Bereavement Leave Policy template
A bereavement leave policy is the written statement of how much time off employees receive after the death of a family member or other loved one — who counts as covered family, how many days apply, whether the time is paid, and how to ask for it. In the US there is no general federal requirement to provide bereavement leave, which is exactly why a written policy matters: without one, every loss is negotiated case by case, at the worst possible moment for everyone involved.
The days after a death are when an employer's real culture shows. A clear policy takes the negotiation out of the room — the grieving employee knows what they are entitled to without having to ask twice, and the manager knows what to offer without inventing it on the spot. It also protects the company: ad-hoc generosity that quietly varies by who is asking is how a compassionate practice turns into a discrimination complaint.
This template gives you a complete policy: eligibility, covered relationships, leave amounts as placeholders you set, pay during leave, the request process, options for extended time off, and the consistency safeguards that keep case-by-case flexibility fair.
Full text, ready to adapt.
Highlighted fields are placeholders — replace them with your organisation's specifics. A starting point, not legal advice.
Bereavement Leave Policy
Policy · HR & People
1. Purpose and scope
This policy sets out the bereavement leave {{org.name}} provides after the death of a family member or other covered person: how much time, who it covers, whether it is paid, and how to request it. It applies to [all employees / employees who have completed [period] of service], including part-time employees [on a prorated basis].
The intent is simple: nobody should have to negotiate for time to grieve, and no manager should have to improvise an answer. Bereavement leave is provided in addition to PTO — it does not draw down vacation or sick balances.
2. Leave amounts
- Death of an immediate family member: up to [number] days of [paid] leave per loss.
- Death of an extended family member: up to [number] days of [paid] leave per loss.
- Attending the funeral or memorial service of someone outside the covered list ([coworker, close friend]): up to [number] day(s) of [paid/unpaid] leave at the manager's discretion, applied consistently.
- Leave days may be taken [consecutively / non-consecutively within [period] of the death] — grief and estate logistics rarely fit a single tidy block, and travel for services sometimes comes weeks later.
- Where a death occurs [out of state / abroad] and travel is required, employees may request up to [number] additional [paid/unpaid] days.
3. Covered relationships
For this policy, immediate family means: [spouse or domestic partner; child, stepchild, or foster child; parent, stepparent, or parent-in-law; sibling; grandparent; grandchild]. Extended family means: [aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, cousin, sibling-in-law].
The list also covers [a member of the employee's household, and relationships equivalent to family regardless of legal or biological tie]. Employees whose loss does not fit these definitions should talk to [HR/name] — the policy names the common cases, and {{org.name}} would rather hear about the uncommon ones than have someone grieve a person the list forgot. [Optional: {{org.name}} also provides up to [number] days of leave following a pregnancy loss experienced by the employee or their partner.]
4. Pay during bereavement leave
Bereavement leave under this policy is paid at the employee's [regular base rate / regular scheduled hours], excluding [overtime, commissions, and premiums]. It is recorded under the bereavement leave code in [payroll system] so it never draws down PTO balances.
For part-time employees, paid days are [prorated to the regular schedule / paid for scheduled hours missed]. For employees paid on [commission/piece rate], bereavement pay is calculated as [method]. Check your state and local rules before finalizing pay treatment — a few jurisdictions regulate bereavement leave directly.
5. Requesting bereavement leave
- 1Tell your manager (or [HR contact], if you prefer) as soon as you reasonably can — a phone call, text, or message through [system] is fine. Nobody is expected to complete forms on the day of a death.
- 2Agree on the dates with your manager; if you want to split the days (for example, some now and some for a later service), say so when you ask.
- 3Record the leave in [system] as bereavement leave when you are able, or ask your manager to record it for you.
- 4{{org.name}} does not require documentation by default. [If verification is ever needed — for example for extended or repeated leave — acceptable forms include an obituary, a service program, or similar; a death certificate is not required.]
6. Extended time and additional support
- Employees who need more time than this policy provides may use accrued PTO, request [unpaid personal leave of up to [number] days/weeks], or discuss a [phased or flexible return] with their manager.
- Grief can bring health effects of its own. Leave for an employee's own serious health condition may be available under other policies or laws, including the FMLA where it applies — see the FMLA policy and DOL guidance rather than assuming bereavement rules cover it.
- [If applicable: the employee assistance program at [contact] offers confidential grief counseling at no cost.]
- Managers should lighten the landing on return: a brief welcome-back conversation, a realistic first week, and no expectation that the employee narrates their loss to the team.
7. Fair application, records, and review
Managers apply this policy consistently: same relationship, same entitlement, regardless of who is asking. Discretionary additions are allowed — and should be logged with [HR/name] so that discretion stays consistent too. Details of a death are shared only with the employee's consent; "personal circumstances" is all a team announcement needs.
Bereavement leave is recorded in [system] and retained with leave records for [period]. This policy is reviewed [frequency, e.g. annually] and whenever state or local law changes. Owner: [name/role]. Next review due: [date].
How to adapt this template.
Set the day counts and the paid/unpaid decision first — [3–5] paid days for immediate family is a common starting point, but pick numbers you can honor for everyone.
Edit the covered-relationships list to reflect your workforce, and decide now how you will handle losses that fall outside it — the exceptions are where inconsistency creeps in.
Check your state and local rules: a small number of jurisdictions require bereavement leave or regulate its terms, and this template assumes only the federal baseline.
Brief managers on the two rules that matter: apply it the same for everyone, and never demand paperwork on day one.
Publish the policy in the handbook and [system], and mention it during onboarding — a benefit nobody knows about comforts nobody.
Turn this template into trained, proven behaviour
A policy in a drawer proves nothing. In TrainedTeam this template becomes assigned training with knowledge checks, e-signature acknowledgments, version history, and an audit-ready record of who completed what, when.
Bereavement Leave Policy template FAQs
Is bereavement leave required by law in the US?
There is no general federal requirement — bereavement leave is a voluntary benefit for most US employers, and the FMLA does not cover bereavement itself. A small number of states have begun requiring it in certain circumstances, and requirements vary by state and locality, so check your state's rules before you finalize the policy.
How many days of bereavement leave is typical?
Common practice is around [3–5] paid days for an immediate family member and [1–3] for extended family, with extra days where long-distance travel is required. This template leaves the numbers as placeholders deliberately: pick amounts you can apply consistently to everyone, because uneven generosity is the real risk.
Can we ask for proof of the death?
You can, but think hard about whether you should. Most employers skip documentation for standard leave and reserve verification for extended or repeated requests — and even then an obituary or service program is enough. Demanding a death certificate from a grieving employee buys very little fraud protection at a high cost in trust.
Does the FMLA cover bereavement?
Not as such — bereavement is not a qualifying reason under the FMLA, per DOL guidance. But grief can produce a serious health condition of the employee's own, and related circumstances may qualify under FMLA or state leave laws where they apply. Point employees who need extended time to the FMLA policy and HR rather than stretching the bereavement policy past what it says.
What about losses the policy does not list?
Build in a named route: employees whose loss falls outside the covered list talk to [HR/name], and any discretionary leave granted gets logged. That keeps the door open for real grief the list did not anticipate — a best friend, an ex-spouse co-parenting their children — while keeping the exceptions visible enough to stay consistent.
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