Employment Guide -- Updated July 2026
Time Off for Dependants (Emergency Leave) Guide 2026/27
Every employee has a day-one right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with an unexpected emergency involving a dependant. Here is what counts, how much time is reasonable, and how it differs from carer's leave.
What Time Off for Dependants Covers
Under section 57A of the Employment Rights Act 1996, employees have the right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off during working hours to take necessary action in certain emergencies involving a dependant. This covers situations such as a dependant falling ill, being injured or assaulted, giving birth, the unexpected breakdown of care arrangements (for example a childminder or carer being unavailable at short notice), an unexpected disruption or termination of arrangements for caring for a dependant, dealing with the death of a dependant, or an unexpected incident involving the employee's child at school. It is aimed squarely at genuine emergencies, not planned or foreseeable events.
Who Counts as a Dependant
A dependant is generally the employee's spouse, civil partner, child, parent, or a person who lives in the same household as the employee, other than as a tenant, lodger, boarder or employee. For emergencies involving illness, injury or a breakdown of care arrangements, the definition can also extend to anyone who reasonably relies on the employee for assistance in that situation, even if they do not fall within the usual categories -- for example, an elderly neighbour with no other family nearby.
Is It Paid?
Time off for dependants is unpaid as a matter of statutory minimum right -- your employer is not legally required to pay you for the time you take. Some employers offer paid dependant leave, or a set number of paid emergency leave days, as a contractual benefit that goes beyond the legal minimum, so check your contract, offer letter or staff handbook. Even where no pay is offered, your employer cannot lawfully refuse you the time off itself if the legal conditions are met.
How Much Time Is "Reasonable"
The law deliberately does not set a fixed number of hours or days -- it requires only that the time taken is reasonable in the circumstances. In practice, this generally means enough time to deal with the immediate crisis and arrange a longer-term solution, commonly just one or two days, rather than an extended period providing ongoing care yourself. If you need more time to provide continuing care, other rights -- such as statutory carer's leave, unpaid parental leave, or a flexible working request -- are usually the more appropriate route.
Giving Notice
Because this right exists specifically for unforeseen emergencies, you are not required to give advance notice in the way you would for planned annual leave. You do need to tell your employer the reason for your absence and, where possible, how long you expect to be away, as soon as reasonably practicable -- in most cases this simply means contacting your manager or workplace as soon as you can once the emergency arises.
How It Differs From Carer's Leave
Time off for dependants is unpaid, has no annual cap on how many times it can be used (provided each use is reasonable), and is limited to genuine, unforeseen emergencies. Statutory carer's leave, introduced in April 2024, is a separate day-one right to take up to one week of unpaid leave in a 12-month period for an employee with a long-term caring responsibility for a dependant, and unlike time off for dependants it can be used for planned caring activities too, such as accompanying the person you care for to a scheduled medical appointment.