Unpaid leave UK: employer rules, rights and policy guide

Not in general. Acas explains that a worker can ask for unpaid leave if they have run out of holiday or do not want to use their holiday entitlement, but it is up to the employer whether to agree. The worker can explain the reason for the request, and both sides should try to reach an agreement. The contract or staff handbook may also say how unpaid leave is requested and whether it is offered.

The picture changes when the reason for the request falls into a statutory category. Those rights are mostly unpaid by default, but they are not discretionary. An employer can sometimes postpone them under set rules, yet cannot refuse them outright where the employee qualifies. That is why the first step with any request is to identify the reason, not to reach for a general unpaid leave category.

The table below sets out the main types of unpaid time off an employer is likely to see. Pay is only required where a contract or company policy provides it, but an employer can always choose to pay.

From 6 April 2026, employees in Great Britain are eligible for unpaid parental leave from the first day of employment. Before that date a year's service was needed, so policies and handbooks written earlier may be out of date. To qualify the person must be an employee, not self-employed or a worker such as an agency worker or contractor, and must be named on the child's birth or adoption certificate or have, or expect to have, parental responsibility. The child must be under 18.

Each parent can take 18 weeks for each child up to the child's 18th birthday. The yearly limit is 4 weeks for each child unless the employer agrees otherwise, and leave is taken in whole weeks unless the employer agrees otherwise or the child is disabled. A week means the time the employee normally works over 7 days, so a three-day-a-week employee uses three days for each week of leave.

The entitlement belongs to the child, not to the job. GOV.UK gives the example of an employee who used 10 weeks with a previous employer and can use up to 8 weeks with the new one. Employees must give 21 days' notice of the start date and confirm start and end dates. The notice does not have to be in writing unless the employer asks for it.

Employers cannot refuse or completely cancel parental leave. They can postpone it if there is a significant reason, for example where the absence would cause serious disruption to the business. If they do, they must write to the employee explaining why within 7 days of the original request and suggest a new start date within 6 months of the requested start date. They cannot change the amount of leave requested.

Employees can take up to one week of carer's leave every 12 months from their first day of work. It is for giving or arranging care for a dependant with a long-term care need: a physical or mental illness or injury expected to need care for more than 3 months, a disability, or care needs because of old age. The dependant does not have to be a family member, and the employee does not need to give evidence of the care needs.

Leave can be taken as a whole week or as individual days or half days. Notice must be at least 3 days for half a day or a day, and for longer requests at least twice the length of the leave requested. An employer cannot refuse, but can ask for a different time if the absence would cause serious disruption, agreeing a new date within one month and putting the reason and new date in writing. The employer may pay for carer's leave but does not have to, and Acas notes that holiday still accrues during it.

Employees can take a reasonable amount of time off to deal with an unexpected emergency involving a dependant. A dependant could be a spouse, partner, child, grandchild, parent or someone who depends on the employee for care. There is no set amount of time, because it depends on the situation, and no fixed limit on how many times the right can be used, although an employer can raise concerns if absences affect work.

GOV.UK lists emergencies such as a dependant's illness, injury or assault, a dependant going into labour unexpectedly, a childminder or carer not turning up, a nursery or care home closing unexpectedly, and incidents involving a child during school time. The right is not for situations the employee knew about beforehand. The employee should tell the employer as soon as possible why they are off and how long they expect to need.

Pay is not required unless the contract or policy provides it. Acas says dismissal or redundancy selection for taking or asking to take this time off is automatically unfair, with no minimum service needed to claim. Once the immediate crisis is handled, discuss whether carer's leave, parental leave, holiday or a flexible arrangement fits any continuing need.

Anything outside the statutory categories is a matter for agreement. Common examples are extra time off after holiday has run out, a long trip, a house move, study not linked to the job, or a career break of several months. There is no statutory minimum or maximum for this kind of leave, so a six-month break, or one week requested two months ahead, is possible if the employer agrees.

Saying no is lawful, but treat requests consistently and record the reason for each decision. Before treating a request as purely discretionary, check whether it is really a statutory right in disguise, such as a parent's request that qualifies as parental leave. For a disabled employee, Acas notes that adjustments can include time off for medical appointments and treatment, so consider the reasonable adjustments duty. Jury service is separate again: GOV.UK says all employees must be allowed time off for it.

Acas states that an employer does not have to pay an employee for time they did not work, so agreed unpaid days are normally deducted through payroll. Use the calculation method set out in the contract or pay policy and show it on the payslip so the employee can check it.

Pension contributions usually stop if a period of leave is unpaid, unless the contract says otherwise. During unpaid parental leave employees continue to build up holiday and can take holiday accrued before or after the leave. They have the right to return to their job after 4 weeks or less of parental leave, and to their job or a similar job after longer periods.

For continuity of employment, the Employment Rights Act 1996 counts any week during which the employee's relations with the employer are governed by a contract of employment. An agreed unpaid break where the contract continues therefore normally keeps continuity. If an arrangement would end the contract, take advice first. For discretionary breaks, write down what happens to holiday, benefits and pension for the period rather than assuming it works like statutory leave.

A short written policy stops each manager inventing their own rules. Keep the statutory rights separate from discretionary leave so nobody refuses a protected request by mistake, and review the policy when the law changes, as it did in April 2026.