Got the maternity benefit while I was unemployed!

I was impacted by a global layoff 4 days after I found out I was pregnant. During my whole pregnancy, I remained unemployed and only found out about this Government Paid Maternity Benefit 2 months after delivering my baby. At this point, I was already unemployed for 10 months!

Here’s how:

1. Visit the website: https://www.profamilyleave.msf.gov.sg/schemes/maternity-benefit OR google ‘Government Paid Maternity Benefit”

2. Check your eligibility: your child has to be a Singapore citizen or become a Singapore citizen 12 months from child’s DOB.

You also need to be employed by one or more employers and/or was self-employed (whether in Singapore or outside Singapore) for at least 90 days in the 12 months immediately before your child’s date of birth. (More details on slide 4/ on the website)

3. Submit the application. As I was in tech sales, I had to declare my commission and bonuses during the last 6 months of my employment.

As for the amount, it varies if you were employed by an employer or self employed. Refer to images 5-7 for the calculation (taken from the website).

The entire process was pretty quick and seamless, took about 1.5 months for the benefit amount to be credited to my bank account -

Applied for the benefit on: 24 January 2024

Submission approval: 7 March 2024

Amount credited to my bank on: 14 March 2024

Hope this post helps you unemployed mummies out there! And congratulations on your motherhood journey 💖

#maternitybenefit #unemployed #layoff #parenthood #motherhood