Government confirms new rights for pregnancy loss and family bereavement leave - including for miscarriage and unsuccessful IVF

New rights from April 2027 will give eligible employees time off after pregnancy loss or the death of close family members.

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Published: September 22, 2026 at 3:37 PM

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From April 2027, employees in Great Britain will have new legal rights to take time away from work following a bereavement or pregnancy loss.

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The Government has confirmed that women and their partners experiencing a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave. The changes will also extend bereavement leave to a wider range of family relationships, including step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships.

The new rights are being introduced through secondary legislation as part of the Government's wider Make Work Pay plans.

What are the new pregnancy loss leave rights?

From April 2027, employees will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave following any type of pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.

This includes miscarriage, termination of pregnancy and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers.

The entitlement will not only apply to the woman who experienced the pregnancy loss. It will also cover partners, the other biological parent and intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.

The Government says the change recognises that pregnancy loss can affect the whole family, and provides a legal minimum when someone needs time away from work to grieve.

There is currently no general legal right to bereavement leave following a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, although some employers offer compassionate or paid leave.

New rights after the death of a family member

The new bereavement leave entitlement will also apply when an employee loses a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling.

Importantly, the definition will include a wider range of family relationships than the current legal provisions, including:

This means, for example, that an employee who loses a stepchild will have a statutory right to bereavement leave.

How will bereavement leave work?

The leave will be available from April 2027 and can be taken flexibly within 56 weeks of the loss.

Employees will be able to take leave as individual days rather than having to take it as one continuous period.

For leave taken during the first eight weeks after a bereavement, employees will only need to notify their employer as soon as reasonably practicable, rather than giving advance notice.

They will not be required to provide evidence of the loss.

Employees taking statutory bereavement leave will also be protected from detriment or dismissal because they have exercised their right to take the leave.

The leave will be unpaid

The Government's new pregnancy loss entitlement is for unpaid leave. The wider bereavement leave provisions are also a statutory right to time off rather than a requirement for employers to provide paid leave.

Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, said the announcement was an important step, but called for paid leave to be introduced.

Time to grieve and seek support if you need it should not depend on your income.

Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive, Sands

“Today’s announcement of leave for parents following miscarriage or pregnancy loss is an important step in recognising that the death of a baby at any stage of pregnancy is a bereavement. While it is disappointing that it is unpaid it is a first step in ensuring that bereaved parents can get the time they need following earlier losses,” Dr Harmer said.

She added that Sands would urge the Government to introduce at least two weeks of paid bereavement leave for parents whose baby dies, and encouraged employers to consider what additional support they could offer.

What the Government says about the changes

Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden said the changes were intended to give people greater protection at difficult times.

“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," she says.

The Government said the changes followed campaigning from bereaved parents and would provide a legal safety net alongside employers that already offer more generous compassionate leave.

The measures build on existing Parental Bereavement Leave, which applies to parents who experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy or the death of a child under 18.

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The Government is also carrying out a wider review of parental leave and pay, including areas such as Hugh's Law and rights for parents of terminally ill children.

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