Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave

Check if you’re eligible

To be eligible, the mother, main adopter or main intended parent of your child must have died on or after 6 April 2026.

The ‘main adopter’ or ‘main intended parent’ would have been the person in an adoptive couple or surrogacy arrangement taking Adoption Leave.

You must be one of the following:

All of the following must also apply:

your child is less than a year old, if you’re the father or the spouse or partner of the child’s mother
you have the main caring responsibility for your child
you’re taking time off to care for your child
you’re classed as an employee and employed in England, Scotland or Wales

It does not matter how long you’ve been with your employer, how many hours you work or how much you get paid.

There are more criteria you need to meet if you’re an adoptive parent or had your child with the help of a surrogate parent.

Your child must either:

have been placed with you less than a year ago
have first arrived in England, Scotland or Wales less than a year ago, if you’re adopting a child from overseas

Your child must be less than a year old.

You must apply or intend to apply for a parental order within 6 months of your child’s birth date.

There’s other help and support available. You may be eligible for other benefits.