What is paid safe leave? 

Paid safe leave is a policy that gives paid time off to employees experiencing domestic abuse, so they can take time to deal with safety and practical needs without losing pay. Depending on the policy, paid safe leave can be used for making safety arrangements, attending court or police appointments, getting medical or counselling support, moving home, and sorting out family or financial arrangements.

Paid safe leave is separate from annual leave, sick leave, and compassionate leave. But what's covered and who's eligible varies by employer, including which types of abuse a policy recognises.

Is paid safe leave a legal requirement in the UK?

Paid safe leave is not a legal requirement in England, Scotland or Wales. The Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill proposed a statutory right to paid safe leave, but its progress through parliament stalled and it hasn’t become law. 

Northern Ireland has gone further. The Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 provides for a minimum of 10 days' paid safe leave per leave year and is due to come into force by May 2027.

Which companies offer paid safe leave?

Paid safe leave currently comes down to individual employer discretion. Some have clear policies that outline paid safe leave specifically, some group this under ‘special leave’ allowances, and others that lack a formal policy may accommodate this on a case-by-case basis. 

Tesco: 3 days of paid safe leave

Tesco became the first supermarket to announce dedicated paid safe leave to help colleagues experiencing domestic abuse access support and make safety arrangements. The allowance is up to three days, or 21 hours, and can be used flexibly. You can read more about the details in their announcement.

Vodafone: up to 10 additional days of paid leave

Vodafone has offered up to 10 days of additional paid domestic violence and abuse leave since 2019, alongside specialist support. This is on top of ordinary annual leave, rather than taken from it.

EY UK: paid safe leave within special leave

EY UK has offered up to two weeks of paid special leave per calendar year that can be used for several circumstances, including domestic abuse, since 2019. The leave can also be used for family emergencies, compassionate leave, public commitments, fertility treatment, and caring responsibilities.

How can you find out if an employer offers paid safe leave?

You can see all companies with paid safe leave on Flexa with our filter.  But because it’s still an uncommon benefit, we recommend that you also review company careers sites to find out more. 

If you’re researching paid safe leave, you should start with the benefits page, wellbeing information and any policies on the employer's careers site and look for ‘safe leave’ or ‘special leave’. If you can’t find anything, you can reach out to the HR team for more information. 

When you find a policy, check how many days are guaranteed and whether they're additional to your annual leave. It's also worth knowing how to request the leave, how your information is kept confidential, and whether counselling or other practical support comes with it.