Bereavement Leave in New Hampshire
No state law requires bereavement leave in New Hampshire
New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire: what you need to know
New Hampshire has no state law requiring bereavement leave for private employers. The state does not mandate paid sick leave, and New Hampshire's general approach to employment regulation is minimal compared to its New England neighbors. New Hampshire has no state income tax or sales tax, and its regulatory philosophy extends to employment matters.
New Hampshire's economy includes significant employment in healthcare (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center), technology and defense (BAE Systems in Nashua), manufacturing, tourism (the White Mountains and seacoast region), and financial services. Workers in the southern tier of the state (Nashua, Manchester, Salem) often commute to Massachusetts, where different employment laws apply.
The Massachusetts border commuting dynamic is particularly relevant for bereavement. Workers who live in New Hampshire but work in Massachusetts are covered by Massachusetts employment law, which includes earned sick time that may cover bereavement-related absences. Conversely, New Hampshire residents working in New Hampshire have no state-mandated leave protections.
New Hampshire state employees have leave provisions under the state personnel system. The state's relatively small government workforce has bereavement leave provisions in collective bargaining agreements and the state personnel manual.
New Hampshire's tourism industry, centered on the White Mountains, Lakes Region, and seacoast, employs many seasonal workers. Seasonal employment typically comes with fewer benefits, and formal bereavement policies are uncommon in small tourism businesses. Workers in these industries should understand that their employer has no legal obligation to provide bereavement leave.
New Hampshire's Live Free or Die ethos extends to its employment law framework. The state has fewer employee mandates than any of its New England neighbors. Workers who value regulatory minimalism may appreciate New Hampshire's approach, while workers accustomed to the protections available in neighboring Massachusetts, Vermont, or Maine may find the contrast stark when it comes to bereavement. The practical reality is that most mid-size and large New Hampshire employers do offer bereavement leave voluntarily, but no law requires it.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, one of northern New Hampshire's largest employers, provides bereavement leave as part of its benefits package. Healthcare workers in the Upper Valley region (which straddles the New Hampshire-Vermont border) should understand which state's employment law applies. Vermont's new bereavement leave protections under the Parental and Family Leave Act do not extend to workers whose physical workplace is in New Hampshire.
More New Hampshire workplace laws
Check other workplace law topics for New Hampshire:
Frequently asked questions about bereavement leave in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has very few state-level employee leave mandates. There is no state paid sick leave law, no state family leave law, and no bereavement leave requirement. Workers rely on federal FMLA and employer policies.
Massachusetts law applies if you physically work in Massachusetts. Massachusetts's earned sick time law may cover bereavement-related absences. Your New Hampshire residence does not change which state's employment law governs your work.
New Hampshire state employees have leave provisions under the state personnel system and collective bargaining agreements. Contact the Division of Personnel or your union representative for specific bereavement leave terms.
BAE Systems, one of southern New Hampshire's largest employers, offers bereavement leave as part of its benefits package. Specific terms are set by company policy and may vary by employee classification. Check your employee handbook.
There is no state requirement. Seasonal and part-time resort workers in New Hampshire typically have limited or no formal bereavement leave. Larger resort operations may have policies; smaller ones likely handle requests informally.
New Hampshire has the fewest employee leave protections of any New England state. Maine requires earned paid leave usable for any purpose. Vermont requires job-protected bereavement leave. Massachusetts and Connecticut have paid sick leave and paid family leave programs. Rhode Island has sick leave, TDI, and TCI. New Hampshire stands alone in the region with no state leave mandates for private employers.