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
Timing of bereaved partner's paternity leave
You can choose to start your leave on any day after the bereavement.
You do not need to decide your leave dates straight away, but all bereaved partner's paternity leave must be taken within 52 weeks of the day following the child's birth.
In the case of an adopted child, the 52-week period runs from the day after the child was placed for adoption, or, for adoptions from overseas, the day after the child entered Great Britain.
If the bereavement occurs within 13 days before the end of the relevant 52-week period, you may take your bereaved partner's paternity leave up to 14 days after the bereavement, even if this falls outside the 52-week period.