A father may commence his 4 weeks of GPPL on or after the following dates:

• Natural fathers: The child's date of birth (DOB).

• Adoptive fathers: The date of Formal Intent to Adopt (FIA).

How the leave can be taken:

• Continuously: The full 4 weeks must be taken within 16 weeks of the child's DOB or FIA.

• Non-continuously (flexibly): With mutual agreement between the employer and employee, the leave can be taken flexibly within 12 months of the child's DOB or FIA.

Important note on Shared Parental Leave (SPL): Primary leave schemes — including Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML), Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL), and Adoption Leave for Mothers (AL) — must be fully exhausted before Shared Parental Leave (SPL) can commence.