What Is Bereavement Leave, and How Much Do You Get?

Detailed Explanation

When someone dies, work is often one of the first practical questions: the funeral is on a weekday, there are forms and phone calls, and you may not be fit to work anyway. Bereavement leave exists for exactly this, but what you are entitled to depends heavily on where you work and who you work for.

What bereavement leave is

Bereavement leave, often called compassionate leave, is time off after a death to grieve, organise and attend the funeral, and handle the first practical tasks. It may come from:

• the law, which sets a minimum in some countries or states
• an employment contract, award or collective agreement, which can improve on that minimum
• employer policy or discretion, which is often the only source where the law says nothing

Legal entitlements are usually short, a few days at most, and tied to close relationships. They are a floor, not a measure of how long grief takes.

Questions that decide what you get

Whatever the country, the same questions tend to decide your entitlement:

• Who died. Most legal definitions cover a partner, child, parent, sibling and sometimes grandparents or in-laws. More distant relatives and friends are often left to employer discretion.
• Whether it is paid. Some systems require pay, some protect the time off without pay, and some leave both to the employer.
• How long you've worked there. Some entitlements start from the first day; others require a qualifying period.
• When and how it is taken. Some rules allow the days to be split, for example one at the death and one for a funeral weeks later, or set a window in which the leave must be used.
• Notice and evidence. Employees usually need to tell the employer as soon as practical, and may be asked for reasonable evidence.

How it varies between countries

• Australia. Under the National Employment Standards, employees get 2 days of compassionate leave each time a member of their immediate family or household dies (and for a life-threatening illness or injury, a stillbirth or a miscarriage). It is paid for full-time and part-time employees and unpaid for casuals. Awards and agreements often provide more.
• New Zealand. Eligible employees, generally those with 6 months' continuous employment (or a set pattern of regular hours over 6 months), get at least 3 days of paid bereavement leave when a close family member dies, including for a miscarriage or stillbirth, and at least 1 day for another death where the employer accepts the bereavement.
• United Kingdom. There is no general legal right to bereavement leave. Employees have a right to a reasonable amount of time off when a dependant dies, but it doesn't have to be paid, and Acas notes there's no legal right to time off when the person who died wasn't a child or dependant. The exception is Parental Bereavement Leave: a parent whose child dies under 18, or whose baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, can take 2 weeks' leave, to be finished within 56 weeks of the death. Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay, for those who qualify, is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower (as of 2026). Northern Ireland has its own rules.
• United States. No federal law requires private employers to give bereavement leave, and the Family and Medical Leave Act does not list grieving a death as a qualifying reason. Some states fill the gap. California requires employers with 5 or more employees to give up to 5 days of bereavement leave to employees with at least 30 days' service, to be taken within 3 months of the death; it can be unpaid unless an existing policy says otherwise, though employees can use accrued vacation or sick leave. Oregon allows paid sick time to be used for a family member's funeral, arrangements and grieving. Most US bereavement leave comes from employer policy, so check the handbook.

These are minimums and change over time. Check the official source for your country or state, or your contract or agreement, for what applies to you.

When the leave isn't enough

A few days rarely match the reality of a death, especially if you are the executor, organising the funeral, or travelling. Common ways people bridge the gap include annual or vacation leave, unpaid leave by agreement, flexible hours for a period, and sick leave where grief has affected their health (a doctor can advise on that). Being specific with a manager ("the funeral is overseas and I need the week") usually works better than asking what the policy allows. For the return itself, see how to return to work after a bereavement. If grief is making work very hard, grief counselling may help, and many employers fund free sessions through an Employee Assistance Program.

How it works where you are

• In Australia: How much bereavement leave you get in Australia
• When a pet dies: Is there bereavement leave when a pet dies?

Things to Consider

• Read your contract, agreement or handbook first. Many employers give more than the legal minimum, and some pay for leave the law leaves unpaid.
• Say who died. Entitlements often turn on the relationship, and a partner's parent or a household member may count when a vaguer "family member" might not.
• Split the days if you can. Where the rules allow it, keeping a day for the funeral, which may be weeks after the death, can help.
• Plan for the whole first fortnight. Registering the death, meeting the funeral director and notifying organisations all take working hours. See who you need to notify when someone dies.
• Grief continues after the leave ends. Many families find it helps to have somewhere to keep sharing memories, such as an online memorial, long after everyone is back at work.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming another country's rules apply. Figures quoted online are often from one country or one state. Check the rules where you work.
• Assuming there's nothing because the law says nothing. In the US and much of the UK, bereavement leave usually comes from employer policy rather than law, and it's often more generous than people expect.
• Using annual leave before checking for paid bereavement leave. You may give up paid days you were entitled to.
• Not asking about casual or part-time entitlements. In some systems casual staff are entitled to the time off, even when it's unpaid.
• Staying silent when a few days aren't enough. Many employers are more flexible after a death than their written policy suggests, but only if they're asked.