Swargayatraa · HR resource · India

Bereavement policy in Indialeave, transport & claims

An employer-ready guide to bereavement leave, emergency repatriation and death-in-service benefits — with a searchable directory of 40 published employer disclosures. Understand what a policy says before applying it to an employee.

Sources checked 29 Oct 2026India-wide HR guidanceOfficial-company sources
Illustration of an Indian HR coordinator supporting a bereaved employee, with leave documents and transport symbols
HR support · Travel coordination · Claims guidance

Three separate HR decisions

01
Leave

Who qualifies, how many days and whether paid

02
Transport

Consent, documents, route, cost and dispatch

03
Claims

Insurance, payroll, PF and survivor benefits

The 60-second answer
INDIAN EMPLOYMENT RULES

No universal fixed allowance

India has no single two-, three- or five-day bereavement leave entitlement for all private-sector employees. Check the employer’s rules, contract, settlement and applicable law. The four Labour Codes took effect on 21 November 2025, but annual leave is not a universal bereavement allowance.

SCENARIO A

Employee loses a family member

Confirm relationship eligibility, leave and pay, coverage for work, and any approved travel or funeral assistance.

SCENARIO B

An employee dies

Contact the authorised family representative; separately open insurer, payroll, PF, pension, gratuity and transport records.

Bank workmen may have an entitlement under an applicable bipartite settlement; officers and contractors can be governed by different terms. Published benefits do not automatically extend across legal entities, plants or countries.

01 · Evidence

Bereavement leave at 40 employers

Official India pages, company reports, global frameworks and four overseas examples. Published days are shown as written — missing allowances remain “not published”.

40 employer disclosures · Select an entry to see exact scope and primary sources
01

Accenture

IT services and consulting

Four consecutive weeks for a spouse or child; three consecutive working days for other listed relatives.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

India benefits page. Other listed relatives are parents, parents-in-law, siblings and grandparents. The India paragraph does not separately state pay treatment. Source period: Undated benefits page.

02

Adobe

Software

Up to 20 working days at base salary per calendar year.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

India benefits page, read with the global bereavement FAQ. The FAQ provides first-day eligibility, use within 180 calendar days, and continuous or intermittent full-day leave. The allowance is annual, not 20 days for every death. Eligible relationships and pregnancy loss are defined in the FAQ. Source period: Global FAQ: April 2025; India page undated.

03

Wipro

IT services

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

India careers benefits page. The page does not state the bereavement day allowance, family definition or detailed approval rules. Source period: Undated careers page.

04

Infosys

IT services

Bereavement leave confirmed; India duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

India provisions on the company’s caregiving page. The public disclosure confirms the benefit without providing a numerical India allowance. Source period: Undated ESG webpage.

05

Okta

Identity and security software

Up to five days for immediate family or pregnancy loss; up to three days for non-immediate family.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

All employees in India. Immediate family includes a spouse or partner, child, sibling, parent or step-parent including in-laws, grandparent or step-grandparent, and grandchild or step-grandchild. Requests go through Workday for manager approval. The passage does not specify working/calendar days or pay. Source period: Undated India rewards page.

06

Deloitte US–India offices

Professional services

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Deloitte US–India offices. Bereavement is included in the leave-of-absence programme. The page does not supply a separate bereavement allowance or pay rule. This is not evidence for every Deloitte member firm in India. Source period: Undated benefits page.

07

EY Global Delivery Services

Professional services and delivery centres

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

EY GDS India careers page. The page lists bereavement among benefits. It does not publish the day count or establish the rules for every EY India entity. Source period: Undated careers page.

08

ZS

Consulting and analytics

Duration varies with the relationship to the deceased; day counts not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

India careers page. The page expressly describes relationship-based bereavement time but does not publish the corresponding tiers or pay treatment. Source period: Undated India careers page.

09

Avance Technologies

Technology services

Up to three working days per event.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Company HR manual; Indian legal entity. Compassionate leave covers parents, siblings, grandparents, spouse, children and parents-in-law. Additional compassionate leave may be granted at the Executive Director’s discretion. Pay treatment is not specified in this clause. Source period: Undated public HR manual.

10

HCLTech

IT services

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Company sustainability disclosure; no complete India eligibility schedule. The family-benefits section identifies a bereavement policy. It does not state a uniform day allowance or worker-category coverage. Source period: FY2024–25.

