UK Government Expands Bereavement Leave to Include Miscarriage
In July 2025 it was announced by the UK Government that families suffering from pregnancy loss would now be able to take unpaid bereavement leave at any point. This is an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which previously only allowed parental bereavement leave to those who had experienced a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
This means that parents going through the loss of a pregnancy will now have the legal right to take time off to process their grief. This is a huge step in the right direction for the 250,000 families who are affected by miscarriages every single year in the UK.
The amount of leave that families will be allowed to take is currently undecided, and will be announced in the coming months after consultation meetings have taken place. However, current bereavement leave is two weeks and unpaid.
The legislation will come into effect from 2027, and will allow both parents to take leave. This applies to Scotland as well as England and Wales.
Our CEO Abi Clarke said: “It is excellent to see that Government are talking about miscarriage leave in workplace, although its unpaid – hopefully we will see this change over time. Over the years, we have spoken with many bereaved parents that have used sickness or unpaid leave and sometimes even annual leave, so this will make a difference.”
If you would like more information on miscarriage in the workplace, we are holding a free online workshop on the 9th of October from 10:00 - 13:00. We will discuss the impact of pregnancy loss on mental health and how you can better support your colleagues. You can reserve your spot for this event, and any other event you wish to attend, in the events section.
