Bereavement leave
How to enter Bereavement leave
How to turn on Bereavement Leave
To turn on bereavement leave in Smartly, follow the steps below.
1. Go to Company details.
2. Click on Contract groups.
3. Select the employment contract group you want to apply the allowance to, e.g. salaried employees, waged employees.
4. Scroll to Leave Entitlements and tick the box next to bereavement.
5. Click Save. Repeat for any other contract group that you want bereavement leave turned on for.
6. Go to Employee details, then Employee list and select the employee that is going on bereavement leave.
7. Click on Employee payments.
8. Scroll to Leave Entitlements tick the box next to bereavement and Save.
When can an employee request Bereavement leave
Eligible employees can take paid bereavement leave if someone close to them dies, or for a miscarriage or stillbirth.
Once an employee has been working for you for 6 months, they are entitled to take a minimum of 3 days* of bereavement leave per immediate family member.
* Leave requested for more than the mimum entitlement days are at the discretion of the employer.
Who is considered immediate family?
- Spouse/Partner
- Parent
- Child
- Sibling
- Grandparent
- Grandchild
- Spouse/Partner's Parent
What if it's not for an immediate family member?
An employee is entitled to a minimum of 1 day* of bereavement leave for the death of a person outside of their immediate family (if you accept that the employee has suffered a bereavement).
* Leave requested for more than the mimum entitlement days are at the discretion of the employer.
When should bereavement leave be taken?
This can be taken at any time and for any purpose relating to the death, and does not have to be taken straight away or on consecutive days.
For more information, please visit the MBIE website.
Bereaved or sick on a public holiday when rostered to work
When an employee would have worked on a public holiday but is sick or bereaved, the day is treated as a paid unworked public holiday and:
- the employee would be paid their relevant daily pay or average daily pay, but would not be entitled to time and a half or an alternative holiday
- no sick or bereavement leave is deducted
For more information, please visit When a public holiday falls within a leave period.