Full Breakdown
UK Extends Bereavement Leave to Include Pregnancy Loss
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Change: New Unpaid Leave for Pregnancy Loss
From April 2027, employees in the United Kingdom who experience a miscarriage, termination or an unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer before 24 weeks of pregnancy will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid bereavement leave. The entitlement also covers the employee’s partner, the other biological parent, or intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement. The same two-week unpaid leave will apply to workers who lose a spouse, partner, parent, adult child or sibling, as well as step, half, adoptive, kinship-care and foster relationships.
Background & Context
Statutory bereavement leave previously applied only to parents who lost a child under 18 or experienced a stillbirth after 24 weeks. The Employment Rights Act of December 2022 introduced a general right to unpaid bereavement leave for employees who suffer a loss, but it did not cover pregnancy loss. Campaigners argued that the omission left many women without legal protection, despite estimates that roughly one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage.
Data & Statistics
- An estimated one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage in the United Kingdom.
- The legislation expands the pool of eligible employees from roughly 2 million to an additional hundreds of thousands who experience early pregnancy loss.
Official Statements & Responses
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) noted that many employers already offer compassionate leave and said it would engage with the government and unions to ensure the guidance works nationwide.
Personal Account: Aakanksha Chauhan’s Experience
Aakanksha Chauhan, a 37-year-old drilling engineer from Aberdeen, suffered an “empty-sac miscarriage” at 30,000 feet on a flight in September 2026. She described bleeding through her clothing, purchasing £200 of new attire at Heathrow, and catching a connecting flight while “still reliving” the trauma. Chauhan returned to work within weeks but said the experience remains vivid: “I am still living it every day in my head.”
Timeline
- 22 September 2026 – The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade confirmed the legislative shake-up.
- April 2027 – The expanded bereavement leave rights take effect.
What’s Next
The government indicated a wider review of parental leave and pay is underway, including discussions about statutory paid leave for parents of seriously ill children (“Hugh’s Law”). Advocacy groups continue to press for paid pregnancy-loss bereavement leave, and employers are expected to update internal policies to align with the new statutory minimum.
Verbatim Quotes
- “No-one should have to fight for time to grieve. These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work. I want to thank the campaigners whose courage and testimonies have made this change happen.” — Kate Dearden, work minister
- “I am still living it every day in my head” — Aakanksha Chauhan
- “At the hardest moments in life, people should not have to worry about whether they can take time off work to grieve,” — The government