Quick answer
MediShield Life covers Singapore Citizen babies from birth, including neonatal conditions. Each baby, twins too, gets a S$5,000 MediSave Grant for hospital bills. Maternity leave is still 16 weeks for twins. With your employer’s agreement, the last 8 weeks can be taken flexibly, for example once baby is home.
The useful number: S$5,000 MediSave Grant for each Singapore Citizen baby born from 1 April 2025: twins get one each.
Who is this for?
Parents of a baby born early, a baby in the NICU or special care nursery, or twins. It sums up what MOH, CPF, MOM, MSF and LifeSG say. Medical questions belong with your baby’s doctor and NICU team.
What is corrected age?
Corrected age is your baby’s age from birth, minus the weeks they came early. SingHealth’s example: a 7-month-old born 10 weeks early has a corrected age of 4 and a half months.
SingHealth uses it, for example, to time starting solids. Ask your baby’s doctor which age to use for growth and milestones, and for how long. When you check growth or milestones here, tell the tool baby was born early if it asks.
How are NICU bills paid?
All Singapore Citizen babies, including those with congenital and neonatal conditions, are automatically covered by MediShield Life, for life.
- MediSave Grant for Newborns: S$5,000 for each Singapore Citizen baby born from 1 April 2025. It is credited automatically, within a week of birth registration; no application needed. It can pay for MediShield Life premiums, recommended childhood vaccinations, hospital stays, approved outpatient treatment.
- Your own MediSave: A parent's own MediSave can pay a child's hospital bill. MOH’s limit for a hospital stay is up to S$1,130 a day for the first two days, then S$400 a day.
- The CDA: CDA savings can pay medical bills at hospitals and GP clinics that are Baby Bonus Approved Institutions. They can also pay MediShield Life or MediSave-approved Integrated Shield Plan premiums, for the child or their siblings.
What a NICU stay can cost, from MOH’s published bills at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Ward C (subsidised). MOH groups each hospital stay into a case group, called a DRG. The group depends on baby’s weight at admission, whether there was a significant operation, and the conditions coded for the stay.
The group is a billing label, not a judgement about your baby. Words like “major problem” are MOH’s coding terms. Ask the hospital which group and estimate apply to your baby.
| MOH case group (DRG), weight at admission | Typical bill (median), typical range | Average stay |
|---|---|---|
| P62Z 750 to 999 g | Typical bill (median) S$71,550Typical range S$51,578 to S$106,431 | 106 days |
| P64Z 1,250 to 1,499 g, no significant operation | Typical bill (median) S$16,714Typical range S$13,558 to S$22,820 | 30.2 days |
| P65A 1,500 to 1,999 g, no significant operation, multiple major problems | Typical bill (median) S$19,877Typical range S$12,882 to S$27,236 | 34.4 days |
| P65B 1,500 to 1,999 g, no significant operation, a major problem | Typical bill (median) S$11,269Typical range S$7,729 to S$18,005 | 21.5 days |
| P65C 1,500 to 1,999 g, no significant operation, another problem | Typical bill (median) S$6,096Typical range S$3,383 to S$9,633 | 13.9 days |
| P65D 1,500 to 1,999 g, no significant operation, no problem | Typical bill (median) S$949Typical range S$739 to S$1,281 | 3 days |
| P66A 2,000 to 2,499 g, no significant operation, multiple major problems | Typical bill (median) S$6,690Typical range S$2,819 to S$10,720 | 10.6 days |
| P66B 2,000 to 2,499 g, no significant operation, a major problem | Typical bill (median) S$4,708Typical range S$2,071 to S$7,527 | 8.7 days |
| P66C 2,000 to 2,499 g, no significant operation, another problem | Typical bill (median) S$2,342Typical range S$1,348 to S$4,686 | 6 days |
| P66D 2,000 to 2,499 g, no significant operation, no problem | Typical bill (median) S$725Typical range S$584 to S$959 | 2.2 days |
Before insurance (MediShield Life, Integrated Shield Plans) and MediSave; after government subsidy for public hospitals; GST included; your bill depends on your circumstances. The figures are MOH’s as published. MOH publishes no bill for babies admitted at 1,000 to 1,249 g or under 750 g.
MOH does not publish what is left to pay after MediShield Life, so we do not estimate it. Ask the hospital for an estimate after MediShield Life and MediSave.
What happens to leave when baby comes early?
- If your baby is born early, maternity leave starts on the birth date (or earlier by agreement with your employer). You still get 16 weeks.
- Twins or triplets count as a single delivery: the same 16 weeks, not more.
