Carer’s Leave Notice Planner

Plan a Great Britain Carer’s Leave request and see its minimum notice reference and remaining usual-week allowance.

Website updated 30 October 2026

Your GB Carer’s Leave timeline

Sample inputs

This plans a statutory unpaid-leave request. It does not determine legal eligibility, employer postponement, benefit entitlement or pay.

Minimum notice

4 full days

Entered allowance remaining

4 days

Calendar-date reference for giving notice

10 December 2026

Request 2 day(s) starting 14 December 2026. The official rule requires full days’ notice; this date subtracts the required number of calendar dates as a planning reference. Confirm the exact deadline with your employer, especially around non-working days.

Before you send the request

The right is for employees from their first day and covers giving or arranging care for a qualifying dependant. The employer cannot refuse a valid request, but may postpone it for serious disruption and must follow the written reason and alternative-date rules. The statutory leave is unpaid; any Carer’s Allowance or other support is a separate application.

Plan one Carer’s Leave request

Planned first day of leaveThe notice date is a calendar-date reference based on full days before this date.Your usual working days in a weekFor a regular pattern, enter the days you normally work over seven days. Variable-hours and part-year rules need a separate hours calculation.Carer’s Leave days already used in the relevant 12-month periodThe one-week allowance is shared across dependants. Confirm which 12-month period and prior use your employer records apply.Days requested in this blockThe minimum request is half a day. Enter half-day increments, up to your usual working week.

Sample only. Dates and entries stay in this page session and are not put in the URL or saved to an account.

Carer’s Leave and carer benefits are separate

This tool covers the standard Great Britain employment right in England, Scotland and Wales. Statutory Carer’s Leave is unpaid and is not a DWP claim. Carer’s Allowance and Scotland’s Carer Support Payment have separate rules; this tool does not assess them. Northern Ireland has different employment rules and is outside this planner.

Use the Great Britain Carer’s Leave guide for dependant and care-need conditions, postponement, job protections, variable-hours rules and the difference between leave and payments. Read the time off for dependants guide for an unexpected emergency.

Carer’s Leave planner FAQs

Who can use statutory Carer’s Leave?

Employees in Great Britain can request it from their first day to give or arrange care for a qualifying dependant. This planner does not decide employment status or whether a person meets the legal care-need test.

How much leave is available?

The usual right is up to one working week in each 12-month period, shared across dependants. For a regular pattern, a week follows the time you normally work over seven days. Confirm the period and previous use with your employer.

How much notice do I give for half a day or one day?

GOV.UK and Acas say at least three full days’ notice for a half-day or one-day request.

How is notice calculated for a longer request?

For more than one day, notice must be at least twice the requested leave in full days. Acas gives four days for 1.5 to 2 days and six days for 2.5 to 3 days.

Is the displayed notice date guaranteed?

No. It is a calendar-date reference produced by subtracting the required number of full days from the planned start. Confirm how the full-day rule applies to the dates and working pattern with your employer.

Does the request have to be in writing?

The statutory request does not have to be written, and the employer must not require evidence of the dependant’s care needs. A dated written request can still help you keep a record.

Can the employer refuse or postpone the leave?

A valid request cannot be refused, but the employer can ask you to take it at a different time if the absence would cause serious disruption. It must give the reason and new date in writing and agree a date within one month.

Is Carer’s Leave paid?

No statutory pay is attached to this leave. An employer may offer contractual pay; Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment is separate and has its own eligibility and claim process.

Does this planner calculate variable-hours entitlement?

No. For variable hours or part-year work, GOV.UK and Acas calculate an average from hours worked in the previous 12 months (or the weeks worked if less than a year). Use the official method and your employer’s records.

Does this tool cover Northern Ireland?

No. It covers England, Scotland and Wales. Use nidirect guidance for a Northern Ireland workplace; do not apply this notice date to NI.

What if the care need is an emergency?

Carer’s Leave is a planned-care right with advance notice. Time off for dependants is a separate route for an unexpected emergency; it is not a substitute for the planned leave rules.

Are the dates saved or shared?

No. The dates remain in the current page session; the tool does not put them in the URL or save them to an account.

Official Carer’s Leave sources

Confirm the rules that apply to your job and current employer records before submitting a request.

GOV.UK: Unpaid carer’s leave
Eligibility, allowance, irregular-hours method, notice and postponement.
Acas: Carer’s leave
Notice table examples, variable-hours calculation, pay and employment protections.
GOV.UK: Employee rights when taking leave
Protection during statutory leave.
GOV.UK: Time off for family and dependants
Separate emergency time-off right.

Loading tools

Before you send the request

Plan one Carer’s Leave request

Planned first day of leaveThe notice date is a calendar-date reference based on full days before this date.

Your usual working days in a weekFor a regular pattern, enter the days you normally work over seven days. Variable-hours and part-year rules need a separate hours calculation.

Carer’s Leave days already used in the relevant 12-month periodThe one-week allowance is shared across dependants. Confirm which 12-month period and prior use your employer records apply.

Days requested in this blockThe minimum request is half a day. Enter half-day increments, up to your usual working week.

Sample only. Dates and entries stay in this page session and are not put in the URL or saved to an account.

Carer’s Leave and carer benefits are separate