Bereavement leave

Bereavement leave is job-protected time off after a family member dies. Most provinces give 2 to 5 days, and some require a few of those days to be paid.

Also called: compassionate leave, funeral leave, death in the family leave

What bereavement leave means

Bereavement leave is time off an employee can take when a family member dies. It covers grieving, arranging and attending a funeral or memorial, and dealing with the practical matters that follow a death.

Every jurisdiction we checked gives some bereavement leave, but the number of days, whether any of it is paid, and which relatives count all differ. Several provinces also include the loss of a pregnancy.

Many employers give more than the legal minimum, often with pay. That is your choice. What you cannot do is give less than your province requires or penalize the employee for taking it.

How it works

The employee tells you about the death and the days they need. You generally do not need a death certificate or obituary to approve a few days. If your policy asks for some proof, keep it light and apply it the same way to everyone.

Check which relatives qualify. Provinces define immediate family differently. British Columbia's list includes a spouse, child, parent, guardian, sibling, grandchild or grandparent, and anyone who lives with the employee as a family member. Quebec gives a longer leave for close relatives and a shorter, unpaid absence for some others.

Check timing. In Ontario and British Columbia the days do not have to be consecutive, so an employee can take one day now and another later for a memorial. Saskatchewan requires the leave to be taken within six months of the death or loss of pregnancy.

If part of the leave is paid by law, pay it at the employee's regular rate for those days and show it on the pay statement. Federally regulated employers must pay the first 3 days for employees with 3 consecutive months of continuous employment. In Quebec, 2 of the 5 days for a close relative are paid.

Common mistakes: counting only blood relatives, refusing leave for a pregnancy loss where the law covers it, and asking a grieving employee to swap shifts instead of taking leave.

Bereavement leave by province

Bereavement leave ranges from 2 days to 10 days, and only some jurisdictions require any paid days.

Where the work is done	The rule
Federal	Up to 10 days. The first 3 days are paid once the employee has 3 consecutive months of continuous employment.
British Columbia	Up to 3 days of unpaid leave on the death of an immediate family member. The days do not have to be consecutive.
Alberta	Up to 3 days of unpaid leave a year on the death of a family member or a pregnancy loss.
Saskatchewan	5 days of unpaid leave, taken within six months of the death or loss of pregnancy, for employees with more than 13 weeks of employment.
Ontario	Up to 2 days of unpaid leave each calendar year on the death of certain family members. The days do not have to be consecutive.
Quebec	5 days, 2 of them paid, for the death of a close relative such as a spouse, child, parent or sibling. One extra unpaid day for certain other relatives.

Manitoba's official pages gave different lengths, so we left it out. We could not confirm the Atlantic provinces or the territories. Check with that office.

Example: A grandparent's funeral at a Lethbridge hardware store

Mike runs a 14-person hardware store in Lethbridge, Alberta. His cashier Aisha, who has worked there for a year, tells him on a Monday that her grandmother has died. The funeral is on Thursday.

Alberta gives up to 3 days of unpaid bereavement leave a year. Mike approves Wednesday to Friday off. His own policy pays the first day of bereavement leave for anyone with more than 6 months of service, so he pays Aisha for Wednesday and records Thursday and Friday as unpaid bereavement leave.

Hollis drafts the letter

Hollis, part of the Staffkin HR Suite, drafts province-specific leave approval letters for you to review; it never sends anything on its own.

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Questions about bereavement leave

Is bereavement leave paid in Canada?

It depends on where you are. Federally regulated employers must pay the first 3 days after 3 months of service, and Quebec requires 2 paid days for a close relative. In Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan the leave is unpaid.

How many bereavement days do employees get in Ontario?

Up to 2 unpaid days each calendar year, which can be taken at the time of the death or later for a funeral or memorial.

Does bereavement leave cover a miscarriage?

In some provinces, yes. Alberta and Saskatchewan include the loss of a pregnancy. Check your province's rules.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.