Parental Bereavement Leave Planner

Map one or two leave periods, the first-eight-week notice rule, the 56-week reference date and separate SPBP request windows.

Website updated 30 October 2026

Parental Bereavement Leave timeline

Sample plan

A date reminder for Great Britain employees. It does not decide leave entitlement, Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay eligibility or the amount payroll will pay.

First-eight-week notice window ends

15 December 2026

56-week leave reference date

16 November 2027

Edit sample dates

Leave notice and pay request windows

The date span below uses seven calendar days for each leave week. Your normal working week and the employer’s records determine the actual leave days.

First separate week · 1 week
2 November 2026 – 8 November 2026
Tell the employer before your normal start time on the first day
2 November 2026
The first eight-week route allows notice before you would normally start work on the first leave day.
Written SPBP request window: day 28
29 November 2026
The 28-day window starts on the first day of the week claimed. Send a written request for each pay period if you qualify.
For each pay request, include your name, the dates claimed and the event date. The relationship declaration is normally needed once, on the first pay request.
Second separate week · 1 week
5 July 2027 – 11 July 2027
Give at least one week’s notice by
28 June 2027
This block starts from week nine after the event; GOV.UK requires at least one week’s notice.
Written SPBP request window: day 28
1 August 2027
The 28-day window starts on the first day of the week claimed. Send a written request for each pay period if you qualify.

Your Great Britain leave dates

Date of the child’s death or stillbirthThis is the date used for the 8-week notice split and 56-week leave window. Do not enter miscarriage details here; Northern Ireland has a separate route.First leave block startsEnter the first day of the leave week you plan to request.How will you take the two-week entitlement?The standard route allows one block of one or two weeks, or two separate one-week blocks.Second separate week startsUse the date for the first day of the second one-week period.

Sample dates only. Your event and leave dates stay in this page session; they are not added to the URL or saved to an account.

A date planner, not an eligibility decision

This Great Britain planner schedules the standard two-week Parental Bereavement Leave pattern. Leave can be available from the first day of employment, while Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP) has separate employee, service and earnings tests. The employer confirms the relationship, qualifying event, pay eligibility and payroll amount.

The leave notice and written SPBP request are separate steps: give leave notice under the date window shown, and ask for pay within 28 days from the first day of each claimed week. The first pay request also needs a relationship declaration. Read the Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay guide for eligibility, 2026/27 pay rates, cancellation and payroll details.

This route covers employees in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate rules, including a distinct route for certain pregnancy losses from 6 April 2026; use the UK guide’s Northern Ireland section and the NI date planner. Your entered dates remain in the current page session and are not written to the URL or saved to an account.

Parental Bereavement Leave planner FAQs

Which parts of the UK does this planner cover?

It covers employees in England, Scotland and Wales under the standard GOV.UK route. Northern Ireland has separate rules and should not use these calculated reminders.

How much Parental Bereavement Leave can I plan?

The standard route allows up to two weeks for each qualifying child: one continuous block of one or two weeks, or two separate one-week blocks. This planner shows those patterns only.

How long do I have to take the leave?

The leave must be taken within 56 weeks of the child’s death or stillbirth. The planner shows the 56-week reference date and warns when an entered block extends beyond it; confirm the precise dates with the employer.

When should I tell my employer?

For leave in the first eight weeks after the event, GOV.UK says to notify the employer before you would normally start work on the first day of the leave week. For leave in weeks 9 to 56, give at least one week’s notice.

What information should I give with leave notice?

Tell the employer the event date, when the leave should begin and whether you are taking one or two weeks. GOV.UK allows the leave notice to be given by phone, voicemail, text or email; written notice is not required for that step.

When must I request Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay?

If you qualify, ask the employer within 28 days starting from the first day of the week you are claiming pay for. Each separate pay period needs its own written request.

What goes in a written pay request?

GOV.UK says to provide your name, the dates of the pay period and the date of the child’s death or stillbirth. You also give the relationship declaration once, when you first ask for SPBP.

Does the planner decide whether I qualify for leave or pay?

No. It only maps date reminders. The employer must check the qualifying relationship and event; SPBP also has separate service and average-earnings tests under the Great Britain rules.

Is leave always paid?

No. Leave eligibility and SPBP eligibility are separate. You may have the leave right without qualifying for statutory pay; an employer may also provide enhanced contractual pay.

Is this the Bereavement Support Payment planner?

No. Bereavement Support Payment is a separate social-security benefit for some bereaved partners. This tool is about a parent’s employment leave and a separate employer-paid statutory pay request.

Does it cover a miscarriage in Northern Ireland?

No. Northern Ireland introduced a separate extension for qualifying miscarriages occurring or discovered from 6 April 2026. Use current nidirect guidance for that route.

Are my event and leave dates stored or shared?

No. The dates stay in this page session; the planner does not put them into a shareable URL or save them to an account. Reset sample restores the illustrative dates.

Official parental bereavement leave and pay sources

Check the Great Britain GOV.UK process and use the jurisdiction-specific guide for Northern Ireland.

GOV.UK: How to claim Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay
The 56-week period, early and later leave notice, written pay request and 28-day deadline.
GOV.UK: What you are entitled to
The two-week allowance and how leave can be arranged.
GOV.UK: Check if you are eligible
Qualifying relationship, event, employee status and separate SPBP tests.
GOV.UK: Cancelling your leave or pay
How planned leave or pay can be cancelled or changed.
nidirect: Parental bereavement leave and pay from 6 April 2026
Northern Ireland rules, including the later pregnancy-loss extension.

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Leave notice and pay request windows

The date span below uses seven calendar days for each leave week. Your normal working week and the employer’s records determine the actual leave days.

First separate week · 1 week

2 November 2026 – 8 November 2026

Tell the employer before your normal start time on the first day

2 November 2026

The first eight-week route allows notice before you would normally start work on the first leave day.

Written SPBP request window: day 28

29 November 2026

The 28-day window starts on the first day of the week claimed. Send a written request for each pay period if you qualify.

For each pay request, include your name, the dates claimed and the event date. The relationship declaration is normally needed once, on the first pay request.

Second separate week · 1 week

5 July 2027 – 11 July 2027

Give at least one week’s notice by

28 June 2027

This block starts from week nine after the event; GOV.UK requires at least one week’s notice.

Written SPBP request window: day 28

1 August 2027

The 28-day window starts on the first day of the week claimed. Send a written request for each pay period if you qualify.

Your Great Britain leave dates

Date of the child’s death or stillbirthThis is the date used for the 8-week notice split and 56-week leave window. Do not enter miscarriage details here; Northern Ireland has a separate route.

First leave block startsEnter the first day of the leave week you plan to request.

How will you take the two-week entitlement?The standard route allows one block of one or two weeks, or two separate one-week blocks.

Second separate week startsUse the date for the first day of the second one-week period.

Sample dates only. Your event and leave dates stay in this page session; they are not added to the URL or saved to an account.

A date planner, not an eligibility decision