Statutory Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave: employer guide
Notice period
Employees need to give you notice before they take Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave.
How much notice they need to give depends on when they want to take leave.
You cannot ask for evidence of entitlement to leave, for example a death certificate.
What an employee needs to tell you
When an employee gives you notice, they need to tell you:
- the date that the mother, main adopter or main intended parent of their child died
- the date they want the leave to start
- their child’s date of birth - or if they’re adopted, their placement date or the date they first arrived in England, Scotland or Wales
If they start leave in the first 8 weeks after the death
Employees must give you notice before they start work on the first day of leave.
They can give you notice informally, for example in person or by phone, text message or email.
You cannot ask for notice in writing.
An employee does not have to give you a return date until the end of the first 8 weeks after the death.
If they want to return to work in the first 8 weeks
The employee needs to give you a week’s notice in writing.
If they want to take more leave
If the employee wants to take additional leave more than 8 weeks after the death, they must:
- tell you how much leave they want to take
- confirm that the leave is to care for their child and that they meet the eligibility criteria
They must do this by the end of the first 8 weeks in writing, for example, by email or text.
If they start leave more than 8 weeks after the death
Employees must give at least one week’s notice before the first day of their leave.
They must also:
- tell you the start date and how much leave they want
- confirm that the leave is to care for their child and that they meet the eligibility criteria
They must do this in writing, for example, by email or text.