Medical Reimbursement & Sick Leave

HR Decision Guide — Singapore Employment Act

All content sourced exclusively from MOM.gov.sg • Researched 13 Mar 2026

Part A — Decision Tree: Must I Reimburse?

1 Is the employee covered by the Employment Act?

NOT covered: Domestic workers, seafarers, statutory board employees, civil servants, armed forces
Covered: Almost all other employees in Singapore, regardless of salary, nationality, or job title

No → STOP. EA does not apply. Refer to employment contract only.

Yes → Step 2

Yes

2 Has the employee served at least 3 months?

Probation does NOT matter. MOM: "Sick leave entitlement is not tied to the probation period. You are entitled to paid sick leave as long as you are covered by the Employment Act and have served your employer for at least 3 months." [Source S5]

No → STOP. No paid sick leave entitlement yet. No reimbursement obligation.

Yes → Step 3

Yes

3 Did the employee inform (or attempt to inform) employer within 48 hours of absence?

MOM: "You are required to inform or attempt to inform your employer within 48 hours of your absence." The actual MC can be submitted when the employee returns to work.[Source S6]

No → STOP. Employee did not meet notification requirement. No paid sick leave.

Yes → Step 4

Yes

4 Was the MC issued by a qualifying practitioner?

MOM: "Your employer must pay for your medical consultation if your MC is issued by a government or company-approved doctor or dentist, including specialists (regardless of whether it was obtained via in-person consult or teleconsultation)." [Source S2]
Qualifying =
(a) Doctor/dentist from a public medical institution (polyclinic, public/community hospital, national specialty centre, public ambulatory surgical centre), OR
(b) Doctor/dentist appointed by the company

NOT qualifying under EA:
• Private clinic doctor (unless company-appointed)
• TCM practitioner — MOM: "Employers are required to recognise MCs issued by doctors registered under the Medical Registration Act or dentists registered under the Dental Registration Act only to grant paid sick leave." TCM acceptance is at employer's discretion. [Source S7]
• Overseas doctors — at employer's discretion [Source S4]

No → STOP. No statutory obligation to reimburse consultation fee.

Yes → Step 5

Yes

5 Did the consultation result in at least 1 day of MC (paid sick leave)?

MOM: "Your employer must pay for your medical consultation fee if it results in at least one day of paid sick leave." [Source S1]
No MC issued? MOM: "Your employer is not required to reimburse you under the Employment Act if you do not have an MC." [Source S3]

No MC → STOP. No reimbursement required under EA. Refer to employment contract.

MC issued → Step 6

MC issued

6 Did the sick leave fall on a working day?

MOM: "You should calculate sick leave based on the days when you have to report for work, as you do not need to turn up for work on a non-working day, rest day or public holiday." [Source S8]
NOT working days: Public holidays, rest days, annual leave days, non-working days, unpaid leave days [Source S4]

Half days: MOM: "There is no provision in the Employment Act for half-day sick leave. Your employer can treat the sick leave given as one full day's sick leave." [Source S9]

Non-working day → STOP. No paid sick leave, no reimbursement.

Working day → Step 7

Working day

7 Was the consultation for a cosmetic procedure?

MOM: "Employers are not required to grant paid sick leave or pay medical consultation fees for cosmetic procedures." [Source S1]

Yes → STOP. No paid sick leave. No reimbursement.

No → Step 8

8 Has the employee exceeded their sick leave entitlement for the year?

Full entitlement (6+ months service):
• 14 days outpatient sick leave
• 60 days hospitalisation leave (inclusive of the 14 outpatient days)

Pro-rated (3–6 months):

Months served	Outpatient days	Hospitalisation days
3	5	15
4	8	30
5	11	45
6+	14	60

[Source S1]

Exceeded → STOP. No obligation for MC days beyond entitlement.

Within limit → Result

Within limit

✓ Reimburse the Medical Consultation Fee

+ Pay salary for the sick leave day(s) at gross rate of pay.

