Answers · UK 2025/26

How much bereavement leave am I legally entitled to in the UK?

Parents who lose a child under 18 (or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy) have a day-one statutory right to two weeks of Parental Bereavement Leave, paid at the statutory rate if they have sufficient qualifying service, regardless of how long they've worked for their employer. There is currently no general UK statutory right to paid leave for the loss of other family members, such as a spouse, parent, or sibling, though many employers offer this as a discretionary contractual benefit.

Last updated: 2 July 2026Last reviewed: 2 July 2026How we verify

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Bereavement leave rights in the UK are more limited by law than many people expect, with a specific, well-defined statutory right only existing for parents who lose a child, and no general statutory entitlement covering other family bereavements. **Parental Bereavement Leave -- the specific statutory right** Employees who lose a child under the age of 18, or who experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy, have a day-one right (no minimum length of service required) to two weeks of Parental Bereavement Leave -- this can be taken as a single block of two weeks, or as two separate one-week blocks, and must generally be taken within a specified window (56 weeks) following the child's death, giving parents flexibility in timing rather than forcing leave to be used immediately. **Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay** While the two-week LEAVE right applies from day one regardless of service, receiving STATUTORY PARENTAL BEREAVEMENT PAY during that leave requires meeting minimum service and earnings conditions similar to other statutory family-related pay (broadly, 26 weeks' continuous service by the relevant date, and earnings above the lower earnings limit) -- employees who don't meet these specific pay conditions still have the right to take the two weeks of LEAVE itself, just without the statutory pay attached, though many employers choose to pay for this period regardless as a matter of goodwill or contractual policy. **No general statutory right for other bereavements** For the loss of a spouse, partner, parent, sibling, grandparent, or other family member (other than the specific circumstances covered by Parental Bereavement Leave), there is currently no general UK statutory right to paid or unpaid bereavement leave -- instead, employees typically rely on a combination of their specific employer's contractual bereavement or compassionate leave policy (which varies enormously between employers, from a few paid days to considerably more generous provisions) and, separately, the general statutory right to reasonable unpaid time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant. **Time off for dependants -- a separate, more limited right** All employees have a day-one statutory right to take a "reasonable" amount of unpaid time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant (a close family member or someone who relies on the employee for care), which can cover the immediate aftermath of a death, including arranging or attending a funeral -- but this right is specifically about handling the immediate emergency, is unpaid, and doesn't provide the same clear, extended entitlement as Parental Bereavement Leave, being generally intended to cover a short period (often just a day or two) rather than an extended period of grief-related leave. **Employer discretion and contractual policies fill the gap** Given the limited scope of the statutory rights described above, most of what employees experience as "bereavement leave" for losses other than a child actually comes from their specific employer's own discretionary or contractual compassionate leave policy -- always check your employee handbook or contract for your employer's specific bereavement leave policy, since entitlements here vary hugely and are not standardised by law in the way sick pay or annual leave are. **Calls for wider statutory reform** There has been ongoing debate and various campaigns calling for a broader UK statutory bereavement leave right covering the loss of any close family member, not just a child -- since this is an evolving area of policy discussion, it's worth checking current gov.uk guidance or news for any legislative changes that may extend statutory rights beyond the current Parental Bereavement Leave provisions. **Practical tip** If you're facing a bereavement, first check your specific employer's compassionate leave or bereavement leave policy in your staff handbook, since this (rather than the more limited general statutory rights) is likely to be the primary source of any paid leave you're entitled to, other than in the specific circumstances covered by Parental Bereavement Leave.