Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave - April 2026
In this section
- Introduction
- Scope
- What is bereaved partner's paternity leave?
- Requesting support
- Entitlement to bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Amount of bereaved partner's paternity leave you can take
- Timing of bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Notice to take bereaved partner's paternity leave
- If you plan to start your leave more than eight weeks after the bereavement
- If your child dies or your adoption placement is disrupted
- Cancelling your leave
- Changing your leave start date
- Changing your intended return date
- Pay during bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Your rights during bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Holiday entitlement
- Pension contributions
- Re-instating lost pension because of unpaid bereaved partner’s paternity leave
- Contact during bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Keeping-in-touch days during bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Returning to work after bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Requests for flexible working
- Data protection
- Abuse of the Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave policy
- Ensuring equality of opportunity
Entitlement to bereaved partner's paternity leave
You can take bereaved partner's paternity leave if you are taking the leave to care for the child and you meet the relevant conditions below.
In a birth situation, where the child's mother dies
You will be eligible if:
• the child's mother dies on or after 6 April 2026;
• you are the child's biological father, or were the spouse, civil partner, or partner of the child's mother immediately before their death; and
• you have the main responsibility for the child's upbringing.
In an adoption situation, where the child's adopter dies
You will be eligible if:
• the child's adopter dies on or after 6 April 2026;
• you were the spouse, civil partner, or partner of the child's adopter either on the date the child was placed for adoption (or, in the case of an overseas adoption, the date the adopter received the official notification), or immediately before their death; and
• you have the main responsibility for the child's upbringing.
To take bereaved partner's paternity leave, you will need to follow the notification procedure set out below. Please note that the notice requirements differ depending on whether you choose to start your leave within the first eight weeks after the bereavement date or more than eight weeks after that date.