Indranee Rajah on when the enhanced childcare leave and child support package will kick in

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For the child care leave, that's going to take a little bit of time. I mean, I know that everybody would like it to start like yesterday, but remember that when it was another NDR, PM said this is a

sneak preview, right? So, it's a preview as to what we want to do. And in order to make it happen, there are a few things. One was this is what we intend to do. We still have to work

out some of the operational issues with the tripartite partners, including the employers, including the unions, and the the parents just to make sure that we get all the details tied down. That's one. Two, you you can't just implement

it straight away. You you need to amend the legislation. Because right now child care leave is provided for in in legislation. Think it's the Child Development Co-Savings Act. Can't remember the full name, but there's legislation which provides for

it. So, you would need to amend the legislation, and that takes firstly drafting once we've nailed down the details, then you have the first reading, then you have the second reading, and the third reading, and then after that

it's gazetted and comes into force. And then over and above all of that, the IT systems because you have to track who's taking the child care leave and making sure that you reimburse the employers so that the correct

amount of payment goes to the correct employer so that the the employer also gets paid. So, I think that will take some time. It's it's going to take at least several months. So, the short answer is we don't

have I can't give you a date as to when it will start now. I can say that these are the things that have to take place first, and we will announce the start date as soon as we can.

70,000 is the approximate total value of direct support that a Singapore citizen child receive from birth to age 17. And it comprises the baby gift, the child credits, the CDA support, and the PSA top-up, as well as the

existing benefits such as the Medisave Grant for newborns and Edusave contributions in primary and secondary school. And when we were sizing the package, what we looked at was the essential costs that families typically face as a child grows.

It includes food, utilities, health care, preschool, and education. And we got that drawing on the household expenditure data and other information. So, we were really looking at basic needs. I mean, obviously, it was not intentional to cover every

single expense, but really to give additional support to the parents. And each family, of course, the expenditure varies depending on their circumstances and their choices. But what we wanted to do was to make sure that there was enough

support to defray essential expenses while at the same time remaining fiscally sustainable. Let me deal with eligibility first. So, all families with a Singapore citizen child aged 17 or below will benefit from the new package. And And what

you get really depends on what age your child is. And children born in 2026 will benefit from the full package with all its components. Then there children who are born before 2026, right? But who are currently still receiving

the baby bonus cash payments uh cash gift payments that was under the old scheme. That means babies born from 14th February 2023 to 31st December 2025, they will receive a top-up so that their total baby gift comes to

$10,000. So, that's in terms of the eligibility. Then as to when would the payouts start? The general principle for the new package is that the credits will be paid on each child's birthday until they turn 16. But we

do need some time to update the systems and to manage the transition from the existing baby bonus scheme and the large family scheme onto the new SG child support package. So, effectively, the payouts can only start from April

2027. But although the payouts are made in 2027, we will be able to to to basically back pay, if you like, for those in 2026. So, I'll just explain a little bit about this, but the bottom line is

no need to worry about the details because MSF will get in touch with the with the eligible parents for the payments. So, for the 2026 child credits, right? The eligible children will receive the 2026 child credits by April

2027. So, those who would have been able to get it this year, because the system is not in place yet, they'll get it in set by by 30th of April of next year. Then for the 2027 child credits,

there'll be some catching up to do for the children with birthdays from January to April. They will receive the 2027 child credits by 30th April 2027, same like the ones this year. Then those with birthdays from May to

December will receive it on their birthdays. And then going forward from that from 2028, the 2000 child credits will be paid annually on each child's birthday until the year that they turn 18. But like I said, these are

just some of the details, but not to worry about it because MSF will notify the families in due course, so you don't have to do anything for now.