If you have experienced the physical loss of a miscarriage, and you require leave for the physical and/or psychological effects, this must be recorded by your organisation as pregnancy-related sickness and not under general sickness. This means it must not be used against you at work, in decisions about discipline, promotion or redundancy.

You can usually self-certify this for the first seven days. After that, a GP or other health professional will need to provide a fit note confirming it is pregnancy-related. If you were treated in hospital, they may be able to issue this; otherwise, contact your GP or another appropriate professional. Most will be able to help, even if your pregnancy is not yet in your medical records.

There is no fixed limit on how long pregnancy-related sickness can last after a miscarriage. Your GP or health professional decides how much time you need and can continue to certify your leave as pregnancy-related for as long as necessary.

You are protected from pregnancy discrimination for two weeks after the end of your pregnancy. After this period, you may still have legal protection—for example, against unfair dismissal or sex discrimination—if you are treated unfairly because of your miscarriage or related sick leave.

You can get further specialist legal or employment advice from Maternity Action.

If you do not tell your employer about your miscarriage, your absence will be treated as ordinary sick leave under your organisation’s usual policy, and these specific protections will not apply. If you are off for more than seven days, you will still need a fit note, and you can ask your doctor not to include detailed information.

If you feel unable to speak to your manager, you could consider contacting HR directly, if that feels more manageable.

*Please note that as of April 2026, women and their partners in Northern Ireland affected by pregnancy loss are now able to take two weeks paid leave. Pre-24 week loss has been included in bereavement leave legislation for the rest of the UK, but details such as duration and eligibility for this leave are ongoing – at this time, it looks like it will be one week unpaid, and due to come into effect in 2027. We will update this page accordingly

We are so sorry for your loss.

Sadly, you are not entitled to pregnancy-related leave or sickness absence, unless you are in Northern Ireland. Some workplaces will have provision for partners in a miscarriage policy or may offer compassionate leave (paid or unpaid leave for emergency situations). Others may insist you take unpaid leave or use your holiday if you want to take time off.

We understand that this can be very distressing. We recommend speaking with your line manager and/or HR as soon as possible to see what support they can offer, and to request a period of leave if you feel you need to. The effects of miscarriage on partners is commonly overlooked, however, it is often a significant life event. If you are unhappy with your treatment at work, ACAS has more information on how to raise a problem at work.

If you are self-employed, you may have the flexibility to choose when and how you go back to work. But most people who are self-employed will have contracts and deadlines. How much time you take off may depend on the people you’re working for, your finances and your own worries about getting future work.

Unfortunately, as with other absences, you are not entitled to statutory sick leave or pay following time off for pregnancy loss. You may be entitled to Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit if your income falls below a certain level and you can check entitlements on the Government’s website.

You are entitled to the sick pay specified in your contract for miscarriage. This may mean you are given time off on full pay, however, this means that you may only receive statutory sick pay (SSP).

If you are on a zero-hours contract you should still get sick pay if you have earned enough over the previous months. Temporary and agency staff may still be eligible. Even if your employer says you are self-employed, you may still be entitled to sick pay. The rules are complicated but Citizens Advice can help you understand what you are entitled to.

Low or no sick pay may mean you are forced to return to work before you feel completely ready, which be very difficult.

If you are not eligible for sick pay, or you are self-employed, there’s more information about other benefits you may be entitled to on Citizen’s Advice Bureau website. You can also make an appointment to talk to an advisor face to face.

There is more information about rights to time off and pay on Maternity Action.

A phased return is where you return to work for reduced hours or different duties at first, to ease your way back into working life. Some people find this helps them get back into work, while others prefer to go back to normal immediately.

You don’t have an automatic right to a phased return. Your workplace should have an absence policy that gives more information about how your return to work should be managed. If they don’t have a policy, they should be as consistent as possible. If other people have been offered a phased return, you should be too. A doctor may recommend a phased return in your fit note.

If you don’t have an official phased return, but you feel you need more time, you could consider using some annual leave to take some half or full days off in the weeks after you go back.

“I was allowed to return to work at my own pace, they were fully supportive of me working reduced hours from home initially and then returning on half days to the office, slowly increasing to full time.

Some people find flexibility or adjustments to their role and duties can help them return to work more easily.

You are entitled by law to reasonable adjustments to help you do your job if you have a disability – this includes a mental health problem. You are not legally entitled to reasonable adjustments for other reasons (including miscarriage). Your organisation may have a policy that outlines anything they can offer in terms of flexible working and adjustments.

It might be helpful to make a list of anything that might be difficult, and what adjustments could help. You could discuss this with your manager at a return to work meeting or by email beforehand.

Receiving insensitive comments 

Some people at work might make comments that are insensitive, minimising or hurtful. Often people mean well, but simply don’t understand. They may think that what they’re saying is supportive, and/or will make you feel better. The taboo and silencing of miscarriage often means that people are unequipped with knowing what to say.

“I did have a few well-meaning but guaranteed to make your blood boil comments to contend with too (‘at least’ remarks)”.

If these comments make you feel uncomfortable or upset you, it’s important to flag them with your line manager or HR rep, so that the situation can be addressed.

You might want to suggest to your HR team or management that your workplace has some awareness or sensitivity training around pregnancy loss. You can find our workplace training sessions here.

Other pregnant colleagues 

Pregnancy announcements at work, pregnant colleagues and those with newborn babies, may be hard to cope with, even quite a long time after your loss. It can be very difficult to be around these triggers – they can often come out of the blue as well, for example, a scan photo sent in an email.

While it is not your responsibility to do so, some people are unaware of the triggering nature of these examples, and if you feel able to you could talk to your manager and/or HR about adjustments to make things easier, such as:

• Asking to be made aware ahead of time about pregnancy announcements/colleagues bringing babies into the workplace etc.
• Working from home to have a break from pregnancy/baby talk or on specific days you know you might find difficult.
• Letting your manager know you may feel more vulnerable and/or distressed after pregnancy or newborn baby announcements.

Managing another pregnancy 

Pregnancy after loss can be a very anxious time. If you are struggling during this time, you might like to look at our pregnancy after miscarriage page.

Here are some ways you could access further support from your workplace:

• Your workplace has to allow you to attend any appointments related to pregnancy, as well as additional appointments during pregnancy after loss, for example, extra scans.
• You may want to discuss any reasonable adjustments or supports to help you to manage at work during this time
• You have the right to a risk assessment for pregnancy
• You also have the right to protected pregnancy-related sickness should you require time off
• You could contact HR and/or Occupational Health in addition to your line manager for additional emotional support.
• If your workplace has an Employee Assistance Programme, it is worth exploring whether they have a counselling, GP or midwifery line you can contact

We know that pregnancy after loss can be a difficult time, with a lot of conflicting emotions.

Miscarriage UK is here to support you, with our staffed support line, live chat, email and pregnancy after loss support groups.

You might want to find a counsellor for ongoing support – our counsellors directory can help you find and contact someone you feel might help you.

Your GP, and then midwife should also provide you with additional advice and support.

It’s up to you whether you choose to tell your colleagues and other people in your workplace. Some people find the support of colleagues helpful, while others prefer not to share.

You have a right to keep your miscarriage private if you choose to. Your manager should ask you what, if anything, you would like other people at work to know.

“I only told my line manager and two friends who work in other teams. I did not want everyone to know because I wanted there to be some normality in my life and I thought the workplace would provide a separate focus.”

If you are unhappy with your treatment, ACAS has more information on how to raise a problem at work.