Bereavement leave is time off after the death of a family member or someone close, for grieving, arranging and attending a funeral. Federal wage law does not require it to be paid, but some states require leave and most employers offer some.
| Item | Common approach |
|---|---|
| Days for immediate family | 3 days, sometimes 5 for a spouse, partner or child |
| Days for other relatives or close friends | 1 day |
| Paid or unpaid | Paid at the regular rate for scheduled shifts |
| Travel | Extra unpaid days or PTO when the funeral is far away |
| Notice and documentation | Notice as soon as possible; documentation only if truly needed |
Define immediate family broadly enough to match your employees’ real families, including step relatives and partners. Use a bereavement leave request form so the record is consistent.
With EZTime time-off requests, employees ask for PTO from their phone and managers approve it in one place.
A line cook’s father dies on a Sunday. The restaurant’s policy gives 3 paid days for immediate family, paid for scheduled shifts, plus up to 2 unpaid days or PTO for travel.
He was scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for 8 hours each at $18 an hour. The bereavement pay is 3 x 8 x $18 = $432. The funeral is in another state, so he adds 2 days of PTO for travel.
His manager covers the shifts by posting them as open shifts, and the request and approval are recorded in one place. He is back the following Monday, and nobody had to ask him to prove anything.
The manager’s first response matters more than the policy wording. A short script helps: express sympathy, say the employee does not need to sort out details right now, confirm how many days the policy gives, and say who will handle the schedule. Paperwork can follow later.
Plan coverage without asking the grieving employee to find their own replacement. Post the shifts as open shifts or ask the team directly. When the employee returns, a brief check-in on their first day back, and flexibility over the following weeks, often matters as much as the leave itself.
A security guard’s closest friend dies. The company’s policy lists only immediate family and gives 1 day for other relatives. The guard asks for a day off for the funeral.
The manager approves 1 paid day under a policy clause allowing manager discretion for close relationships, and the guard uses a PTO day for travel. The company later updates the policy to include “a person with a relationship equivalent to family”, so the next decision does not depend on which manager is asked.
Federal wage law does not require paid time off for a funeral, and the FMLA does not cover bereavement itself. Some states and cities do require bereavement leave.
Many employers give 3 days for immediate family and 1 day for other relatives, with extra time for travel.
It depends on the employer’s policy and any state or local law. Many employers pay it for scheduled shifts.
Many policies allow it, but asking in every case can feel harsh. Ask only when there is a real reason.
Many policies allow days to be used within a set window, such as 30 or 60 days, since funerals and memorials are not always held right away.
Approved bereavement leave should be coded as approved leave and not counted as an attendance problem.
Employees request time off from their phone, managers approve or decline it, and every request keeps a dated record.