11

Tech Mahindra

IT services

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Company integrated report; country-specific details not supplied. Bereavement appears among flexible leave options. The report does not establish a three-day India allowance. Source period: FY2025–26.

12

Birlasoft

IT services

Two days of paid bereavement leave.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Company sustainability report; the benefit graphic does not specify country or worker-category eligibility. The report states the allowance and pay status. It does not define the eligible relationships, day-counting method or usage window. Source period: FY2024–25.

13

Coforge

IT services

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Historical company annual-report disclosure. Bereavement is listed among leave options. This establishes what was disclosed for that reporting period, not a current 2026 day entitlement. Source period: FY2021–22.

14

Cyient

Engineering and technology services

Additional bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Company sustainability report; detailed local eligibility not supplied. The report states that bereavement leave is provided beyond standard entitlements. It does not quantify those additional days. Source period: FY2024–25.

15

Happiest Minds Technologies

IT services

Five days in the published benefits presentation.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Historical company benefits presentation; country and employee-category coverage not fully defined. The presentation says benefits are subject to company policy and directs employees to the latest policies. It does not specify whether these are working days or calendar days. Source period: Presentation hosted in July 2022.

16

State Bank of India

Banking

Maximum seven days; intervening holidays included.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Workmen-staff circular, not a bank-wide rule for every employment category. Covers spouse, children, parents and parents-in-law. Leave must be availed within 15 days of death and may be combined with privilege or sick leave. Do not extend this circular to officers, subsidiaries or outsourced staff. Source period: Circular: 15 July 2024; leave rules effective 1 April 2024.

17

Swift India Domestic Services

Financial messaging infrastructure

Up to five paid days.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Swift India Domestic Services Private Limited HR policy. Covers a legal spouse, child, parent, grandparent, parent-in-law or sibling. Leave should be taken within one week of the funeral, with prior notification to the manager. Working/calendar-day treatment is not specified. Source period: Policy dated 1 June 2021.

18

Piramal Finance

Financial services

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

FY2025–26 report states availability to all employees. The reported policy covers the loss of a loved one, including pets. The report says it was introduced in FY2026, but does not state the number of days or pay treatment. Source period: FY2025–26.

19

Abbott India

Healthcare and pharmaceuticals

Five days.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

India Wellness programme on the India careers site. The page confirms the day allowance but does not define pay, working/calendar days, eligible relatives or contractor coverage. Source period: Undated careers page.

20

Cipla

Pharmaceuticals and manufacturing

Five days of compassionate leave.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Company careers page. The stated trigger is the death of an immediate family member. The page does not publish a full family list, pay treatment, working/calendar days or separate factory-worker eligibility. Source period: Undated careers page.

21

Lupin

Pharmaceuticals and manufacturing

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Historical integrated-report disclosure. The human-capital section lists bereavement among employee benefits. It does not provide a country-by-country or worker-category allowance. Source period: FY2021–22.

22

Biocon

Biopharmaceuticals and manufacturing

Bereavement leave additional to normal leave: yes for permanent employees; no for contractors in the reported table.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Historical “Biocon Total (FY22)” benefits table. No day count is published in this table. The permanent-employee/contractor distinction must be retained; the disclosure is not a current 2026 eligibility statement. Source period: FY2021–22.

23

Evernorth Health Services India

Healthcare services and technology

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Evernorth India careers page on The Cigna Group website. The India benefits list includes bereavement leave but does not publish day counts, pay or a family definition. Source period: Undated India careers page.

24

Sai Life Sciences

Pharmaceutical research and manufacturing

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Company sustainability report. Bereavement is included in employee leave benefits. The passage does not set out plant, contractor or other worker-category entitlements. Source period: FY2024–25.

25

Steel Strips Wheels

Automotive components manufacturing

Seven days.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Public leave-policy FAQ hosted in the company’s HO policy directory. The trigger is the death of a dependent or immediate family member. Leave cannot be accumulated or encashed. The FAQ does not establish identical entitlement for every plant, contractor or worker category, and does not specify working/calendar days. Source period: Undated policy FAQ.

26

Ford India

Automotive

Paid bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Ford India benefits page. Bereavement appears under paid time off. The page does not provide the day allowance or a separate plant-worker eligibility schedule. Source period: Undated India benefits page.

