Millions of workers in the UK will gain the legal right to up to two weeks of unpaid leave after experiencing a bereavement, including pregnancy loss and the death of close family members.
The new rules will come into force from April next year and expand protections beyond the current system, which only covers specific cases involving the loss of a child.
New Rules Expand Who Can Access Bereavement Leave
The changes introduce a wider right to unpaid bereavement leave through the Employment Rights Act 2025. The measure will allow eligible employees to take time away from work after losing a loved one.
According to GOV.UK, the reforms were shaped through a consultation designed to consider the needs of both employees and employers.
The new protections will cover people who experience a miscarriage, a termination in early pregnancy, or an unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer. They will also apply after the death of a spouse, partner, parent, adult child, or sibling.
The rules extend to some wider family relationships, including step relatives, adoptive relationships, kinship care arrangements, and foster relationships.
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Pregnancy Loss To Receive Greater Workplace Recognition
Under current law, parents can access bereavement leave after a stillbirth occurring after 24 weeks of pregnancy or after the death of a child under 18.
The expanded rules address situations where early pregnancy losses previously had no legal recognition in workplace leave policies.
Campaigners have called for greater support for grieving parents, highlighting that many people experience significant emotional impact after pregnancy loss despite having no formal entitlement to time away from work.
Estimates suggest that around one in five women in the UK experience a miscarriage, according to figures cited by campaigners supporting changes to bereavement protections.
Government Says Workers Should Not Have To Fight For Time To Grieve
Work minister Kate Dearden said the updated rules would provide support for people facing personal loss.
“No-one should have to fight for time to grieve.
“These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work.”
The new legal entitlement aims to give employees a clearer route to take leave during periods of bereavement without relying only on individual workplace policies.
The new laws will come into force from April next year.
