance, after a day of surgery, pregnancy complications, or post-discharge recovery.

Differences between Hospitalization leave vs outpatient leave

Does a hospital appointment count as sick leave?

Yes. If you attend a hospital appointment and are issued a valid medical certificate (MC) by a registered medical practitioner, you are entitled to paid sick leave for that appointment.

Similarly, to be eligible to claim hospital appointment sick leave (5), you must submit the MC to your employer within 48 hours of your absence and have been employed by the company for a minimum of three (3) months.

In what circumstances is hospitalization leave not valid?

The 60 days of paid hospitalization leave are not valid if:

You’re not certified by a doctor with hospital admission rights
Note: Hospitals include public, private, and community hospitals.
The condition is for a cosmetic procedure that is not medically necessary.
Employers are not required to grant paid sick leave or pay medical consultation fees for such aesthetic procedures.
Hence, the medical practitioner performing the examination will decide whether the procedure is for cosmetic reasons.
Regardless of probation, you don’t meet eligibility criteria (less than 3 months of service).

Does hospitalization leave include weekends?

You are not eligible to apply for paid sick leave if you fall sick during (9):

Rest days
Public holidays
Non-working days
Annual Leave
Unpaid Leave

However, if you are sick during your annual leave, you may request to convert it to sick leave, subject to your employer’s approval.

Public Holiday example:
If you are granted sick leave on August 8 and 9 (2 days), but August 9 is a public holiday, then only 1 day of sick leave should be approved.

Prolonged Hospitalization Leave: How is it Counted?

Hospitalization leave includes rest days, weekends, and public holidays if they fall within the certified period of hospitalization or medical leave issued by a doctor.

Example:
If you are given 20 days of paid hospitalization leave starting from June 1, your leave will begin on Saturday, June 1, and will end on Thursday, June 20.

During hospitalization leave, weekends and public holidays are included. So, you won’t get extra days off from it.

Know Your Sick Leave Entitlements & Build Your Future Beyond the Service Industry

Understanding your sick leave entitlement in Singapore is more than just knowing when you are eligible for leave; it is also about protecting your health, your employment rights, and your dignity as a service line worker.

For many in the service sector, especially foreign workers holding Work Permits, these rights are often overlooked or misunderstood.

But beyond knowing your rights, it’s also time to ask: What’s next for your future?
If you have ever been inspired to move beyond frontline roles, upgrade your skills, or secure a better future, now is your opportunity.

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