Jack's Law (Parental Bereavement Leave)¶
Jack's Law is the popular name for the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, which created a UK-wide statutory right to 2 weeks' paid leave for employed parents whose child under 18 dies, or who suffer a stillbirth from the 24th week of pregnancy onwards. It came into force on 6 April 2020 and is the only statutory bereavement leave in UK employment law — for any other death (parent, spouse, sibling, friend, adult child) there is no equivalent right. [source: gov-uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave-2026-04-30.html]
Who qualifies: any employee, regardless of length of service, whose child under 18 dies or who has a stillbirth at 24 weeks' gestation or later. The right covers biological, adoptive, and intended parents in surrogacy arrangements, and people in a "parental relationship" with the child (most commonly partners of the child's parent who have been caring for the child for at least 4 weeks). Self-employed parents are not covered. [source: gov-uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave-2026-04-30.html]
What is paid: 2 weeks of leave at the statutory rate of £187.18 per week (April 2025 rate) or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower. Many employers top up to full pay under their own bereavement policies; this is goodwill, not a legal requirement. To qualify for Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP) specifically, the employee needs at least 26 weeks of continuous employment ending the week before the death. Employees with less service still get the leave (unpaid), just not the SPBP. [source: gov-uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave-2026-04-30.html]
Timing: the leave can be taken as a single 2-week block, or as two separate 1-week blocks, at any point in the 56 weeks (just over 12 months) following the death. This flexibility is unusual in UK statutory leave; it allows parents to take time around significant moments (the funeral, the inquest, the first anniversary) rather than only immediately after the death. [source: gov-uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave-2026-04-30.html]
How to claim: tell the employer in writing (or by whatever notification method the contract specifies) including the date of the death, the start date of the leave, and whether 1 or 2 weeks are being taken. No further evidence is normally required during the first 8 weeks; after that, the employer can ask for a copy of the death certificate. The employee cannot be dismissed or treated detrimentally for taking the leave; doing so is automatic unfair dismissal. [source: gov-uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave-2026-04-30.html]
The Act is named after Jack Herd, a 23-month-old child whose mother Lucy Herd campaigned for the legislation after her son's death in 2010.
Last verified: 30 April 2026 against gov.uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave.