Am I entitled to paid bereavement leave in the UK?

It depends who died. If your CHILD under 18 died (or you had a stillbirth after 24 weeks), you have a statutory right to 2 weeks of Parental Bereavement Leave — paid at £194.32 a week (2026/27) if you have 26 weeks' service. From 6 April 2026, if a mother or adoptive partner dies within the child's first year, the bereaved partner gets up to 52 weeks of leave from day one. For other deaths there is no general statutory PAID bereavement leave yet — you rely on unpaid time off for dependants, your employer's own compassionate-leave policy, or sick leave if grief makes you unwell. A broader statutory bereavement-leave right (unpaid, day one, including pregnancy loss before 24 weeks) was legislated in the Employment Rights Act and is expected to come into force via regulations — announced but not yet in force.

What is Parental Bereavement Leave (Jack's Law)?

If your child under 18 dies, or you have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy, you can take 2 weeks of Parental Bereavement Leave — as one block or two separate weeks — any time within 56 weeks of the death. The LEAVE is a day-one right for employees. The PAY (£194.32 a week or 90% of earnings if lower, 2026/27) needs 26 weeks' continuous service and minimum average earnings. It applies to parents, adoptive parents, intended parents in surrogacy, and many primary carers.

What time off can I take for a funeral?

If the person who died was a dependant — your partner, child, parent, or someone who relied on you — you have a day-one statutory right to reasonable UNPAID time off to deal with the consequences of their death, which covers making arrangements and attending the funeral. There's no fixed number of days; 'reasonable' depends on the situation. For non-dependants (a grandparent, sibling, friend), there's no statutory right — ask about compassionate leave, annual leave, or unpaid leave. Many employers grant 3 to 5 days' paid compassionate leave by policy: check your contract or staff handbook before assuming you have nothing.

What if grief means I genuinely can't work?

Grief that affects your mental health is a legitimate reason to be signed off. Self-certify for the first 7 days, then a fit note from your GP (or a nurse, pharmacist or physiotherapist) — and since April 2026 Statutory Sick Pay is paid from day one with no lower earnings limit. Being signed off for bereavement-related depression or anxiety is common and nothing to be embarrassed about.

What is Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave?

A new right from 6 April 2026: if the mother of a child (or your adoption partner) dies within the first year of the child's life or placement, the surviving partner can take extended leave to care for the child — up to 52 weeks depending on when the bereavement happens — from their first day in the job, with no service requirement for the leave. It exists so a bereaved parent isn't forced back to work weeks after losing their partner while caring for a baby.

Bereavement leave UK 2026 — your actual rights to time off after a death

The map — by who died

Who died	Your statutory right (2026)
Your child (under 18, or stillbirth after 24 weeks)	2 weeks’ Parental Bereavement Leave (“Jack’s Law”) — one block or two separate weeks, any time within 56 weeks. Leave is a day-one right; the pay (£194.32/wk or 90% if lower) needs 26 weeks’ service. Covers adoptive, surrogacy-intended parents and many primary carers.
The mother of your baby, or your adoption partner (within the child’s first year)	NEW from 6 April 2026: Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave — up to 52 weeks to care for the child, from day one in the job.
A dependant (partner, child, parent, or someone relying on you)	Reasonable unpaid time off — a day-one right — to deal with the consequences of the death: making arrangements and attending the funeral.
Anyone else (grandparent, sibling, friend)	No statutory leave yet — use your employer’s compassionate-leave policy, annual leave, unpaid leave, or the sick-note route below. A general unpaid bereavement-leave right has been legislated and is expected via regulations (see below).

Check the handbook before assuming you have nothing

Many employers grant 3–5 days’ paid compassionate leave by policy — it’s contractual, not statutory, so it lives in your contract or staff handbook. Ask HR plainly; it’s a routine request.
Employers can always be more generous than the law — and many are, especially around funerals abroad or close non-dependant family.
If a manager refuses time off for a dependant’s death or punishes you for taking it, that’s an employment-rights problem: ACAS, 0300 123 1100, free.

