Bereavement Leave in Pennsylvania
No state law requires bereavement leave in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has no state law requiring private employers to provide bereavement leave. Leave policies are at the employer's discretion. Some municipalities in Pennsylvania (such as Philadelphia) have paid sick leave laws that may cover some bereavement-related needs.
What are your options?
Check your employee handbook or speak with HR about your employer's bereavement policy. If you work in Philadelphia, the city's paid sick leave law may cover some bereavement-related needs. You may also use accrued PTO or vacation time, or request unpaid time off.
Bereavement leave in Pennsylvania: what you need to know
Pennsylvania has no state law requiring private employers to provide bereavement leave. The state legislature has not advanced any bereavement leave legislation in recent sessions. This is consistent with Pennsylvania's generally moderate approach to employment regulation, which relies more on federal standards than state mandates.
Pennsylvania workers should be aware that while the state does not mandate bereavement leave, most large and mid-size employers in the state offer it as a voluntary benefit. The Pennsylvania economy is diverse, with significant employment in healthcare, education, manufacturing, and professional services. Many employers in these sectors include bereavement leave in their benefits packages, typically offering 3 to 5 days for immediate family members.
Philadelphia has its own paid sick leave ordinance that covers employers with 10 or more employees. Under this ordinance, employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year. The ordinance allows sick leave to be used for a broad range of purposes. If you work in Philadelphia and your employer does not offer bereavement leave, this may provide an alternative path to paid time off.
Pennsylvania state employees have separate bereavement leave provisions. State civil service employees may use sick leave for bereavement and may have additional bereavement leave under their collective bargaining agreements. If you work for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, consult your agency's leave policy.
Pennsylvania's position as a state without bereavement leave mandates but with a major city (Philadelphia) that has its own leave protections creates a two-tier system. Workers in Philadelphia have access to paid sick leave that may cover bereavement-related absences, while workers in Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley, and rural Pennsylvania have no similar safety net. This geographic disparity is worth understanding if you are considering employment options across the state.
If you are negotiating a job offer in Pennsylvania, consider asking about bereavement leave during the benefits discussion. Since there is no state requirement, employer policies vary widely, and the terms may be negotiable, particularly for professional and managerial positions.
Pennsylvania workers in the healthcare industry should be aware that many Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems offer above-average bereavement leave benefits as part of their competitive benefits packages. UPMC, Penn Medicine, and Geisinger, among others, typically provide 5 or more paid days for the death of an immediate family member. The healthcare sector's exposure to death and grief has made many healthcare employers more thoughtful about bereavement policies than employers in other industries. If you work in healthcare in Pennsylvania, check your benefits carefully because they may exceed what you expect.
More Pennsylvania workplace laws
Check other workplace law topics for Pennsylvania:
Frequently asked questions about bereavement leave in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia's Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces ordinance allows paid sick leave to be used for a variety of purposes including caring for a family member. While bereavement is not explicitly named, the broad definition of covered uses may allow you to use sick leave following a death. Check with your employer.
No. Pennsylvania has no law requiring employers to provide time off for funerals or bereavement. If your employer does not offer bereavement leave, you may need to use PTO, vacation time, or request unpaid leave.
Many union contracts in Pennsylvania include bereavement leave provisions. These are negotiated between the union and the employer and may be more generous than what non-union employees receive at the same company. Check your collective bargaining agreement or contact your union representative.
Pennsylvania does not have a state family leave law beyond what federal FMLA provides. If your employer has 50 or more employees and you meet FMLA eligibility requirements, you may qualify for unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons, but FMLA does not specifically cover bereavement.
Pennsylvania does not have a specific law granting leave for estate administration or probate matters. However, if you are named as an executor of an estate and need to appear in court, some Pennsylvania courts will issue subpoenas or orders that your employer would need to accommodate. Talk to the probate attorney handling the estate if you need documentation to support a time-off request.