How many bereavement days are you entitled to in California?

Asked by: Mervin Gleason  |  Last update: January 19, 2026
Score: 4.1/5 (25 votes)

California law guarantees most employees up to five days of bereavement leave from work following the death of a family member.

How many days of bereavement are you allowed in California?

A qualifying family member includes a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, or parent-in-law. An employee may take the five days of bereavement leave consecutively or intermittently. However, the leave must be completed within three months of the date of death of the family member.

What is the new bereavement leave law in California in 2024?

AB 1949 offers flexibility in how bereavement leave can be taken: The five days do not need to be taken sequentially. Workers can divide the days across three months after the death of a qualifying family member. All five days of leave must be completed within three months of the family member's death.

What is considered an immediate family for bereavement?

Immediate relative covers a wide range of relationships, including spouse; parents; parents-in-law; children; brothers; sisters; grandparents; grandchildren; step parents; step children; foster parents; foster children; guardianship relationships; same sex and opposite sex domestic partners; and spouses or domestic ...

Do bereavement days reset every year?

Does bereavement reset each year? Bereavement leave doesn't usually roll over to the next year, but different companies may have specific policies around this. Many organizations offer a certain amount of bereavement time per incidence of a loved one passing.

Bereavement Leave in California -- 3 Things to Know

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Can you take bereavement multiple times?

Bereavement leave can be used for every occurrence of a family member's death, and there is no limit on how many times an employee can be eligible for this type of leave. The law also allows employees to use other paid time off, including sick leave or personal leave, during their bereavement leave.

How long to take off work after a parent dies?

From our research with employers, a typical amount is five days paid leave, but it's often more than that – two weeks is quite common.

Why is bereavement leave only 3 days?

Since the law doesn't require bereavement leave, the length of leave can vary from company to company. Generally, organizations offer three to five days of time off per loss of a loved one each year. Some companies may offer more for immediate relatives and fewer for extended relatives.

Who is not considered an immediate family?

Parents, spouses, and minor children are almost always considered immediate family, while siblings may or may not count. Adoptive parents or children are also considered immediate family, although there is no blood relation. Half-siblings, stepsiblings, and other near relatives may be legally ambiguous.

How much is bereavement pay?

Many employers with bereavement leave policies offer about three days of paid leave per loss. Some company policies may provide a set number of days for immediate relatives, such as parents, siblings, spouses or children, but fewer for extended relatives, such as aunts and uncles, cousins or grandparents.

Does bereavement use PTO?

Employers have to give employees five or more days off—although once again, whether it is paid or not is up to the employer (though employees can put their PTO toward it). It's fairly typical of companies, however, to make bereavement leave a separate time off category that won't reduce employees' PTO.

What is considered prolonged bereavement?

The persistent grief is disabling and affects everyday functioning in a way that typical grieving does not. For a diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder, the loss of a loved one had to have occurred at least a year ago for adults, and at least 6 months ago for children and adolescents.

Does EDD pay for bereavement leave?

Leave Types

Family, Parental, and Other Leave: Eight weeks of paid family leave, plus up to one year of unpaid leave. Jury Duty: In general, if you are called for jury duty, there is no loss in pay. Bereavement Leave: Paid time off following the death of an immediate family member.

Can a company deny bereavement?

Bereavement Leave Laws

States that currently require employers to provide bereavement leave include the following: California: Employers with at least 5 employees, and all public employers, must grant 5 days of leave to employees upon the death of certain family members.

What is the death leave for family members?

What is bereavement leave? In India, employees (including casual staff) are eligible to request up to 7 days of unpaid leave, in the event of the death of an immediate family member. They can also request to take care of a relative who depends on them for care – referred to as a 'dependant'.

What is the bereavement list?

Bereavement list. The bereavement list may be used when a player finds it necessary to leave the team to attend to a serious illness or death in his (or his spouse's) immediate family. A player placed on the bereavement list must miss a minimum of three games and a maximum of seven games.

What are the three types of immediate family?

Immediate relatives are the closest family members, which usually include parents, spouses, and children, sometimes including siblings and grandparents.

Are aunts and uncles considered immediate family for bereavement?

Employers usually grant bereavement leave for immediate family like spouses, children, parents, siblings, and sometimes aunts, uncles, and cousins. Policies vary, so employees should check with HR for the number of days offered.

Which of the following is not an immediate family member?

Sister-in-law is not considered as the member of the immediate family.

What is the new law for bereavement leave in California?

Beginning January 1, 2023, private employers with five or more employees are required to grant an eligible employee's request for up to five days of bereavement leave from work following the death of the employee's family member.

What states have mandatory bereavement leave?

States with bereavement laws:
  • California bereavement leave.
  • Illinois.
  • Maryland.
  • Oregon.
  • Washington.

Is an uncle an immediate family?

The term “immediate family member” shall include a spouse, domestic partner, mother, father, aunt, uncle, sibling, or child.

Should you go to work after a loved one dies?

Everyone grieves differently. For some people returning to the workplace quickly can give them some structure and routine they need to process their grief. For others, being forced back into the professional sphere before they are ready can have very damaging consequences.

Does FMLA cover bereavement?

While FMLA does not specifically cover bereavement leave for the death of a family member, it may cover time off to treat a condition related to the death of a family member, such a mental health condition.

What not to do after the death of a parent?

See our 10 tips for things you shouldn't do after they've died:
  • 1 – DO NOT tell their bank. ...
  • 2 – DO NOT wait to call Social Security. ...
  • 3 – DO NOT wait to call their Pension. ...
  • 4 – DO NOT tell the utility companies. ...
  • 5 – DO NOT give away or promise any items to loved ones. ...
  • 6 – DO NOT sell any of their personal assets.