What is the average bereavement leave in the US?
Asked by: Gilbert Hegmann | Last update: May 27, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (45 votes)
There's no set rule for how long it takes to grieve. Nor is there a rule for how much bereavement leave is normal. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which mostly defines bereavement leave as time off to attend a funeral, suggests three days is common for immediate family and one day for other family members.
How many days is normal for bereavement leave?
California law guarantees most employees up to five days of bereavement leave from work following the death of a family member.
How many bereavement days do most companies give?
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.
What is the most common bereavement leave?
Few companies offer more than 3-5 days of bereavement leave
35% of employers offer 1 to 3 days of leave, and 45% offer 4 to 5 days.
How long does normal bereavement last?
There is no timeline for how long grief lasts, or how you should feel after a particular time. After 12 months it may still feel as if everything happened yesterday, or it may feel like it all happened a lifetime ago. These are some of the feelings you might have when you are coping with grief longer-term.
What is Bereavement Leave?
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.
How long should I take off work after a bereavement?
Even if it is not covered in a policy, your employer may agree to paid time off on a case-by-case basis. 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. See our page for employers about creating a bereavement policy.
How long can you take off work for a death in the family?
There are no legal requirements for time off for deaths of loved ones. This is something that each employer decides.
What is the hardest bereavement?
Loss of a child, loss of a close life partner, and suicide or homicide loss are among the most difficult.
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 ...
What is a typical bereavement policy?
A typical bereavement policy example might allocate five days off for the loss of an immediate family member with three of those days paid. The employee would have the option of taking the full leave with some unpaid time off or limiting their time off to the days paid.
Who is 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.
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 states have mandatory bereavement leave?
- California bereavement leave.
- Illinois.
- Maryland.
- Oregon.
- Washington.
What companies offer generous bereavement leave?
Adobe, Airbnb, Facebook, BASF, General Mills, Intel, Levi Strauss & Co., Lyft, MassMutual, Mastercard, SurveyMonkey and the United States Steel Corporation provide employees at least two weeks of bereavement leave. Adobe offers 30 days of paid leave to voluntary organ donors.
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'.
How long do most people take for bereavement?
It's common for the grief process to take a year or longer. Grief most often gets less intense over time, but the sense of loss can last for decades. Certain events, mementos or memories can bring back strong emotions, that usually last for a short time.
Is losing a sibling or parent harder?
Sibling grief is actually, in many ways, more impactful and complicated than grieving a spouse, or parent, yet for some reason it doesn't fall into the standard grief hierarchy of spouse, parent, child. It receives secondary status, with an assumption that the sibling plays more of a caretaker role.
What is normal bereavement?
Most people experiencing normal grief and bereavement have a period of sorrow, numbness, and even guilt and anger. Gradually these feelings ease, and it's possible to accept loss and move forward.
Can you get fired if a family member dies?
Can An Employer Fire You for Taking Bereavement Leave? In most cases, yes. As mentioned earlier, it is granted for compassionate reasons, not legal reasons. If you cannot show that your bereavement period falls under FMLA or a clause of your employment contract, you can be terminated.
How do I professionally say I had a death in the family?
Don't stress about the nitty-gritty details—what matters most is communicating with your boss and being honest about what you need. For example, you can say something like: “In accordance with the company's bereavement leave policy, I'll be taking 5 days off to plan and prepare for my cousin's funeral.”
Do employers call funeral homes?
Many employers do, but only because they have an internal policy to provide this benefit to their employees, not because they law requires it. In addition, many employer-provided health insurance plans cover such counseling (at least to some extent).
What are the three C's of grief?
As you build a plan, consider the “three Cs”: choose, connect, communicate. Choose: Choose what's best for you. Even during dark bouts of grief, you still possess the dignity of choice. “Grief often brings the sense of loss of control,” says Julie.
How many days off do you get when a family member dies?
How long is bereaved leave? Since federal law doesn't require employers to offer bereavement leave, the length of leave a company offers may vary. Many employers with bereavement leave policies offer about three days of paid leave per loss.
What not to do while grieving?
- Live in the past.
- Ideal the person or your previous situation.
- Refuse to make the necessary changes to move forward.
- Dwell in self-pity. ...
- Lose respect for own body… ...
- Remain withdrawn or run away from your feelings.
- Rely on alcohol and/or other drugs.