February 5, 2026
Explore whether bereavement leave is paid or unpaid in the US, how many days employers offer by relationship, and what to do when coverage falls short.
Is bereavement leave paid in the US? For most employees, yes. According to the Society for Human Resource Management's 2024 Employee Benefits Survey, 91% of employers that offer bereavement leave provide it as paid time off.
But whether your employer's policy will actually meet your needs is a different question. No federal law requires bereavement leave—paid or unpaid—which means policies vary wildly between companies. This guide covers what's typical for paid bereavement leave, where the gaps are, and what options exist if your employer's coverage falls short.
For most employees at most companies, yes. The vast majority of employers that offer bereavement leave make it paid time off.
The structure varies by employer:
State laws add another layer of complexity. California requires employers to allow bereavement leave but doesn't require it to be paid. Oregon mandates up to two weeks—also unpaid unless the employer decides otherwise.
In both states, employees often end up using accrued PTO or taking unpaid days to get through the initial period after a loss.
This is where policies fall short. The standard is still based on an outdated assumption: that bereavement leave exists for attending a funeral, not for actually grieving or handling everything that comes after a death.
The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans' 2024 survey found these averages:
Relationship to DeceasedAverage Paid DaysImmediate family (spouse, child, parent, sibling)5 daysGrandparents4 daysIn-laws4 daysAunts, uncles, cousins2 daysClose friends or chosen family1 day
Five days for losing a parent or child. One day for a close friend. These numbers reveal how most workplaces still view grief: as a scheduling problem rather than a human experience worth supporting.
Some companies are moving toward 20 days of paid bereavement leave for immediate family loss. Not universal yet, but a sign that workplace norms are shifting. Companies like Meta, Adobe, and several major financial institutions now offer extended bereavement policies that go well beyond the three-to-five day standard.
Yes, in most states. Employers have full discretion over how they structure bereavement leave, including whether it exists as a separate benefit or gets folded into your general PTO bank.
Maryland's law illustrates one approach. It doesn't require employers to create dedicated bereavement days. Instead, it says employers must let you use existing sick leave for bereavement purposes. If you have sick days banked, your employer can't stop you from using them for a funeral. But if you don't have days available, you're left without coverage.
If your company has no bereavement leave policy, your options are:
Talk to HR sooner rather than later. Trying to navigate this while actively grieving makes everything harder.
Often, yes. Policies for part-time workers vary more than policies for full-time employees, and your handbook might not spell out the differences clearly.
Don't assume anything based on what a coworker experienced. Policies change, and exceptions exist. Check your employee handbook, and if it's unclear, ask HR directly before you need the information.
You still have options, even without a formal policy.
Most employers allow you to use accrued vacation or sick time for bereavement, even without a dedicated policy. The payroll treatment works the same either way.
Employers are generally willing to grant a few unpaid days for a death in the family, even without a legal requirement. Most managers understand.
California, Oregon, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington all have some form of bereavement leave requirement. The specifics vary, but you may have more protection than you realize.
Official policy and actual practice don't always match. If you have a decent relationship with your manager, an honest conversation might get you more flexibility than the handbook suggests.
Grief affects your ability to work whether or not your employer's policy accounts for it. Going back too early often backfires. Asking for more time isn't unreasonable—it's practical.
Usually not. Most companies don't ask for death certificates or other proof. SHRM research confirms this—employers recognize that the risk of someone lying about a death is extremely low, and requiring documentation adds stress to an already difficult situation.
When employers do ask for verification, acceptable forms typically include:
Many policies allow you to submit documentation after you return to work, which removes one task from the hardest days.
No. This surprises people, but the Family and Medical Leave Act doesn't include bereavement.
FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for serious health conditions, childbirth, or caring for a sick family member. Grieving a death isn't on the list.
If bereavement triggers a qualifying health condition—severe depression requiring treatment, for example—that condition might be covered under FMLA. But that's medical leave, not bereavement leave, and requires documentation from a healthcare provider. Different situation entirely.
Start with your employee handbook or HR portal. Look for bereavement leave, compassionate leave, or funeral leave.
If you can't find clear information, contact HR directly:
That last question is more important than most people realize. Grief doesn't wrap up in a week. Estate issues, memorial services, and unexpected waves of loss show up months later. Knowing whether you can spread out your days gives you more control over a situation where control is hard to come by.
Paid bereavement leave matters. But it's only one piece of how workplaces handle grief—and often not the piece employees remember most.
What sticks is how your manager responded in the first conversation. Whether anyone checked in after the initial week. Whether you felt like a problem to be managed or a person going through something hard.
Organizations that invest in training managers on grief support handle these moments more consistently. Not perfectly—grief is messy and no script works every time. But consistently enough that employees don't feel abandoned when they need support most.
Most employees do. SHRM's 2024 survey found 91% of employers that offer bereavement leave make it paid. Your situation depends on company policy, employment status, and state laws.
Five days for immediate family (spouse, parent, child, sibling). Four days for grandparents and in-laws. One to two days for extended family or close friends. These are averages—your employer may offer more or less.
No. Bereavement leave is specifically for dealing with a death. PTO is general time off for any purpose. Some employers require you to use PTO for bereavement if they don't have a separate policy.
It depends on the employer. Some offer the same policy to everyone. Others prorate based on hours, offer only unpaid leave, or exclude part-time workers entirely.
Request additional PTO, sick leave, or unpaid time. Most employers are more flexible than the written policy suggests when someone is dealing with a death.
Not always. LeanIn.org research found only 44% of employers offer non-consecutive leave, but it's becoming more common. Ask about it—especially if you're handling estate matters or expect to need time around anniversaries.
Legally, in most states, yes. No federal law requires it. But California, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have state requirements. And practically, most employers grant bereavement leave even where it's not legally required.
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