How much time off work are staff entitled to for IVF?
Ask ten employers how much time off staff get for IVF, and you’ll get ten answers, because UK law sets no minimum. There’s no statutory entitlement, so what someone gets comes down to their employer’s policy. A single cycle can mean a dozen appointments over a few weeks, many at short notice, plus recovery after egg collection and transfer. Here’s what staff are entitled to, and what a fair employer puts in place.
How much time off are staff entitled to?
Legally, nothing is guaranteed. Because there’s no statutory right to IVF time off, employers tend to choose one of three routes: a formal fertility policy with paid days, time treated as sick leave, or annual leave. The first is the fairest. ACAS advises treating fertility appointments like any other medical appointment and refusing time off can carry discrimination risk where it disproportionately affects women. A clear allowance removes the awkward case-by-case decisions.
Do employees have to tell you they’re having IVF?
The short answer, no. Staff aren’t obliged to disclose, and many won’t. Disclosure usually unlocks flexibility and protection, but privacy is their right, so make it safe to come forward without making it compulsory. Who they speak to first, line manager or HR, should be clear, and confidentiality should be the default. People share more when they trust it won’t travel.
How much time off does each stage of IVF need?
Appointments cluster, and no two cycles look the same. As a rough picture of what to plan for:
- Initial consultations and tests: a handful of short appointments.
- Stimulation phase: regular monitoring scans, often every few days.
- Egg collection: a full day, plus recovery.
- Embryo transfer: around half a day.
- The two-week wait afterwards: emotionally heavy, even without appointments.
Multiple appointments can land at short notice, so build flexibility in rather than asking staff to predict dates. Our step-by-step IVF timeline is a useful reference for managers.
Should you offer time off after embryo transfer?
Allow it, even though it isn’t medically required. The clinical evidence is clear that bed rest isn’t needed and light activity is fine, but many people want a day or two after transfer, and the two-week wait is anxious. A manager who allows that space without making it a negotiation earns loyalty. It costs little and says a lot.
What if your IVF treatment fails, are you entitled to time off then?
This is the part most time-off conversations forget. A failed cycle takes a physical and emotional toll, and a compassionate employer gives you space without an interrogation. There’s a legal change coming, too. The Employment Rights Act 2025 extends bereavement leave to pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, and the government’s consultation proposes including unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer within it.
This is bereavement leave including pregnancy loss, rather than a standalone “miscarriage leave”, and it’s expected to cover you and your partner, along with the other biological parent, intended co-parents and surrogacy parents, with no evidence requirement. It’s expected to apply from around 2027. Until then, there’s no statutory bereavement leave for pre-24-week loss, though Statutory Sick Pay may apply where physical symptoms or ongoing mental-health effects stop you working.
Building fair and consistent IVF time off
The employers who handle this well write it down, so decisions don’t rest on which manager someone happens to have. A clear policy sets the paid allowance, the scope across IVF, IUI, surrogacy and donor conception, and the guidance managers need to apply it consistently. It’s also a strong retention signal in a tight market, which is why more businesses now treat fertility benefits as a way to attract and keep talent.
Policy works best with clinical support behind it. Fertility in the Workplace, now delivered by The IVFN, gives your people policy guidance, manager training and specialist access in one place, including a free one-to-one specialist consultation within days. See how it works through employer fertility benefits.
