Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP)
💜 Jack's Law (effective April 2020) gives eligible employees the right to 2 weeks' paid leave if their child (under 18) or baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Jack's Law (Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, effective April 2020) gives all employed parents the right to 2 weeks of leave if a child under 18 dies or if there is a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
SPBP is paid at the lower of 90% of average weekly earnings or the statutory weekly rate (£187.18 in 2025/26). There is no qualifying period for the leave, but earnings qualification applies to SPBP.
The right to take bereavement leave applies from day one of employment. However, to receive SPBP, you must have been employed for at least 26 weeks and have average weekly earnings above the lower earnings limit (£125/week in 2025/26).
Yes. The 2 weeks can be taken as separate weeks or consecutively, within 56 weeks of the child's death. This gives parents flexibility to return to work and take further leave later.
Yes. SPBP is paid through payroll and is subject to income tax and employee NIC, like other statutory payments. Your employer deducts these before paying you.
No statutory requirement. However, many employers choose to offer enhanced contractual parental bereavement pay (full pay). Check your employment contract or staff handbook.
Jack's Law provides the minimum 2 weeks. Under other leave provisions (e.g. compassionate leave or special leave), your employer may grant additional unpaid leave. This is at employer discretion.
Yes. The Act covers all parents, including adoptive parents and intended parents in surrogacy arrangements, provided they have, or expect to have, parental responsibility.
SPBP only applies from stillbirth after 24 weeks. Miscarriages before 24 weeks are not covered by SPBP. However, the parent may be able to take sick leave, and many employers have compassionate leave policies.
Most employers can reclaim 92% of SPBP from HMRC via their PAYE settlement. Small employers (NIC bill under £45,000) can reclaim 103%.
As much notice as practicable. For planned leave, give notice before taking it. In urgent cases, this may not be possible, and employers should be flexible. HMRC provides standard notification forms.
From April 2025, parents of premature or sick babies spending 7+ days in neonatal care are entitled to neonatal care leave (up to 12 weeks), separate from parental bereavement leave.