Outpatient sick leave: gross rate of pay excluding shift allowances.
Hospitalisation leave: gross rate of pay. [Source S1]

Part B — Scope: What Exactly Must Be Reimbursed?

What MOM Actually Says (Verbatim)	Source
"Your employer must pay for your medical consultation fee if it results in at least one day of paid sick leave"	[S1]
"Your employer must pay for your medical consultation if your MC is issued by a government or company-approved doctor or dentist, including specialists"	[S2]
"Your employer is not required to reimburse you under the Employment Act if you do not have an MC."	[S3]

✓ EA Requires	✗ EA Does NOT Mention / Require
Medical consultation fee	Medication / prescription drugs
Paid sick leave salary	Lab tests / blood work
	Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT scan)
	Procedures / surgery costs
	Specialist referral fees
	Hospitalisation bills
	Dental extraction / surgery costs

Important nuance: MOM uses the phrase "medical consultation fee" / "medical consultation" consistently across all pages. It never says "medical bill", "treatment cost", "medication", or "prescription." The right-hand column items are absent from all MOM sick leave pages. They may be covered by your company medical benefits policy, but the EA does not require them.

MediSave note: If the employee used MediSave to pay, MOM states: "Your employer must reimburse any utilised MediSave funds back to your MediSave Account if you meet the eligibility criteria." [Source S10]

Part C — Worked Examples

Case 1: Polyclinic Visit, 1-Day MC, $60,000 Bill

✓Step 1: EA applies

✓Step 2: ≥ 3 months — verify

✓Step 3: Informed within 48 hrs — verify

✓Step 4: Polyclinic = public institution — qualifies

✓Step 5: MC issued for 1 day — yes

✓Step 6: Working day — verify

✓Step 7: Cosmetic? — no

✓Step 8: Within entitlement — almost certainly yes

Result: Reimburse the consultation fee (typically SGD $20–$50 at a polyclinic) + 1 day paid sick leave salary.
The remaining ~$59,950 is not your statutory obligation. Request the itemised bill. Check company medical policy.

Case 2: Wisdom Tooth Extraction at National Dental Centre (Public)

✓Step 4: NDC = public institution, dentist = qualifying practitioner

✓Step 5: MC issued for 2 days

✓Steps 6–8: Working days, not cosmetic, within entitlement

Result: Reimburse the dental consultation fee only + 2 days paid sick leave salary.
Extraction fee, anaesthesia, medication, X-rays = not required under EA. Check company dental policy.

Case 3: Wisdom Tooth at Private Dental Clinic (Not Company-Appointed)

✗Step 4: Private dentist, not company-appointed — FAILS

Result: No statutory obligation to reimburse anything.
However, you must still recognise the MC for paid sick leave purposes if the dentist is registered under the Dental Registration Act. [Source S8b]

Case 4: Visit to Company Panel Clinic (Private GP)

Employee visits the private GP that is on your company's approved panel.

✓Step 4: Company-appointed doctor — qualifies

✓Step 5: MC issued

Result: Reimburse the consultation fee + paid sick leave salary.
Note: MOM says employers must inform employees which doctors/dentists are company-approved. [Source S2]

Case 5: Visit to Random Private Clinic (Not Company-Appointed)

✗Step 4: Not public institution, not company-appointed — FAILS

Result: No statutory obligation to reimburse consultation fee.
But: You must still grant paid sick leave if MC was issued by a doctor registered under the Medical Registration Act. The EA separates sick leave entitlement (any registered doctor) from consultation fee reimbursement (public/company-appointed only). [Sources S1, S2]

Case 6: Teleconsultation MC

Employee did a video call consultation and received MC electronically.

Result: MOM: "Under the Employment Act, employers must recognise MCs issued by a medical practitioner registered under the Medical Registration Act or Dental Registration Act. This includes MCs issued through teleconsultation." [Source S8b]

Same decision tree applies. If the teleconsultation doctor is from a public institution or company-appointed → reimburse consultation fee. If not → grant sick leave but no reimbursement obligation.

