Time Off for Dependants template
A time off for dependants policy is the written statement of how your organisation handles the statutory right to take reasonable time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant — a child taken ill at school, a care arrangement that collapses, an elderly parent's fall, or the death of a dependant.
This is the right managers meet most often and know least about. Because the emergencies arrive without warning, the decisions get made on the phone at 7am, and without a policy those decisions are inconsistent — one manager pays, one docks, one quietly resents. A short written policy makes the 7am call easy.
This template gives you a ready-to-edit policy covering who counts as a dependant, what counts as an emergency, how much time off is reasonable, pay, and how to notify.
Full text, ready to adapt.
Highlighted fields are placeholders — replace them with your organisation's specifics. A starting point, not legal advice.
Time Off for Dependants
Policy · HR & People
1. Purpose and scope
This policy explains how {{org.name}} handles time off to deal with emergencies involving a dependant. It applies to all employees from their first day, in every role and on every contract type.
2. Policy statement
{{org.name}} will never penalise an employee for taking necessary time off to deal with a genuine emergency involving a dependant. Equally, this leave exists for emergencies — it is not an alternative to annual leave, parental leave, or agreed flexible arrangements for foreseeable care needs.
3. Who counts as a dependant
- Your spouse, civil partner, or partner.
- Your child or your parent.
- Someone who lives in your household as part of the family (not a lodger, tenant, or employee).
- Someone who reasonably relies on you for help in an emergency or to arrange care — for example an elderly neighbour you are the primary contact for.
4. What this leave covers
- A dependant falls ill, gives birth, is injured, or is assaulted.
- You need to arrange care for a dependant who is ill or injured.
- Care arrangements break down unexpectedly — the childminder cancels, the care home calls, the school closes at short notice.
- A dependant dies and you need to make arrangements or attend the funeral (see also our bereavement leave policy).
- An unexpected incident involving your child during school hours.
5. What this leave does not cover
This leave is for dealing with the emergency and putting arrangements in place — typically hours or a day or two — not for providing ongoing care yourself. Foreseeable events (a planned hospital appointment, a school holiday you have known about for months) should be covered by annual leave, parental leave, or a flexible working arrangement. If a situation looks like becoming ongoing, talk to [name/role] about the longer-term options rather than stretching this policy.
6. Pay and how much time off is reasonable
The statutory right is to unpaid time off. At {{org.name}}, [state your position: e.g. the first [number] days of dependant leave in any [period] are paid at normal pay; further time is unpaid / all dependant leave is unpaid; annual leave may be used instead by agreement].
What is reasonable depends on the emergency — most events need less than a day or two to stabilise. There is no fixed annual cap, but repeated absences for the same underlying problem are a signal to move to a planned arrangement, and [name/role] will raise that conversation supportively.
7. Telling us and record keeping
- Tell [your manager or name/role] as soon as reasonably practical — a call or message on the day is fine; the emergency comes first.
- Say why you need the time and roughly how long you expect to be away, and update us if that changes.
- On return, confirm the absence in [system] so the record is accurate; no medical or other documentary evidence is needed for short dependant emergencies.
- Absences under this policy are recorded separately from sickness and do not count towards absence-management triggers.
8. Review
This policy is reviewed [frequency, e.g. annually] by [name/role], alongside our absence management and bereavement leave policies, and whenever official guidance changes. Next review due: [date].
How to adapt this template.
Decide your pay position first — paid, unpaid, or paid up to a limit — and write it in plainly; ambiguity here is what generates resentment.
Check the leave-recording system has a dependant-leave category separate from sickness before you publish.
Brief managers that the day-of conversation is "go, we will sort the details later", not an interrogation.
Cross-reference your bereavement and absence management policies so a death or a recurring care issue has an obvious next step.
Revisit real cases after six months and adjust the paid-days placeholder to match what actually happens.
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.
Time Off for Dependants template FAQs
Is time off for dependants paid?
The statutory right under the Employment Rights Act 1996 is to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off. Many employers choose to pay for the first day or two as good practice — this template includes a placeholder for your position, and whatever you choose, apply it consistently.
How much time off for dependants can an employee take?
The law does not set a number of days — the right is to what is reasonable to deal with the emergency and arrange care, which for most events is hours or a day or two. There is no fixed annual cap, but repeated absences for the same cause should prompt a conversation about a planned arrangement instead.
Does the right apply from day one of employment?
Yes. Time off for dependants is a day-one right for all employees, regardless of length of service, hours, or seniority, and employees must not suffer any detriment for using it.
Can it be used for planned childcare or appointments?
No. The right covers unexpected events — sudden illness, a care arrangement collapsing, an incident at school. Foreseeable needs such as planned appointments or school holidays should be covered by annual leave, parental leave, or flexible working arrangements.
What is the difference between time off for dependants and compassionate leave?
Time off for dependants is a statutory right to deal with emergencies involving a dependant, including making arrangements after a death. Compassionate or bereavement leave is an employer-provided entitlement to grieve and attend to a loss — usually broader and often paid. The two work together; see our bereavement leave policy.
Related templates
Bereavement Leave Policy
Free bereavement leave policy template for UK employers: compassionate leave, parental bereavement leave, pay, manager guidance, and return support.
Absence Management Policy
Free absence management policy template for UK employers: reporting rules, fit notes, return-to-work talks, trigger points, and long-term absence.
Flexible Working Policy
Free flexible working policy template for UK employers: statutory request process, types of flexible working, trial periods, refusal grounds, and appeals.
Annual Leave Policy
Free annual leave policy template for UK employers: statutory 5.6-week minimum, booking and approval rules, bank holidays, carry-over, and leaver pay.