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An employee asking for planned carer's leave needs a clear response about their entitlement and the dates, not an automatic suggestion to use holiday. In England, Wales and Scotland, eligible employees can take up to one working week of unpaid carer's leave in a 12-month period, from their first day of employment.[3]
For a small employer, start by separating the leave request from the cover arrangements. This guide explains the published rules and offers practical prompts, not legal advice. It covers Great Britain; employers in Northern Ireland should check the rules applying there rather than assume this entitlement is UK-wide.[3]
Check which kind of time off is needed
Planned carer's leave is for providing or arranging care for someone with a long-term care need.[3] Carers UK gives examples including medical appointments and arranging future care.[3] The person does not have to be a relative: someone else who relies on the employee for care can qualify.[1]
Ask which dates or half days the employee needs and whether they are asking about a planned commitment or something unexpected. Keep the discussion focused on the request rather than asking them to describe a family member's medical history.
Emergency time off for dependants is a separate right. GOV.UK describes a reasonable amount of time to deal with an emergency, without a fixed number of days; it does not cover a situation known about beforehand.[2] Avoid recording every caring-related absence under one heading. If the category is unclear, check the guidance before processing it.
Work out the allowance and notice
A week means the employee's usual working week, not automatically five days.[1] Someone normally working three days can take three days.[1] Leave can be taken in half days, whole days or a block; caring for several people does not create a separate allowance for each person.[1]
For a half day or one day, GOV.UK specifies at least three days' notice.[1] For more than one day, the notice must be at least twice the requested leave, counted in full days.[1] The request need not be written, and employees do not have to supply evidence of care needs.[1]
For irregular hours, use the calculation in the linked GOV.UK guidance rather than guessing from the latest rota.[1] Ask whoever handles payroll to check the calculation with you before confirming the remaining allowance.
Consider keeping a simple record of the request date, leave dates and amount used. Send the employee a short confirmation so both of you can spot a misunderstanding before the absence. Treat this as your administrative follow-up, not a reason to insist that an otherwise valid request arrive on a particular form.
Discuss cover without making the employee solve it
Before changing a rota, identify what genuinely needs doing during the absence. Could a customer appointment move? Which task needs somebody else, and which could wait? Ask the employee for an ordinary handover within their working time rather than making them find their own replacement.
You might say: "Let's confirm the time you need, then I will work out the cover. What information will the person picking this up need?" This is suggested wording, not a quote from a real employer.
Employers cannot refuse an eligible carer's leave request.[1] They can postpone it only where the absence would cause serious disruption, and must agree another date within a month.[1] They must explain the reason and new date in writing within seven days of the request and before the requested start.[1]
If you are considering postponement, check the full guidance and seek advice about your circumstances first. Do not turn an informal discussion about cover into a refusal without noticing.
Be clear about pay and contact
The statutory entitlement is unpaid, but some employers provide paid leave.[3] Check the contract and your existing policy before telling somebody what their pay will be.[3] Ask payroll to explain the effect plainly, without promising a figure you have not checked.
Consider agreeing how work will be handed over before the leave starts. Who will receive customer calls? Where will the relevant job notes be? Put those arrangements in the team handover rather than relying on the absent employee to keep answering messages.
Ask what the employee wants colleagues to know. For a routine rota update, consider whether the team simply needs to know who is available and who is covering. Avoid turning a leave announcement into an account of somebody else's family circumstances.
Give the next request somewhere to go
As a practical next step, review your staff handbook with the person who handles employment matters. Check that employees can find a named contact, an explanation of the leave process and a clear distinction between planned leave and emergencies. Ask your adviser to review anything uncertain before changing the policy.
For the request in front of you, confirm the dates, check the allowance and pay arrangements, and organise the handover. Keep any wider conversation about ongoing working arrangements separate so that today's request does not disappear into a longer review. The MH360 Businesses & Employers hub offers a place to explore other information for your organisation.
Sources
[1] GOV.UK: Unpaid carer's leave