Case 7: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner

Result: MOM: "Employers are required to recognise MCs issued by doctors registered under the Medical Registration Act or dentists registered under the Dental Registration Act only to grant paid sick leave." [Source S7]

TCM practitioners are not registered under either Act. No obligation to grant paid sick leave or reimburse. Acceptance is at employer's discretion.

Case 8: Employee Saw Doctor But No MC Was Issued

Result: MOM: "Your employer is not required to reimburse you under the Employment Act if you do not have an MC." [Source S3]

Check employment contract — some contracts cover consultation fees regardless of MC.

Case 9: Employee Falls Sick on Public Holiday / Rest Day / Annual Leave

Result: No paid sick leave for these days. [Source S4]

Exception for annual leave: MOM: "If you fall sick while on annual leave, you may discuss with your employer whether you can cancel your annual leave and take sick leave instead." [Source S4]

Case 10: Employee on MC While Serving Notice Period

Result: Employee is still entitled to paid sick leave during notice period if they meet all eligibility criteria. MC days count towards the notice period. [Source S4]

Same decision tree applies for reimbursement.

Case 11: Employee Worked Half Day, Then Saw Doctor in Afternoon

Result: MOM: "There is no provision in the Employment Act for half-day sick leave. Your employer can treat the sick leave given as one full day's sick leave, or choose to provide more favourable benefits by allowing you to take half-day sick leave." [Source S9]

If MC results in at least 1 day sick leave from a qualifying practitioner → reimburse consultation fee.

Case 12: Employee Used MediSave to Pay Medical Bill

Result: MOM: "Your employer must reimburse any utilised MediSave funds back to your MediSave Account if you meet the eligibility criteria." [Source S10]

This applies to the consultation fee portion that falls under EA reimbursement.

Case 13: Can Employer Ask Employee to Return Before MC Ends?

Result: MOM: "You have the right to reject your employer's request to return to work if you were given an MC certifying you to be unfit for work." [Source S11]

If employee voluntarily returns early, those days should not be deducted from sick leave entitlement.

Part D — Quick Reference: Common Questions

Question	Answer
Must I reimburse medication?	Not under EA. MOM only says "medical consultation fee." Check company policy.
Must I reimburse if MC is from private clinic?	Only if that clinic/doctor is company-appointed. Otherwise no. [S2]
Must I accept teleconsultation MC?	Yes. [S8b]
Must I accept TCM MC?	No obligation. Employer's discretion. [S7]
Must I accept overseas doctor MC?	No obligation. Employer's discretion. [S4]
Does probation affect sick leave?	No. Only the 3-month service requirement matters. [S5]
Can I limit employees to specific clinics?	You can appoint company doctors, but you must still recognise MCs from any registered doctor/dentist for sick leave purposes. [S1]
Can I terminate for taking sick leave?	No. MOM: "Employers should not terminate employment just for taking sick leave." Employee can file wrongful dismissal claim. [S12]
Can I tie incentive schemes to sick leave usage?	Listed as FAQ on MOM but not recommended. Sick leave is a statutory entitlement.
MC spans two calendar years?	Split by year. Days in 2025 deducted from 2025 entitlement; days in 2026 from 2026. [S13]
MC includes rest days / public holidays?	Only working days count. E.g., 10-day hospitalisation MC spanning 1 rest day + 1 PH = 8 days deducted. [S8]
Employee ran out of sick leave?	Employer may grant unpaid leave or arrange alternative work arrangements. [S4]

Official Sources (All MOM.gov.sg)

Disclaimer — READ THIS

This guide is sourced exclusively from MOM.gov.sg official pages (links above). Every quoted statement is verbatim from MOM.

What this guide CANNOT confirm: The exact boundary of "medical consultation fee" (e.g. whether a polyclinic's bundled bill that includes basic medication counts as "consultation fee") is not defined by MOM. For ambiguous cases, call MOM at 6438 5122.

This is not legal advice. For high-value or disputed claims, consult an employment lawyer.

Last updated: 13 March 2026