Parental Bereavement Pay: Quick Definition

Parental bereavement pay is a statutory payment made to employees who lose a child under 18, or who suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Introduced in the UK in April 2020 under the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, it provides two weeks of paid leave to give grieving parents financial breathing room during an devastating time.

For HR teams, understanding this entitlement is essential — not only to process payroll correctly but to demonstrate genuine care for employees facing the worst experience of their lives.

Key Takeaways

• Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay is available to qualifying employees who lose a child under 18 or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks.
• The payment rate is £184.03 per week (or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower) for up to two weeks, as of April 2025.
• Employees must notify their employer within 56 days of the child’s death.
• Employers can choose to enhance the payment above the statutory rate as part of a compassionate workplace policy.

What Is Parental Bereavement Pay?

Parental bereavement pay is the financial component of the UK’s parental bereavement entitlement. The full entitlement has two parts:

1. Parental Bereavement Leave: Two weeks of leave from the first day of employment.
2. Parental Bereavement Pay: Two weeks of statutory pay, available only to employees who meet earnings thresholds.

The leave and pay entitlements work together but have slightly different eligibility rules. Leave is available from day one of employment, while pay requires the employee to earn at least the lower earnings limit in an eight-week qualifying period before the bereavement.

The entitlement is per child, not per parent. If both parents work for the same employer, each receives their own two-week entitlement independently.

Who Is Eligible for Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay?

To qualify for Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay), an employee must:

• Be an employee (not a self-employed contractor or zero-hours casual worker)
• Have lost a child under 18, or suffered a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy
• Have earned at least the lower earnings limit (currently £125 per week for 2025-26) in at least eight of the 13 weeks before the bereavement
• Give proper notice to their employer

Who Qualifies as an Eligible Person?

The following people can claim parental bereavement pay:

• A parent (birth or adoptive)
• A civil partner or spouse of the parent
• Someone who has lived with the child for at least 12 months
• Someone who was expecting to care for the child permanently (for stillbirth claims)

There is no requirement for the employee to be the legal parent or guardian, which broadens the entitlement to include step-parents, guardians, and long-term foster carers who were fulfilling a parental role.

How Much Is Parental Bereavement Pay?

The statutory rate is set annually and aligned with the rate for maternity pay. For the 2025-26 tax year:

Detail	Amount
Statutory rate	£184.03 per week (or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower)
Duration	Up to 2 consecutive weeks
Tax treatment	Subject to income tax and National Insurance
Payment method	Via the employer’s payroll

Many employers choose to enhance this to full pay for two weeks, which costs relatively little and sends a powerful message of support.

How Does Notice and Documentation Work?

An employee must notify their employer of the bereavement within 56 days of the child’s death. The notification can be given verbally or in writing. If requested by the employer, the employee must provide:

• The child’s name and date of birth
• The date of the child’s death
• The date the employee wants the leave/pay to begin

For stillbirth claims, the employer may request a medical certificate confirming the pregnancy was at 24 weeks or beyond.

The leave must be taken within 56 days of the child’s death, but the two weeks do not need to be taken consecutively — an employee can take one week and then a second week later within the 56-day window.

Employer Responsibilities

When an employee requests parental bereavement pay, the employer must:

1. Accept the request if eligibility is met — there is no discretion to refuse a qualifying claim.
2. Process payment through the payroll system, deducting tax and National Insurance.
3. Report the payment to HMRC via the Real Time Information (RTI) system as normal payroll reporting.
4. Protect the employee’s rights during the leave — they continue to accrue statutory holiday entitlement and their employment terms are preserved.

Enhancing the Policy

Beyond the statutory minimum, employers can enhance parental bereavement pay as part of a compassionate policy. Common enhancements include:

• Full pay for two weeks instead of the statutory rate
• Extended leave beyond two weeks (e.g., four weeks paid)
• Flexible return-to-work arrangements, including phased returns
• Access to bereavement counselling through an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

These enhancements cost relatively little but can significantly impact employee wellbeing and loyalty during an extraordinarily difficult time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an employee take parental bereavement leave and pay for a miscarriage?

Parental bereavement pay applies to stillbirths after 24 weeks of pregnancy, not miscarriages before that point. However, employers may offer discretionary compassionate leave for earlier pregnancy loss, and employees may be entitled to time off for dependant emergencies under the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Does parental bereavement pay affect statutory holiday accrual?

Yes, the two weeks of parental bereavement leave count as effective working days for the purpose of statutory holiday accrual. The employee continues to accrue their full annual holiday entitlement during this period.

Can both parents in the same workplace claim parental bereavement pay?

Yes. Each parent (or eligible person) has an independent entitlement. If two employees at the same company each qualify due to the same child, both can take their full two weeks of leave and receive statutory pay.

Is there a time limit on when the leave must be taken?

The leave must begin within 56 days of the child’s death. After that window closes, the right to parental bereavement leave expires. The leave itself can be split into two separate weeks within that 56-day period.

Do agency workers qualify for parental bereavement pay?

Agency workers do not qualify for Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay. However, they may still be entitled to time off for dependant emergencies under employment rights legislation, and individual agencies may offer their own compassionate leave policies.