Bereavement Leave

Employees are sometimes entitled to paid bereavement leave if someone close to them dies. All employees are entitled to reasonable time off without pay to arrange or attend the funeral of a dependant.

There is no set amount of bereavement leave laid down by law.  Employers can set their own limits but this should be done with sensitivity based on the individual circumstances and the employee’s relationship to the deceased. As a general rule the closer the relation, the longer the bereavement leave but remember that an Aunt, Uncle or Cousin etc. could be the nearest or closest relative and individual circumstances should always be explored and taken into account.

Under Time off for dependants the employee has a statutory right to reasonable time off without pay to deal with a death of a dependant.

Last updated: 13 October 2022