How does bereavement leave work?

Bereavement leave is important to help employees grieve. The exact leave arrangement often varies and needs to be processed in payroll accordingly. 

Employees are eligible for bereavement leave if they’ve been working for their employer for at least six months continuously or for an average of 10 hours per week during that time period. Similar to Sick Leave, the employee’s entitlement is renewed every 12 months after the first six months, if they meet the criteria mentioned. 

The length of bereavement an employee is entitled to will depend on their circumstances. Employees receive three days per bereavement if they have lost an immediate family member, had a miscarriage or stillbirth, or share close relations with someone who has had a miscarriage or stillbirth.

In other circumstances, employees receive one day per bereavement if the employer approves. However, bereavement leave is often extended, especially if the employee needs to travel for a funeral. 

In payroll, a different leave rate is applied to bereavement leave in comparison to Annual Leave Rates. If the Relevant Daily Pay rate is known, this should be used. Relevant Daily Pay is the amount the employee would have earned if they'd worked that day, including any additional earnings such as commission. If this cannot be determined, the Average Daily Pay can be applied. The ADP is the daily average of an employee's earnings over the previous 52 weeks. 

PayHero will automatically apply the correct rate based upon the employee work pattern and timesheet entries.