Bereaved partner's paternity leave
Contents
Separate legislation
Technically, this new right is not part of the Employment Rights Act and has been introduced as separate legislation to coincide with the first significant round of Employment Rights Act changes.
Summary
- Bereaved partner's paternity leave (BPPL) is a new form of extended paternity leave.
- It is available to eligible employees in situations where a child's primary carer dies on or after 6 April 2026, during the first year after the child's birth or adoption.
- How much leave an employee can take is dependent on when the primary carer dies. The maximum possible entitlement is 52 weeks (e.g. if a mother dies during childbirth).
- It is a day-1 employment right, meaning eligible employees are entitled to it from the day they start working for an employer.
- There is no right to be paid while taking BPPL.
For more information, see our articles on Bereaved partner's paternity leave.