Unpaid Carer’s Leave in Great Britain: Eligibility, Notice and Pay

Great Britain’s statutory Carer’s Leave is an unpaid employment right for employees who need time to provide or arrange care for a dependant. It is available from the first day of employment and is separate from Carer’s Allowance or other benefit claims. This guide covers England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate employment rules, so do not use these notice steps for a Northern Ireland workplace; see Carer’s Leave and time off in Northern Ireland. For the separate DWP payment rules in England and Wales, see the Carer’s Allowance guide; Scotland has its own Carer Support Payment.

If you need to change your regular hours, days or workplace to manage ongoing care, that is a separate process from taking Carer’s Leave. See the Great Britain Flexible Working Request guide; an employer must consider a statutory request, but does not have to approve the requested pattern.

Use the Carer’s Leave Notice Planner to place the minimum notice reminder beside your planned start date and compare the request with the regular weekly allowance you enter. It does not assess variable-hours patterns, legal eligibility or Carer’s Allowance.

Who can use the right

You must be an employee. The right is available from your first day in the job; there is no minimum service period. You can request leave to provide or arrange care for a dependant who has a physical or mental illness or injury expected to need care for more than three months, has a disability under the Equality Act 2010, or needs care because of old age. A dependant does not have to be a family member if they rely on you for care.

You do not need to provide evidence of the care need, and the employer must not require proof to support a Carer’s Leave request. This is a specific protection for this statutory leave process; follow the employer’s ordinary notification process and keep a record of your dates and request.

How much leave and how to count it

You can take up to one week of Carer’s Leave in each 12-month period. The week is based on the amount you normally work over seven days, so it is not automatically five days for every employee. This is a single allowance across dependants, not one week per person. You can take the leave as a block, individual full days or half-days, provided the total stays within your allowance.

Statutory Carer’s Leave is unpaid. Check your contract or staff policy for any enhanced paid leave. It is different from emergency time off for dependants, which is for an unexpected emergency, and from ordinary unpaid Parental Leave, which has separate eligibility and limits.

Give notice and handle a postponement

For a request of a half-day or one full day, give at least three days’ notice. For a request longer than one day, give notice at least twice as long as the leave requested. For example, a two-day request needs at least four days’ notice. You do not have to make the request in writing, although a dated written request makes the start date and amount clear.

An employer cannot refuse a valid Carer’s Leave request, but may postpone it if the absence would seriously disrupt the organisation. It must give a written reason and a new date within seven days of the request, and before the leave was due to start. The new date must be within one month of the requested start date. If the employer postpones, it should discuss a workable alternative with you.

Pay, job rights and related support

There is no statutory pay for Carer’s Leave. An employer may offer contractual pay, but that is separate from the statutory right. Carer’s Allowance is a separate benefit with its own caring-hours, qualifying-benefit and earnings rules. In Scotland, Carer Support Payment replaces Carer’s Allowance for residents who meet its conditions. Neither payment is automatic just because you take leave. If you also claim Universal Credit, see the UC carer element guide for its separate 35-hour test and how to report caring.

Your employment terms are generally protected during statutory leave, and holiday entitlement continues to build up. Pension contributions usually stop during unpaid leave unless your contract says otherwise. GOV.UK describes Carer’s Leave as a protected right: an employer must not dismiss or cause detriment because you ask for or take it. Check your contract and workplace policy for pay, pension and return-to-work details.

For a sudden emergency, check the separate time-off-for-dependants guide instead of assuming the planned Carer’s Leave notice process applies. If you work in Northern Ireland, use its nation-specific guidance; this Carer’s Leave guide covers Great Britain.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Unpaid carer’s leave
• GOV.UK: Employee rights when taking leave
• GOV.UK: Carer’s Allowance

Check the latest employment rules and your contract before booking dates. This guide describes the published process and does not decide an individual employment or benefit claim.