Bereavement Leave in Kentucky
No state law requires bereavement leave in Kentucky
Kentucky has no state law requiring private employers to provide bereavement leave. Leave policies are at the employer's discretion.
What are your options?
Check your employee handbook or speak with HR about your employer's bereavement policy. You may be able to use accrued PTO, vacation, or sick time. You can also request unpaid time off.
Bereavement leave in Kentucky: what you need to know
Kentucky has no state law requiring private employers to provide bereavement leave. The state does not mandate paid sick leave for private employers, though it does have a family leave law that is more limited than FMLA (it applies to employers with fewer than 50 employees but only provides up to 6 weeks of unpaid leave for adoption).
Kentucky's economy includes significant employment in automotive manufacturing (Toyota's Georgetown plant is the company's largest in North America), bourbon distilling and related industries, coal and energy, healthcare, and logistics (UPS Worldport, the company's global air hub, is in Louisville). Workers at Toyota and UPS typically have bereavement leave through company policy or union contracts.
The Louisville and Lexington metro areas account for the majority of Kentucky's corporate employment. Workers in these areas generally have better access to paid bereavement leave than those in Eastern Kentucky's coal country or the rural western part of the state, where smaller employers dominate.
Kentucky's coal industry, while diminished, still employs workers in Eastern Kentucky. UMWA contracts historically included bereavement leave, and many miners continue to have these protections. Workers in the growing renewable energy sector that is partly replacing coal employment should check their new employer's benefits carefully, as startup energy companies may not offer the same leave provisions that established mining operations did.
Kentucky state employees have bereavement leave provisions under the state personnel cabinet's regulations. State employees typically receive up to 5 days of bereavement leave for the death of an immediate family member. Public university employees (UK, UofL, WKU, EKU, and others) have their own leave policies.
Kentucky workers should be aware that the state has a specific protection for employees who are called to jury duty or serve as witnesses in court proceedings. While this is not bereavement leave, it is relevant because probate and estate proceedings following a death may require court appearances. If you are named as an executor or witness in estate proceedings, your employer cannot penalize you for responding to a court summons. This protection exists even though general bereavement leave does not.
More Kentucky workplace laws
Check other workplace law topics for Kentucky:
Frequently asked questions about bereavement leave in Kentucky
Toyota's Georgetown plant, Kentucky's largest single-site employer, provides bereavement leave as part of its benefits package. Specific terms are set by Toyota's company policy. Workers at supplier plants near Georgetown should check their own employer's policy, as it may differ from Toyota's.
Yes. Kentucky state employees typically receive up to 5 days of bereavement leave for the death of an immediate family member under the state Personnel Cabinet's regulations. Additional time may be available using accrued sick or annual leave.
UPS employees, including those at the Worldport hub in Louisville, have bereavement leave provisions. Teamsters-represented employees have bereavement terms in their union contract. Non-union management employees have separate company policy. Check your applicable agreement.
Active UMWA-represented miners in Kentucky have bereavement leave provisions in their union contract. Non-union mining operations may have their own policies. If you have transitioned to a different industry, your new employer's policy governs.
Kentucky's adoption leave law provides limited unpaid leave for adoption but does not cover bereavement. Federal FMLA applies to employers with 50 or more employees. There is no state-specific family leave provision that addresses bereavement.
Kentucky is surrounded by states with similar approaches. Illinois requires bereavement leave for FMLA-covered employers, making it the only neighbor with a mandate. Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri have no bereavement requirements. Workers in the Louisville and Northern Kentucky areas who commute to Indiana or Ohio should check their work state's laws.