What is carer's leave?
Carer's leave is a day-one right for employees to take up to one week of unpaid leave every 12 months to give or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. It can be taken in half days, full days or a whole week, and employers can postpone it but not refuse it.
Who it covers
The right came into effect on 6 April 2024 under the Carer's Leave Act 2023. A dependant can be a spouse, civil partner or partner, child, parent, someone in the employee's household, or someone who relies on them for care, and does not have to be a family member.
A long-term care need means an illness or injury expected to need care for more than 3 months, a disability under the Equality Act 2010, or care needs because of old age.
How much leave and notice
A week is the time the employee usually works over 7 days, so someone working 3 days a week gets 3 days. The week is per employee, not per dependant. For irregular patterns, divide hours worked in the previous 12 months by 52.
Notice must be at least 3 days for half a day or a day, or at least twice the length of the leave for longer requests. It does not have to be in writing, and employees do not need to give evidence of the care need.
Postponing a request
Employers can only delay leave if the absence would cause serious disruption. They must agree another date within one month of the requested date and confirm the reason and new date in writing within 7 days of the request, before the leave was due to start.
The law
“the employee is entitled to at least a week's leave during any period of 12 months…”
“in order to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need…”
Sources
- Unpaid carer's leave · GOV.UK
- Carer's leave · Acas
General information for employers in Great Britain, not legal advice. Check the official sources for your situation.
What employers can do
- Publish a carer's leave policy explaining how to request leave.
- Record carer's leave separately to track the one-week limit over a rolling 12 months.
- Train managers not to ask for evidence and not to refuse requests.
- Use a template letter for any postponement so the 7-day deadline is met.
- Consider whether to offer paid carer's leave or more flexibility as a benefit.
Related answers
- How should employers handle flexible working requests? Employees can make a statutory flexible working request from day one, up to twice in any 12 months. Employers must handle it reasonably, consult the employee before refusing, and decide within 2 months, including any appeal. Refusal must rest on a listed business reason. A stricter reasonableness test is expected from October 2027.
- What bereavement leave must employers give? In Great Britain today, employees have a right to reasonable unpaid time off when a dependant dies, and to 2 weeks' parental bereavement leave if their child dies under 18 or is stillborn after 24 weeks. A wider right to bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss, is expected from April 2027.