Skip to the main content.
Talk to an expert
Talk to an expert
Featured Offer
Ambitious 50 →
6 months of Hire and Engage free for businesses under 50 people.

Hey Compono!

A coach that actually gets you.

Get 10 minutes free, then $15 a month. Cancel anytime.

Get Started ≫
Free tools › Sick pay by country

Sick pay:
Australia vs Singapore

Statutory sick pay in Australia and Singapore, side by side, with the primary source for every figure.

How does sick pay compare between Australia and Singapore?

Australia: 10 days' paid personal/carer's leave a year for full-timers, employer-funded, accruing from day one with unlimited carryover. Singapore: 14 days' paid outpatient sick leave and 60 days' hospitalisation leave (the 60 includes the 14), phasing in between 3 and 6 months' service.

Australia vs Singapore, side by side

AustraliaSingapore
The rule10 days' paid personal/carer's leave a year for full-timers, employer-funded, accruing from day one with unlimited carryover.14 days' paid outpatient sick leave and 60 days' hospitalisation leave (the 60 includes the 14), phasing in between 3 and 6 months' service.
Key numbersEntitlement: 10 days a year full-time, pro-rata part-time; Who pays: Employer, at base rate; Waiting days: NoneOutpatient: 14 days a year from 6 months' service; Hospitalisation: 60 days a year, inclusive of the 14; Qualifying service: 3 months

Australia

Sick and carer's leave are one combined entitlement under the National Employment Standards: 1/26 of ordinary annual hours, which lands at 10 days on a standard week. The employer pays at the base rate, there are no waiting days, unused balance rolls over indefinitely, and casuals are excluded (their loading compensates).

  • Entitlement10 days a year full-time, pro-rata part-time
  • Who paysEmployer, at base rate
  • Waiting daysNone
  • CarryoverUnlimited
  • Not paid out on termination, unlike annual leave.
  • Strictly an hours-based entitlement: 10 days assumes a five-day pattern.

Source: Fair Work Ombudsman (NES, in force since 2010). Checked July 2026.

Singapore

Employment Act employees qualify after 3 months, with the entitlement stepping up monthly to the full 14 outpatient days and 60 hospitalisation days at 6 months. The hospitalisation figure is a combined cap, not an extra 60. The employer pays, and a medical certificate is required.

  • Outpatient14 days a year from 6 months' service
  • Hospitalisation60 days a year, inclusive of the 14
  • Qualifying service3 months
  • Who paysEmployer
Length of serviceEntitlement
3 months' service5 outpatient / 15 hospitalisation days
4 months8 / 30
5 months11 / 45
6 months and beyond14 / 60
  • Covers all Employment Act employees including managers and executives; the S$2,600 threshold people cite only limits hours-of-work protections, not leave.

Source: Ministry of Manpower (Employment Act s.89). Checked July 2026.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from the government source for its market.

MarketSourceRule / effectiveVerified
AustraliaFair Work OmbudsmanNES, in force since 2010Checked July 2026
SingaporeMinistry of ManpowerEmployment Act s.89Checked July 2026

Next step

Calculator

True cost of an employee (Australia)

Put a full loaded-cost number on the Australia side. Free, every rate sourced.

Run the Australia number →Calculator

True cost of an employee (Singapore)

The same loaded-cost maths for Singapore, on local rates.

Run the Singapore number →Compare markets

Sick pay by country

The complete six-market picture, with the pick-two selector.

See all six →Free tools

All HR calculators

Every free tool for HR leaders, across six markets. No sign-up.

Browse the tools →

The rules you can look up.
The people you cannot.

Compono is a talent intelligence platform: an applicant tracking system and an employee engagement platform built on the same people data.

Comparing entitlements is the easy half of hiring across markets. The hard half is whether the person you hire in Sydney, Singapore or Seattle will actually work out, and that risk looks the same in every jurisdiction. Compono matches candidates on how they work as well as what the CV claims, so the hires behind these numbers hold up wherever you make them.

See how it works
Compono
$34M
saved by VicRoads over two years

Common questions

What is the rule on sick pay in Australia?

10 days' paid personal/carer's leave a year for full-timers, employer-funded, accruing from day one with unlimited carryover. Sick and carer's leave are one combined entitlement under the National Employment Standards: 1/26 of ordinary annual hours, which lands at 10 days on a standard week.

What is the rule on sick pay in Singapore?

14 days' paid outpatient sick leave and 60 days' hospitalisation leave (the 60 includes the 14), phasing in between 3 and 6 months' service. Employment Act employees qualify after 3 months, with the entitlement stepping up monthly to the full 14 outpatient days and 60 hospitalisation days at 6 months.

Where can I check the source figures?

The sources section below links the Australia and Singapore government pages every figure on this page was verified against in July 2026.

This page is general information, not legal advice. We check figures annually and update them on a best-efforts basis, but employment rules change and we cannot promise everything here is current or complete. Before you act on it, confirm the detail with the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Ministry of Manpower or your own adviser. Last reviewed July 2026.