Funeral leave how many days

Employees have a right to 2 weeks off if their child dies under the age of 18 or is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy. This is called 'parental bereavement leave'. Anyone classed as an employee also has the right to unpaid time off if their child a 'dependant' dies under the age of They will both be entitled to 2 weeks parental bereavement leave after they finish their maternity or paternity leave. But an employer should still consider offering time off.

An employee has the right to time off for a funeral if the person who died was a dependant. For example, their partner or parent.

However your organisation might offer time off. In all circumstances there's no legal right for this time off to be paid, but some employers might offer pay. If your organisation does not offer paid time off for a funeral, the employee and employer could agree on using:. Employers should not discriminate against employees when deciding on time off. For example, not allowing an employee to attend a religious ceremony after a death could be indirect religious discrimination.

Employers and employees should agree together how an employee takes time off for both religious and non-religious funerals. There is no legal right to paid time off for bereavement, unless someone is eligible for parental bereavement pay when a child dies. There are exceptions for agricultural employees — you can find out more by calling the Acas helpline. Many employers choose to offer pay during bereavement.

An employer might call this 'compassionate', 'bereavement' or 'special' paid leave. The amount they offer is up to them so check your organisation's policy or contract. If the employee takes the time off as sick leave or holiday, they should get their usual sick pay or holiday pay. If a policy is lacking in these areas, you should instead ask your employer or HR representative for clarity. This is otherwise known as dependant leave and can be used when someone who relies on you — i.

For free impartial advice, you can also contact the National Bereavement Service. You can call their helpline on from 9. Your local funeral director is the best place to find out about funeral arrangements catered to your needs.

Search for your local funeral director. You can be assured that every funeral home that is part of the Funeral Partners family will provide outstanding client service.

Read the article. Certificates you will need to enable you to start arranging the funeral and sorting out the affairs of the person who has died. Picking up the telephone to tell close family or complete strangers such as an employer about the death is usually difficult. Cremation services usually involve a gathering of family and friends and a cremation committal to say goodbye to a loved one.

Skip to content. Bereavement and compassionate leave in the UK. What is compassionate leave? How many days are you entitled to for bereavement leave? Do you get paid for compassionate leave? What is considered immediate family for bereavement pay? This is known as bereavement leave. Bereavement leave is time off work following the death of a loved one. You may also know it as compassionate leave. It is arranged with your employer, and the terms and procedures for bereavement leave should be outlined in company policy.

It gives you the space to work through your emotions and recover from the shock. Bereavement leave also gives you time to deal with the administration that comes with the death of a family member, as well as other arrangements such as organising the funeral and wake. Your employer is not legally obliged to pay you for time off for bereavement, but they do have to grant you some time off in these circumstances.

This refers to an emergency situation involving a close family member, spouse or child, which naturally extends to bereavement. If a close family member passes away, your employer will usually grant bereavement leave without question. It can also refer to a child or someone you have a responsibility to care for. It can become a little more difficult to ask for compassionate leave in other circumstances. Some employers will be very understanding if you lose a close friend, colleague or someone not in your immediate family.

Others may be stricter, and it can lead to difficult conversations. This is exacerbated by the fact that there is no hard and fast rule about bereavement leave in employment law. Again, it is all about open, transparent communication and your employer using his or her discretion. There are no official rules stating how long employees are entitled to have for bereavement.

Your employer may agree to around 5 working days, for example, then they may ask you to check in.