Employer guide · Reviewed 2 November 2026
Bereavement leave checklist for employers with 100 to 200 staff
If you employ 100 to 200 people in Great Britain, the new bereavement leave right may affect your policy, managers and payroll processes. It is expected to begin in April 2027. Use this checklist to start preparing, then review it against the regulations and official guidance when they are published.
Policy
- Find your current bereavement or compassionate leave policy and check its review date.
- Plan for up to two weeks of day-one statutory leave for covered relationships and pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
- Remove evidence requirements for the statutory entitlement.
- Explain the 56-week window, separate days and notice rules.
- Decide whether your policy will cover wider relationships.
- Explain how the new right relates to existing leave and sickness policies.
Pay and payroll
- Decide whether you will pay none, some or all of the leave.
- Write down whether enhanced pay is contractual or discretionary.
- Brief payroll to record bereavement leave separately from sickness and holiday.
- Check how any paid enhancement will interact with statutory leave after final rules are published.
Managers and systems
- Brief managers before the right starts and give them a simple first-response guide.
- Explain that no proof is required for statutory leave.
- Make sure systems can record individual days across the full window.
- Store records sensitively and limit access to people who need it.
- Plan cover and a supportive return-to-work conversation.
Support and communication
- Review your employee assistance programme and specialist signposting.
- Share practical help for tasks after a death.
- Publish the updated policy in the staff handbook and induction materials.
- Tell employees when the policy changes and where to find it.
Use the free policy generator to draft a starting policy, the calculator to explore your own assumptions, and our full guide to the 2027 right for more detail. The employer licence also includes short manager-training videos, a staff link and 21 employee guides. This checklist is general information, not legal advice.