Bereavement Entitlement: Payroll

With the introduction of Jack’s Law in April 2020, paid bereavement pay came onto the statute books and should not be confused with bereavement leave or bereavement support payments.

Bereavement Leave

Bereavement leave generally refers to time off an employee takes due to the death of a close family member or dependant. This time off may be paid or unpaid time off depending on the employer’s internal policy. While there is no statutory right to bereavement leave, employees are entitled to take “reasonable time off”.

Bereavement Pay

Bereavement pay, on the other hand, applies to the death of a child under the age of 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Statutory bereavement pay provides for two weeks of paid leave for eligible parents who have lost a child. The current rate of pay is £187.18, or 90% of weekly earnings whichever is the lesser and the employer reclaims this payment via a reduction in their PAYE return.

Bereavement Support Payments

Bereavement Support Payments replaced three different benefits in April 2017 and becomes claimable by a surviving partner when a death is caused by an accident at work, or caused by a work-related disease. Claims need to be made directly to the Bereavement Service helpline within 21 months of a death. The longer the time taken to claim, the less a claimant can expect to receive.

The higher rate of a claim, if claiming within three months of a death, is £3,500 as a one-off payment, plus a further £350 per month for the next 18 months. The lower rate is £2,500 as a one-off payment, followed by £100 per month for the next 18 months.

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Disclaimer - All information in this post was correct at time of writing.