Bereavement Leave

California requires private employers with five or more employees, and all public employers, to provide up to five days of bereavement leave upon the death of a family member.¹

Specifically, employees may take bereavement leave for up to five days upon the death of a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, or parent-in-law as those terms are defined under the California Family Rights Act.

If an employer has an existing bereavement leave policy, the law requires employers to provide leave according to their policy; however, if the employer policy provides less than five days of leave, then employers must provide additional bereavement leave so that²