The change that’s comingThe Employment Rights Act created a general right to bereavement leave — unpaid, from day one, and for the first time covering pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. It needs secondary regulations before it applies (expected around 2027). It is announced, not yet in force — until then, the table above is the law.

When grief makes work impossible

Grief that affects your mental health is a legitimate reason to be signed off — bereavement-related depression and anxiety are among the most common fit-note reasons in Britain.
Self-certify for the first 7 days, then a fit note from a GP, nurse, pharmacist or physiotherapist.
Since April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay is paid from day one, with the old earnings threshold removed — being signed off no longer means a week of nothing.
There is no shame in this route. Returning to work too soon helps nobody.

Do this now

One email to HR: what happened, which right you’re using (the table above), and when you expect to be back in touch. You don’t owe anyone the details.

The practical side — registering the death, Tell Us Once and the money help — has its own calm sequence when you’re ready.

And for youCruse Bereavement Support — 0808 808 1677 (free), and Samaritans — 116 123, any hour. Grief has no schedule, and neither do they.

Related guides

Source verification Primary source: GOV.UK parental bereavement leave + the DBT bereavement/paternity factsheet (Apr 2026 changes) + ACAS · gov.uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave. Last verified 11 June 2026. Confidence: High; the 2027 general right stated as announced-not-in-force. Key facts: PBL 2 wks within 56 wks, pay £194.32 (26-wk service) · Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave up to 52 wks from 6 Apr 2026, day-one · dependants time off unpaid day-one · SSP day-one Apr 2026 · ERA general bereavement right pending regulations. Scope: Great Britain (NI rules differ in places — check nidirect).

Bereavement leave — common questions

Is there paid bereavement leave in the UK?

Only for specific situations: 2 weeks paid if your child under 18 dies (Jack's Law, £194.32/wk with 26 weeks' service), and from April 2026 up to 52 weeks for a bereaved partner whose baby's mother dies in the first year. Other deaths: unpaid dependants leave, employer policy, or sick leave.

How much time off for a funeral?

For a dependant's funeral: "reasonable" unpaid time off, a day-one right — no fixed number of days. For non-dependants there's no statutory right, but most employers grant compassionate or annual leave; check the handbook.

Can I be signed off for grief?

Yes — bereavement-related depression or anxiety is a legitimate fit-note reason. Self-certify 7 days, then a fit note; SSP runs from day one since April 2026.

What's changing in the law?

A general statutory bereavement-leave right (unpaid, day one, including pregnancy loss before 24 weeks) was created by the Employment Rights Act and is expected to come into force via regulations around 2027. It's announced, not yet in force.

My employer refused or punished me — what now?

Time off for a dependant's death is a statutory right and you're protected from detriment for using it. ACAS on 0300 123 1100 advises free, and can start early conciliation if needed.

Sources: Parental Bereavement Leave & Pay (2 weeks, 56-week window, day-one leave vs 26-week pay test) · GOV.UK; 2026/27 rate £194.32 · HMRC statutory-payments table (verified for the SMP/SPP/SAP guides). Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave (from 6 Apr 2026, up to 52 weeks, day-one) · DBT factsheet + business.gov.uk. Time off for dependants · ACAS / Employment Rights Act 1996 s.57A. The pending general bereavement-leave right incl. pre-24-week pregnancy loss · Employment Rights Act provisions, regulations expected ~2027 (stated as not yet in force). Support · Cruse 0808 808 1677 · Samaritans 116 123. SortedUK is not a law firm and this is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed: 11 June 2026.

Bereavement leave — what you’re actually entitled to.

The map — by who died

Check the handbook before assuming you have nothing

When grief makes work impossible

Related guides

Bereavement leave — common questions

When you’re ready — the rest, in order.