Formal flexible work arrangement request: flexi-time and part-time

If you are planning childcare leave for 2027, the enhanced scheme is not yet something you can calendar. CNA reported on 10 September 2026 that Minister Indranee Rajah told Parliament the Marriage and Parenthood Reset Work Group will announce details of the enhancements in early 2027, and that legislative amendments are required first. MOM's own childcare leave page states that the implementation date and eligibility criteria for the increase will be released at a later stage, so the only days you can plan around now are the ones already in force. ^{[1] [2]}

What you can act on now is the request channel that already exists. A written request giving the date, the arrangement with its expected frequency and duration, your reason, and your start and end dates, sent through whatever channel your employer has stipulated, is a formal request under the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests. Your employer should then provide a written decision within two months of receiving it, with the reason if it is rejected. Approval is not guaranteed: the Guidelines set a process, not an outcome. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

The childcare leave you can plan around today

Eligible working parents of Singapore citizen children under seven get 6 days of Government-Paid Childcare Leave a year each, regardless of the number of children, after at least 3 continuous months with the employer. It is capped at 42 days for each child, and unconsumed entitlement cannot be carried forward. Your employer pays the first 3 days at your gross rate of pay; the Government reimburses the remaining 3, capped at $500 a day or $1,500 a year. ^{[2] [6]}

Extended Childcare Leave is 2 days a year for a Singapore citizen child aged 7 to 12, reimbursed for all 2 days up to $500 a day or $1,000 a year, and it is not pro-rated, so a part-timer working 4 hours a day would have 8 hours. Parents of non-Singapore-citizen children each get 2 days a year under the Employment Act, paid by the employer. The leave year is any 12-month period agreed with your employer, defaulting to the calendar year. ^{[7] [6] [2] [8]}

What makes a request formal, and what to name

The Guidelines took effect on 1 December 2024, replacing the 2014 Tripartite Advisory and the 2017 Tripartite Standard, and cover formal requests only. All employees who have completed probation, with the duration set by their employer, may make one. If your employer has no stipulated process, a written request should indicate the date of the request, the FWA requested with its expected frequency and duration, the reason, and the requested start and end dates if relevant. ^{[3] [4]}

The channel matters as much as the content. The Guidelines illustrate a well-written request treated as not valid because it was emailed when the employer required submission through an HR portal. Three categories give you the vocabulary to name what you want: flexi-place, working flexibly from different locations such as telecommuting; flexi-time, working at different timings with no changes to total work hours, such as flexi-hours, staggered hours or flexi-shift; and flexi-load, working with different workloads and commensurate remuneration, such as job sharing or part-time work. The list of examples is non-exhaustive. ^[4]

Your employer's two months, and the reasons a no is allowed

Employers who receive a formal request should provide a written decision within two months of receiving it, including any clarifications and discussions on the request, and should state the reason if it is rejected. They may start the arrangement earlier if a suitable one is agreed with you. MOM is explicit that employers are not required to approve all requests, only to have processes that properly consider and respond to them. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Acceptable business grounds include a significant increase in cost burden, detriment to productivity or output, and feasibility or practicality, such as the nature of the job role. Grounds the Guidelines call unreasonable include management not believing in FWAs, or a supervisor preferring direct sight of an employee in office despite consistent satisfactory performance. You may ask for something beyond your company's FWA policy, and a decision giving business-related reasons should still follow. ^{[4] [9]}

Two hypothetical requests, side by side

Flexi-time keeps your total work hours and moves when you work. Flexi-load, which covers part-time work and job sharing, changes total hours and workload and typically involves a proportionate reduction in pay. MOM says you and your employer should discuss the arrangement in detail, including expected work hours and load and changes to salary, and come to an agreement before commencing it. MOM also notes that in industries requiring round-the-clock staffing, such as healthcare, a flexi-shift system could give employees flexibility in choosing shifts that suit caregiving needs. ^[9]

A MOM written answer from October 2025 confirms you may use this process to request one-off or more sustained arrangements, and may also tap statutory annual leave or voluntary employer provisions such as time-off and additional leave for caregivers. Here are two hypothetical requests, built only from the Guidelines' own content requirements. The first is a flexi-time request: daily hours moved from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, to Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm, running 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027, with the reason given as sending your child to school in the morning, dated and sent through your employer's stated channel. ^{[10] [3] [4]}

The second is a part-time, or flexi-load, request. It names the same details: a move from five full days a week to three full days plus two half days, the expected frequency stated as ongoing, the duration as 12 months, and a start date of 1 January 2027, with a note that the proportionate reduction in pay would be discussed and agreed with the employer before the arrangement starts. Send this one through the same stipulated channel, with its own date. Whichever you choose, once a valid request is received, a written decision should be provided within two months, with the reason if it is a no. ^{[9] [3] [4] [11]}

If you feel your FWA request was not properly considered, TAFEP will assess the case and, where an employer is found not to have assessed the request properly, guide the employer to comply with the Guidelines. ^{[9] [3] [4] [11]}

Sources

EduNanny Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-05. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.