27

Rentokil Initial Hygiene

Hygiene and business services

Two days.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Rentokil Initial Hygiene leave policy; includes trainees and probationers. Eligible relatives are a legal spouse, parents, children and spouse’s parents. The policy allows casual or privilege leave to follow, subject to its notification rules. The bereavement clause does not separately specify pay. Source period: Version 3, revised 1 June 2025.

28

United Spirits / Diageo India

Beverages and manufacturing

Additional bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

United Spirits ESG Reporting Index 2022. The benefits table marks additional bereavement leave “Yes” for permanent employees and “No” for temporary/part-time employees. This is a dated employee-category disclosure, not a current universal Diageo India rule. Source period: 2022 ESG reporting index.

29

Swiggy

Consumer technology and delivery platform

Bereavement leave extended to pet loss; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Employee pet-parent policy announcement. The announcement confirms that bereavement leave covers pets. It does not publish the leave allowance or establish identical provisions for delivery partners. Source period: 2024 announcement.

30

ZEE Entertainment Enterprises

Media and entertainment

Five days, to be used within 15 days.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

FY2023–24 ESG disclosure. The stated relationships are spouse, child and parents. The passage does not specify pay or working/calendar-day treatment. Source period: FY2023–24; disclosure published November 2024.

31

Ashoka University

Higher education

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

INDIA / COMPANY REPORT
Eligibility, scope & official sources

University employer benefits page. The page lists bereavement leave but does not specify days, pay or employee-category eligibility. This is an education-sector employer, not a corporate company. Source period: Undated careers page.

32

Cisco

Networking and technology

Paid Critical Time Off includes bereavement; duration not published.

GLOBAL · CHECK LOCAL
Eligibility, scope & official sources

The page says these global programmes cover full-time and part-time employees worldwide. Bereavement is an express reason for Critical Time Off. The page does not supply a fixed bereavement day count. Source period: Undated Purpose Reporting Hub page.

33

GitLab

Software

Flexible bereavement leave with 100% of weekly wages.

GLOBAL · CHECK LOCAL
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Global handbook, subject to overriding local requirements. Available from the first day of work; continuous or intermittent use. No relationship-based tiers, including pregnancy loss, friends, colleagues and pets. Absences beyond 25 calendar days require contacting the manager, People Business Partner and Absence Management team for an extension. Source period: Handbook updated 21 October 2026.

34

UST

IT and digital services

Bereavement leave confirmed; duration not published.

GLOBAL · CHECK LOCAL
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Global sustainability disclosure, expressly subject to applicability. The report lists bereavement among country-specific benefits. It does not establish the same allowance in every country or a numerical India entitlement. Source period: Sustainability Report 2025.

35

Schneider Electric

Industrial technology and manufacturing

One week within the global paid family-leave framework.

GLOBAL · CHECK LOCAL
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Historical global HR report with local adaptations. This global disclosure does not provide the full India family definition, employee-category coverage or plant rules. Source period: Human Resources Report 2023.

36

Mastercard

Payments technology

Up to 20 paid days following a family member’s death.

GLOBAL · CHECK LOCAL
Eligibility, scope & official sources

2024 global impact report; local benefit variations remain relevant. The current careers page confirms bereavement leave and says benefits can vary regionally. The report is not a complete India policy or evidence of 20 days for every relationship. Source period: 2024 Impact Report; careers page undated.

37

NatWest Group

Banking

Minimum two weeks on full pay, usable within 56 weeks of the death.

OVERSEAS ONLY
Eligibility, scope & official sources

GB, Offshore, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland only, as labelled on the source. Leave can be taken flexibly in days or week-long blocks. The summary does not set out the full qualifying relationship rules. It does not establish NatWest India’s entitlement. Source period: Undated family-policy page.

38

NVIDIA

Semiconductors and technology

Up to ten paid business days for a family member.

OVERSEAS ONLY
Eligibility, scope & official sources

United States benefits page. The rule is published on NVIDIA’s US benefits site. It must not be presented as the India allowance. Source period: Benefits page with 2026 and 2027 calendars.

39

Intel

Semiconductors and manufacturing

Up to two weeks of paid bereavement time.

OVERSEAS ONLY
Eligibility, scope & official sources

Historical US policy announcement, effective 1 January 2020. The announcement expressly applies to US benefits. It establishes neither a current India allowance nor current US policy without further confirmation. Source period: Effective 1 January 2020.