- By agreement with your employer, take the first 8 weeks in one stretch. Take the last 8 weeks flexibly within 12 months of the birth, for example once baby is home.
- Parents of twins get the same paternity and shared parental leave as for a single birth. Paternity leave is 4 weeks. Shared parental leave is 10 weeks for babies born from 1 April 2026, taken within 12 months of the birth.
- Unpaid infant care leave: 12 days a year for each parent while a Singapore Citizen child is below 2, after 3 months with your employer. With twins it is still 12 days a year, and at most 24 days for any one child.
See each parent’s weeks, including the born-early rule, with the Parental leave planner.
How do twins count for the Baby Bonus?
Each twin is counted separately: the first twin is your first child and the second twin your second child. So twins born as your first children get the first- and second-child amounts.
- First twin (first child)
- S$10,000 cash (Cash Gift with the top-up), S$5,000 CDA First Step Grant, CDA matching up to S$5,000 (S$4,000 until 30 September 2027)
- Second twin (second child)
- S$10,000 cash (Cash Gift with the top-up), S$5,000 CDA First Step Grant, CDA matching up to S$7,000 if saved by 30 September 2027
- Each twin
- S$5,000 MediSave Grant for Newborns
Babies born from 1 April 2027 come under the SG Child Support Package instead. Each Singapore Citizen child gets a S$10,000 Baby Gift and a S$5,000 CDA First Step Grant. LifeSG has not said more about twins yet. Work out the amounts with the Baby Bonus + CDA maximiser.
Do babies born early follow the same jab schedule?
The schedule lists each jab by age, and asks parents to consult a doctor for advice specific to the child's age and medical conditions. No official page we read sets a different schedule for babies born early. Ask your baby’s NICU team or doctor before discharge, and keep each jab in the Child Health Booklet. The Vaccination tracker dates the national schedule from the birth date.
Where can parents get support?
KKH's support group for families of babies born early, with pre-discharge classes and a neonatal home care service after discharge. Ask your hospital’s NICU team what support it offers. Where should we start in baby’s first year? lists the check-ups and admin for the first year.
What does this guide not tell you?
It never decides how your baby is doing. Growth, feeding and jabs for a baby born early are for your baby’s doctor to guide. Bills and leave depend on your circumstances and your employer.
Printables for this guide
Birth registration, Baby Bonus and CDA steps
The steps in order: register the birth on LifeSG within 42 days and enrol in the same flow. Then open the CDA for the First Step Grant and co-matching.
First 42 days newborn calendar
Your newborn's first six weeks: register the birth within 42 days and set up the Baby Bonus and CDA. Date the jaundice review, first jabs and postnatal check.
Plan the weeks ahead
Put in the birth date and due date to see each parent’s leave, then keep the check-ups on track.
Plan both parents’ leave → Growth chart check → Vaccination tracker →Frequently asked questions
What is my baby’s corrected age?
Age from birth minus the weeks born early. SingHealth’s example: a 7-month-old born 10 weeks early is 4 and a half months corrected. Ask your baby’s doctor which age to use.
Does MediShield Life cover a NICU stay?
MOH says all Singapore Citizen babies, including those with congenital and neonatal conditions, are covered by MediShield Life automatically. Claim limits apply, so ask the hospital for an estimate.
Do twins get two Baby Bonus Cash Gifts?
Yes. Each twin is counted separately: the first twin as your first child and the second twin as your second child.
Do we get more maternity leave for twins?
No. Twins count as a single delivery, so it is the same 16 weeks. Paternity and shared parental leave are also the same as for one baby.
Can I start maternity leave when baby comes home from the NICU?
Leave starts on the birth date for a baby born early. By agreement with your employer, the last 8 weeks can be taken flexibly within 12 months of the birth.
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
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Sources & assumptions
- HealthXchange (SingHealth) — Baby feeding tips for new mothers ↗
- MOH — Marriage and parenthood schemes ↗
- Made For Families — MediSave Grant for Newborns ↗
- MOH — MediSave for inpatient care ↗
- Made For Families — Baby Bonus Scheme ↗
- MOH — Hospital bill information by DRG (neonates) ↗
- MOM — Maternity leave in special situations ↗
- MOM — Planning your maternity leave ↗
- MSF Government-Paid Leave — Shared parental leave ↗
- MSF Government-Paid Leave — Paternity leave ↗
- MOM — Unpaid infant care leave ↗
- LifeSG — Baby Bonus account services ↗
- LifeSG — Baby Bonus Scheme ↗
- LifeSG — SG Child Support Package ↗
- Communicable Diseases Agency — National Childhood Immunisation Schedule ↗
- KKH — Early Bird Baby Club ↗