Unpaid leave UK: statutory rights and company agreements

From 6 April 2026, eligible employees in Great Britain no longer need a year's service to qualify for unpaid parental leave. The entitlement is 18 weeks per child up to the child's 18th birthday, subject to the eligibility and notice rules.

The normal annual limit is four weeks per child, unless the employer agrees otherwise. Leave is generally taken in whole weeks, with exceptions including a disabled child or an employer agreement. The overall balance follows the child rather than restarting with each new employer.

Employees can take up to one working week of unpaid carer's leave in each 12-month period to give or arrange care for a dependant with a qualifying long-term care need. It is available from day one and can be taken in days or half days.

The allowance is one week in total, not one week for each dependant. Notice is required, but employees do not need to provide evidence of the dependant's care needs. Employers can postpone only under the specified serious-disruption rules, with a written explanation and an alternative date.

Time off for dependants concerns a reasonable period to deal with an unexpected emergency and make immediate arrangements. It has no fixed statutory day allowance and is normally unpaid unless a company policy provides pay.

Do not require planned carer's-leave notice for an unexpected emergency. Once the urgent situation is dealt with, discuss which arrangement fits any continuing need.

Other unpaid time off, such as an agreed career break, may depend on the contract and employer agreement. Before treating a request as entirely discretionary, check whether another statutory right or reasonable-adjustment duty applies.

For an agreed break, record the dates, pay arrangements, contact plan and return expectations. Check the consequences for benefits and other entitlements under the actual arrangement rather than assuming every form of unpaid leave works identically.