Bereavement Leave for In-Laws: What You're Entitled To

Do State Laws Cover In-Law Deaths?

State laws differ: some create a bereavement-specific right, while others allow employees to use existing paid leave or sick time after a family death:

• California (AB 1949): Yes — parent-in-law is explicitly listed among covered relationships. Up to five days of job-protected unpaid leave.
• Illinois (FBLA): Yes — parent-in-law is covered. Up to 10 days of unpaid leave.
• Oregon (OFLA): A parent-in-law can qualify under the definition for a person related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is equivalent to a family relationship. Up to two weeks per family member, with a four-week annual maximum.
• Vermont: Yes — an eligible employee may use up to two weeks from the 12-week leave bank in a 12-month period, with no more than five workdays taken consecutively.
• Maryland: Yes — employees may use earned paid leave after the death of a covered immediate family member: a child, spouse, or parent. The law applies to covered employers with 15 or more employees that provide paid leave.
• Minnesota: Employees may use accrued Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) for funeral arrangements, a service or memorial, or related financial or legal matters after a family death. The ESST family definition includes a spouse's family and specified in-law relationships, including a parent-in-law.
• Washington: State civil-service employees have five paid bereavement days for a family member's death, and the WAC family definition expressly includes a parent-in-law. The separate Paid Family and Medical Leave seven-day option applies only after a qualifying child's death. Other employees should check employer policy and local ordinances.

If a state law does not cover the relationship or event, check whether another paid-leave law or your employer's policy applies. Many company policies cover parent-in-law deaths, though often with fewer days than for parents or spouses (typically one to three days compared to three to five).

When You're Also the Executor

In-law deaths carry a specific complication: your spouse is the primary griever, but you may end up handling much of the administrative burden — fielding phone calls, coordinating with the funeral home, managing family logistics — because your spouse is too overwhelmed to function.

If your parent-in-law named your spouse as executor, the estate settlement work that follows becomes a household obligation. Even though the law treats your spouse as the primary beneficiary of leave protections, you may need time off to pick up childcare, drive to the probate court, or simply hold things together at home.

How to Request More Time Than Your Policy Allows

If your employer offers only one or two days for in-law deaths, put your request for additional time in writing. Frame it around specific obligations rather than open-ended grief:

"I need to be present for the memorial service on Thursday and Friday, and I'm handling family logistics for my spouse who is managing the estate. I'd like to use three days of PTO in addition to the bereavement day to cover next week."

Concrete requests tied to dates and responsibilities are more likely to be approved than vague references to needing time.

UK, Canada, and Australia

United Kingdom: There is no statutory bereavement leave specifically for in-law deaths. A parent-in-law may qualify as a dependant if they live in your household or reasonably rely on you to arrange care; otherwise, check your employer's compassionate-leave policy.

Canada: Federally regulated employees get up to 10 days of bereavement leave for an immediate-family death. Federal regulations expressly include an employee's spouse or common-law partner's father and mother (and their spouses or common-law partners); provincial rules differ.

Australia: The National Employment Standards explicitly include a spouse or de facto partner's parent as an immediate family member. Compassionate leave is two days per occasion.

If you're juggling in-law estate logistics alongside your own work deadlines, the Returning to Work After Bereavement toolkit includes a workload triage matrix and communication scripts that help you negotiate the time you actually need.