Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay and Leave
How to claim
You have 56 weeks to take Parental Bereavement Leave or claim Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay through your employer. This starts from the date of the child鈥檚 death.
Parental Bereavement Leave
You can take 2 weeks leave in one block or as 2 separate blocks of one week.
The 56 weeks are split into 2 periods:
- from the date of the child鈥檚 death or stillbirth to 8 weeks after
- 9 to 56 weeks after the date of the child鈥檚 death or stillbirth
You must give your employer notice before you take Parental Bereavement Leave. How much notice depends on when you鈥檙e taking the leave.
0 to 8 weeks after the child鈥檚 death or stillbirth
You must give your employer notice before you would normally start work on the first day of the week or weeks you want to take off work.
9 to 56 weeks after the child鈥檚 death or stillbirth
You must give your employer at least one week鈥檚 notice before the start of the week or weeks you want to take off work.
Giving your employer notice
You must tell your employer:
- the date of the child鈥檚 death or stillbirth
- when you want your parental bereavement leave to begin
- how much leave you are taking - either 1 or 2 weeks
You can speak to your employer by phone, leave a voicemail, send a text message or an email. You do not need to give them notice in writing (for example through a form or letter).
You do not need to give proof of death or stillbirth.
Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay
You must ask for Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay within 28 days, starting from the first day of the week you鈥檙e claiming the payment for.
Each time you claim, you must give your employer the following information in writing (for example a letter, email or form):
- your name
- the dates of the period you want to claim Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay
- the date of the child鈥檚 death or stillbirth
You鈥檒l also need to give a 鈥榙eclaration鈥� to your employer to confirm you鈥檙e eligible because of your relationship to the child or baby. You only need to complete this once when you first ask for pay.
Completing the declaration
You can:
- - this takes 5 minutes
- declare in writing you鈥檙e eligible because of your relationship to the child or baby
- use your employers own form if they have one
Once you鈥檝e completed your declaration, you鈥檒l need to send it to your employer. They鈥檒l check your information and your eligibility.