40

Honeywell

Industrial technology and manufacturing

Up to three paid business days; two further days may be approved.

OVERSEAS ONLY
Eligibility, scope & official sources

US policy; the page directs employees to USA Standard Policies. A supervisor may approve the additional days for extended absence or out-of-state travel. Further unpaid leave requires management approval. These are US terms, not an India factory rule. Source period: Undated US benefits article.

Read scope before comparing. The 31 India/company disclosures are not all a current India-wide policy. Older annual reports remain historical evidence. The five global policies are subject to local terms. NatWest, NVIDIA, Intel and Honeywell entries are overseas-only benchmarks, not India entitlements. This directory contains 39 companies and one university employer.
02 · Recommended policy structure

What a corporate HR policy should specify

These are policy-design recommendations, not statutory minimums or claims about the 40 employers. Expand the topic your HR team needs.

01Eligibility & relationshipsWho qualifies, what loss is covered and how family is defined.

Who is covered

Name the employing entities, locations and worker groups, including probationers, fixed-term employees, apprentices and contractors where applicable. Specify first-day eligibility or waiting period.

Family definition

List spouses or partners, children, parents, in-laws, siblings, grandparents and any step, adoptive or dependent relationships included. Provide a documented exception route for close caregivers.

Notification

Allow the employee or a representative to notify HR by telephone or message when urgent. Identify the HR contact, backup and escalation route.

02Leave rules & evidenceDays, holidays, proof, extensions and shifts.

Paid leave

State the exact allowance, whether measured in working or calendar days, whether per event or per year, and the salary components payable.

Shifts and public holidays

Explain rostered shifts, weekly offs, public holidays and the treatment of night shifts. Arrange work cover without requiring the bereaved employee to find a substitute.

Timing and extensions

State the leave-usage window and whether subsequent rites or documentation appointments can be taken separately. Define earned-leave, unpaid-leave and flexible-work extensions.

Evidence

Specify proportionate supporting records and deadlines. Separate evidence for leave from an insurer’s death-claim documents; restrict access to personal records.

03Costs & return to workTravel approval and post-absence support.

Emergency expenses

Identify which travel, preservation, transport, funeral or accommodation costs may be supported; who authorises expenditure; limits, exclusions, advances and direct payment.

Return to work

Offer a private conversation about temporary workload adjustments, shifts, travel and optional counselling. Share only necessary absence details with managers.

Exceptions and ownership

Name a decision-maker for exceptions, an alternate HR contact and a record of decisions. Avoid undefined “management discretion” without criteria.

03 · HR operating procedure

First response: one coordinator, separate approvals

Assign one HR contact and a backup. Do not assume the payroll nominee can authorise funeral transport or receive every death benefit.

01

Log the case

Record the incident or absence, location and immediate contact. Arrange confidential work cover.

02

Confirm consent

Ask the family who may approve transport, release and service instructions.

03

Approve costs

Confirm payer, scope, amount and exclusions before authorising dispatch.

04

Open claim files

Track leave, expenses, insurance and statutory benefits separately.

05

Set next update

Tell the family what is confirmed, what is pending and who will follow up.

FAMILY BEREAVEMENT

Employee remains in service

Apply leave and travel rules. Obtain the minimum evidence the policy requires. Do not treat the parent’s or spouse’s death as a claim under employee-only group term cover.

DEATH IN SERVICE / AT WORKSITE

Employee has died

Contact the authorised family representative, notify the insurer and payroll, and review incident-reporting, employment-injury and location-specific duties where relevant. Keep medical and financial records restricted.

04 · Travel and repatriation

Emergency transport: which route applies?

An employee travelling home after a family death is different from transporting a deceased person. Road, domestic air cargo and international repatriation require separate checks.

Domestic road transportHospital or home pickup, preservation, route and handoverRequirements

Confirm release, family consent, route, pickup, preservation, vehicle type and destination handover. Obtain an itemised quote for distance, waiting and return-distance billing, where applicable.

Read the road transport process and documents guide

Domestic air cargoAirline acceptance, embalming, documents and receiving partyRequirements

Check the chosen airline’s current acceptance rules and document checklist. Air India’s published cargo FAQ identifies a death certificate, embalming certificate for coffined remains and a police certificate. Confirm cargo booking, destination recipient and onward road transport before promising arrival.

