DocMuse is a private, paid service run by The Muse Technology EOOD (Bulgaria). It is not a government website and is not connected with GOV.UK, mygov.scot, nidirect, any courts and tribunals service or any other public body. It is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland or any other legal regulator, so no legal ombudsman or legal complaints body can consider complaints about it; its documents are not legal advice.
Notice to take carer's leave (Great Britain)
England, Scotland and Wales · in English · for employees
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
12 questions · about 5 min
Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
Fill in the form
Your answers stay on this device for 7 days, or until you clear them.
- Instant download after payment
- Backup link emailed to you
- No account needed
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who looks after a family member or someone who relies on them with a long-term care need: a notice taking carer's leave under the Carer's Leave Act 2023 — up to one week in any 12 months, from your first day in the job, in half days, days or a whole week. It gives the dates and who the care is for, by relationship only. The employer may postpone, but not refuse, the leave, and cannot require evidence. The law does not insist on writing, but a written notice is your proof. Hand it in and email it, keeping a copy.
- Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- Your mother needs care and you want to take a few days of carer's leave from your job in England.
- You need to take a relative with a long-term illness to appointments and want to tell your employer in writing.
- Your employer says there is no such thing as carer's leave and you want to give proper notice.
- You want to take a half day of carer's leave in England, Wales or Scotland to arrange care for someone who relies on you.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Town or city
- Employee's postcode
- Date
- Person at your employer you are writing to, as you would greet them (e.g. Priya Patel)
- Employer
- Employer's postal address (street and number, postcode and town on separate lines)
- First day of the leave
- Last day of the leave
- How much carer's leave (e.g. two days, a half day, one week)
- Who you are caring for, by relationship only (e.g. my mother)
Common questions
- Who can take carer's leave in Great Britain, and how much?
- Any employee, from their first day in the job, who wants to give or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need: an illness or injury likely to need care for more than three months, a disability under the Equality Act 2010, or care needs linked to old age. A dependant is a spouse or civil partner, child, parent, someone living in your household, or someone who reasonably relies on you. The leave is up to one week in 12 months and is unpaid unless your contract pays it.
- Can my employer refuse or delay carer's leave?
- Your employer cannot refuse it. If the leave would unduly disrupt the business, the employer may postpone it by notice in writing, given within seven days of your notice, explaining why and agreeing a new date within one month of the dates you asked for. You are protected from being dismissed or treated worse for taking or asking for carer's leave.
- How is carer's leave different from time off for dependants?
- Carer's leave is planned: you give notice in advance to care for someone with a long-term need, up to one week a year. Time off for dependants is for an emergency — a sudden illness, a care arrangement that breaks down — and you tell your employer as soon as you reasonably can, without advance notice. Both are unpaid by law and both are rights from your first day; the same absence cannot be both.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Paternity leave notice to your employer (Great Britain)
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who is the child's father, or the mother's spouse, civil partner or partner: a notice of paternity leave — one week, two weeks together or two separate weeks, within a year of the birth — giving the expected week of childbirth, the dates and the declaration that you will share responsibility for the child's upbringing. Since 6 April 2026 the leave is a right from your first day; the pay still needs 26 weeks' service. Hand it in and email it.
- Maternity leave notice to your employer (Great Britain)
For a pregnant employee in England, Wales or Scotland: the written notice of your pregnancy, the expected week of childbirth, the date you want your maternity leave to start and the date for Statutory Maternity Pay, given by the end of the 15th week before the expected week, with your MAT B1 certificate enclosed or to follow. It asks your employer to confirm in writing, within 28 days, when your leave ends and what you will be paid. GOV.UK explains maternity pay and leave free. Hand it in and email it.
- Notice of unpaid parental leave (Great Britain)
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland with parental responsibility (in Scotland, parental responsibilities) for a child under 18: a notice taking unpaid parental leave, giving the child, the dates and the number of weeks. The default rules allow 18 weeks for each child, up to four weeks a year, in whole weeks, with at least 21 days' notice; since 6 April 2026 the right starts on your first day. The employer can postpone the leave for up to six months, but not refuse it. Hand it in and email it.
- Resignation letter giving notice to your employer (Great Britain)
For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who is leaving their job: a letter that resigns, states the notice your contract requires (at least one week once you have worked a month, section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996) and the last day of employment, and asks for written confirmation, final pay including holiday earned and not taken, and your P45. Hand it to your manager and send it by email the same day, keeping a copy.
- Letter telling your employer you are off sick (UK)
For an employee anywhere in the UK who is off work sick and wants to tell the employer in writing. The letter gives the day the absence began and when you expect to return, says you are self-certifying the first seven days and will send a fit note if the absence lasts longer, and asks for statutory or contractual sick pay, which since 6 April 2026 is payable from the first day. It describes no illness. Sent by email or handed in. Sold blank, to complete by hand, as it holds health data DocMuse does not collect.
- Request to your employer for reasonable adjustments (Great Britain)
For a worker in England, Wales or Scotland with a disability or long-term health condition who needs changes at work — equipment, hours, duties, the workplace, how meetings are run: a letter asking the employer to make reasonable adjustments under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, describing the difficulty at work (not a diagnosis) and the changes asked for, and offering a meeting or an occupational health referral. Access to Work, a free government scheme, can also help. Hand it in and email it. Sold blank, to complete by hand, as it holds health data DocMuse does not collect.