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Workers who lose a loved one will get a legal right to bereavement leave for the first time from April 2027, the government confirmed on 22 September. Ministers also announced a new entitlement to up to two weeks' unpaid leave for anyone who experiences a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, including miscarriage, termination for medical reasons, or a failed IVF embryo transfer.
The changes follow a government consultation on bereavement leave and are being introduced under the Employment Rights Act 2025, as part of the wider Make Work Pay agenda. They come after sustained campaigning from bereaved parents and grief charities who said the current patchwork of employer goodwill left too many people with no legal footing to take time off.
At a glance
- A new legal right to bereavement leave will come into force in April 2027 for people who lose a spouse, partner, parent, adult child or sibling.
- For the first time, the right will also cover step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships.
- Women and their partners who experience a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will get up to two weeks of unpaid leave.
- An estimated one in five women in the UK experience a miscarriage during their lifetime, according to the government.
- The leave can be taken flexibly across 56 weeks and does not require evidence of the loss.
Who Qualifies for the New Bereavement Leave Right From April 2027
From April 2027, employees who lose a spouse or partner, a parent, an adult child or a sibling will have a statutory right to take time off work to grieve. The government says the change brings UK law "into the 21st century" by recognising family relationships that current rules ignore entirely, including step relatives, half siblings, adoptive family members, kinship carers and foster relationships.
Under existing law, only parents who experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy, or whose child under 18 dies, have a dedicated legal right to bereavement leave, through Parental Bereavement Leave. Everyone else has depended on their employer's discretion. The Department for Business and Trade says many employers already go further than the law requires, including offering paid compassionate leave, but argues a legal "safety net" is needed for people whose employers do not.
Kate Dearden, the Minister for the Future of Work, said "no one should have to fight for time to grieve," adding that the changes "back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work." She said she wanted to thank campaigners "whose courage and testimonies have made this change happen."
Pregnancy Loss Before 24 Weeks Now Qualifies for Two Weeks' Leave
Alongside bereavement leave, the government confirmed that women and their partners who experience a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave. This covers miscarriage, terminations, and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers, and the right extends to partners, the other biological parent, or intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.
The government says roughly one in five women in the UK will experience a miscarriage in their lifetime, yet there has been no legal right to time off in these circumstances. Vicki Robinson, chief executive of Miscarriage UK, welcomed the announcement, calling it "an important step in recognising pregnancy loss as a bereavement," while adding that her organisation "still strongly believe bereavement leave should be paid" and would keep campaigning on that point through its Leave for Every Loss campaign.
How the leave can be used
- Leave can be taken flexibly within 56 weeks of the loss, either as a single block or as individual days.
- Employees only need to notify their employer as soon as reasonably practicable if leave is taken within the first eight weeks after a bereavement.
- No one will be required to provide evidence of their loss to access the leave.
- Employees are protected from detriment or dismissal for exercising the right.
Why the CBI and Miscarriage UK Both Welcomed the Change
The response from employer groups has, notably, been supportive rather than resistant. Matthew Percival, the CBI's Future of Work and Skills Director, said the day one right to bereavement leave "recognises the importance of giving employees time and space during some of life's most difficult moments," and that businesses "look forward to engaging with government, unions and other stakeholders" as the detail is worked out.
That tone is partly explained by the consultation figures the government has published alongside the announcement. More than eight in ten employers, and nine in ten business representative organisations, said they supported bereavement leave following the death of an immediate family member. Many businesses already offer some form of compassionate leave, so the new law is being framed less as a burden and more as a formal floor beneath practices that already exist informally in much of the economy.
What changes for workers
- A guaranteed legal right to bereavement leave, regardless of employer policy.
- Recognition of step, half, adoptive, kinship and foster family relationships.
- Up to two weeks' leave for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, including for partners.
- No need to disclose evidence of the loss to claim the leave.
What stays the same for now
- Bereavement leave and pregnancy loss leave remain unpaid at a statutory level.
- The right does not take effect until April 2027, so no immediate change for staff this year.
- Details will be set through secondary legislation, so exact wording could still shift.
- Campaigners including Miscarriage UK say they will keep pushing for paid leave.
That last point is likely to remain a live issue. The government's own announcement acknowledges that "the vast majority" of employers already offer more generous terms than the statutory minimum, which suggests ministers see this as establishing a baseline rather than a ceiling, with the door left open for further changes as the parental leave and pay system review continues.
How the Change Fits Into the Employment Rights Act 2025
The bereavement leave changes are being introduced through secondary legislation under the Employment Rights Act 2025, and will not need a fresh act of Parliament to take effect. They sit alongside a broader, ongoing government review of the parental leave and pay system, which is also examining "Hugh's Law", campaigned for by families of children with terminal illnesses, and the rights of parents caring for children who are seriously ill.
That review runs in parallel with a separate consultation on paid carer's leave and a right to return to work for unpaid carers, which UK Politics Decoded has covered previously. Together, the measures point to a pattern in the government's Make Work Pay programme, expanding who counts as family in employment law, and building statutory floors under types of leave that have historically depended entirely on individual employers.
The government has published its full consultation response on GOV.UK, confirming that the changes will be enacted through secondary legislation next year, with April 2027 set as the date both new rights come into force.
For employees, nothing changes immediately. The rights announced today do not take effect until April 2027, giving the government time to draft the secondary legislation and issue guidance to employers on how the leave should work in practice, including how the 56 week flexible window will be administered.
For employers, the immediate task will be watching for that guidance rather than changing policies overnight. The CBI has signalled it wants a seat at the table as the detail is finalised, and the government says it will continue working with businesses, unions and stakeholders including Miscarriage UK as it turns today's announcement into law.
Key Takeaways
- A new legal right to bereavement leave takes effect in April 2027, covering spouses, partners, parents, adult children and siblings, plus step, half, adoptive, kinship and foster relationships for the first time.
- Pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, including miscarriage, termination and failed IVF transfers, will carry a right to up to two weeks' unpaid leave for the person affected and their partner.
- Leave can be taken flexibly over 56 weeks, requires no evidence of loss, and comes with protection from dismissal or detriment.
- Both rights will remain unpaid at the statutory minimum, prompting campaigners like Miscarriage UK to keep pushing for paid leave.
- The changes will be introduced through secondary legislation under the Employment Rights Act 2025, alongside a wider review of parental leave and pay.