Read the domestic air transport process and documents guide

International to IndiaConsular release, eCARe and Indian airport health clearanceRequirements

Coordinate with the Indian Embassy or Consulate, local authorities, airline and consignee. eCARe guidance identifies the death certificate, embalming certificate, Indian Mission NOC and passport documentation, with case-dependent exceptions and further documents. Final clearance follows the airport’s health process; police or local release procedures may delay departure.

Compare 2026 domestic and international transport costs

Who pays is a separate decision.

Check business-travel or overseas-assignment terms, travel insurance and employer assistance policy. Coordinating a shipment does not by itself mean the employer must fund it. Document the approved payer and the provider’s dispatch estimate before booking.

05 · Benefit administration

Group term claims are not PF, gratuity or payroll

For an employee death, open separate claim records. Different policies and schemes may have different nominees, beneficiaries and eligibility requirements.

Group term life insurance

Before quoting a sum assured, confirm the employee was covered on the date of death and review the current master policy, member listing, exclusions, riders and claimant rules.

  • Notify the insurer or claim administrator and record the reference.
  • Confirm the correct beneficiary and the employer–employee claim pack.
  • Prepare claim form, employer certificate, death record, claimant ID and bank details as requested.
  • Obtain medical, police or post-mortem documents only where required by the claim circumstances.
  • Track submissions, missing items, insurer queries and the next follow-up.
  • Give the claimant a copy of the submitted documents and written outcome.

A medical cause-of-death certificate, registered death certificate and police document are different records. Approval and payout timing remain with the insurer.

Other death-related entitlements

Check each head separately; group term cover does not replace employment and statutory payments.

Final salary

Reconcile earned pay and reimbursements; verify the lawful payee.

Unused leave

Check the applicable encashment law, service rules or policy.

EPF

Verify membership, nomination and the applicable death-claim route.

EPS

Assess eligible survivors and pension independently of PF.

EDLI

Check membership and insured benefit eligibility separately.

Gratuity

Death cases can qualify without five years’ completed service, subject to applicable statutory coverage.

Accident cover

Review employment-injury and other insurance routes.

Employer grant

Check any written funeral assistance or salary-continuation benefit.

EPFO’s composite death-claim material distinguishes Form 20 (PF), Form 10-D (pension) and Form 5 IF (EDLI). Section 53 of the Code on Social Security covers gratuity where employment ends because of death, subject to the applicable requirements. Check the relevant law, scheme and current claim process before advising the family.

06 · Frequently asked questions

Questions HR teams actually receive

Are two days of bereavement leave mandatory in India?

No universal two-day allowance applies to every private-sector employee. The entitlement must be established from the applicable employer policy, service rules, contract and any collective settlement.

Do weekends and holidays count as bereavement leave?

That depends on the policy. Working days, consecutive weeks and calendar days are not interchangeable. The State Bank of India workmen-staff circular expressly includes intervening holidays.

Does “immediate family” include parents-in-law?

Not automatically. Check the employer’s written definition. Several published policies include parents-in-law, but the qualifying relationships vary.

Can an employee request leave before receiving a death certificate?

Company notification and evidence rules vary. An employer may permit urgent notification followed by supporting documents later. Insurance claims require a separate document checklist.

Does group term insurance cover the death of an employee’s parent?

Only if the parent is an insured person under the relevant cover. Employee-only group term insurance does not automatically insure spouses, parents or children.

Do client-company policies extend to contractor employees?

Not automatically. Check the employing contractor’s conditions, any applicable settlement and any express extension by the client company. Plant and office policies can differ.

Must an employer pay to bring mortal remains back to India?

There is no universal answer across all assignments. Check applicable law, employment and deputation contracts, travel insurance and the employer’s written assistance policy.

Does the same nominee receive insurance, PF, pension and gratuity?

Not necessarily. Each benefit can have its own nomination, survivor eligibility, legal recipient and claim procedure. Verify each separately.

Government, airline and insurance references for the HR procedure
Funeral & repatriation coordination

One point of contact for a transport request

Swargayatraa can coordinate funeral arrangements, road and air transport, preservation and documentation. HR remains responsible for leave decisions and approved expenses; the insurer decides the claim.

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