IVF and work: 14 things to know about time off and your rights

There’s no legal right to time off for IVF appointments

In Great Britain there’s no legal right to time off for IVF appointments, paid or unpaid. Acas says employers should treat IVF appointments the same as any other medical appointment, so what you get depends on your contract and your employer’s policies. Check whether your workplace has a fertility policy.

Good practice: a sympathetic hearing and someone to talk to

The EHRC’s statutory Code of Practice says it’s good practice for employers to treat requests for time off for IVF sympathetically, for example by allowing annual or unpaid leave, and to name someone you can tell in confidence.

Before embryo transfer, unfair treatment can be sex discrimination

Pregnancy protection doesn’t apply yet at this stage, but the EHRC Code says treating someone unfavourably because they’re having IVF could amount to sex discrimination. Its example: refusing a week’s annual leave for IVF, when a male colleague was given leave for cosmetic dental surgery, may be discrimination.

From embryo transfer, you have the same rights as a pregnant worker

Acas says that once you reach the embryo transfer stage, you have the same rights as a pregnant worker. You’re protected against discrimination if your employer knows you might be pregnant.

If the cycle is unsuccessful, that protection lasts two more weeks

Under the Equality Act, if a pregnancy ends before 24 weeks, the protected period ends 2 weeks after the end of the pregnancy. Acas describes this for IVF as 2 weeks after you find out the treatment was unsuccessful.

You don’t have to tell your employer, but there’s a trade-off

You don’t have to tell your employer you’re having IVF, and many people keep it private. But pregnancy protection depends on your employer knowing or believing you might be pregnant, so some people tell one trusted person, such as their manager or someone in HR. Your clinic may be able to give you proof of your appointments if you ask.

Plan for the time you’re likely to need

A full cycle of IVF takes about 3 to 6 weeks. Monitoring scans can be booked at short notice, and the clinic sets the date of egg collection. Newcastle Fertility Centre advises 1 to 2 days off work after egg collection. Leeds suggests the day of collection and the day after, and half a day for embryo transfer.

You can ask for flexible working from your first day

All employees have the legal right to request flexible working, from their first day in a job. Your employer can refuse for a good business reason. Tommy’s suggests asking your manager for a flexible approach to your working week during treatment.

Side effects: the usual sick leave rules apply

Acas says employers should treat IVF-related sickness the same as any other sickness. The EHRC Code’s example says refusing contractual sick pay for IVF side effects could amount to sex discrimination.

Statutory Sick Pay is £123.25 a week, or 80% of your normal weekly earnings if that’s lower, for up to 28 weeks. You need a fit note if you’re off for more than seven days in a row. Check whether you also get company sick pay.

After transfer, pregnancy-related sickness is recorded separately

During the protected period, Acas says pregnancy-related absence should be recorded separately from other sickness, and shouldn’t count towards review or trigger points in an absence policy.

Coming in April 2027: leave after pregnancy loss, including after embryo transfer

The Employment Rights Act 2025 extends bereavement leave to pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, and the law’s definition includes an embryo transfer in licensed treatment that doesn’t result in implantation. The government plans for it to start in April 2027:

• up to two weeks’ leave, which will be unpaid
• a right from your first day in a job, with no evidence needed
• partners can take it too
• it won’t cover losses before embryo transfer

It isn’t in force yet.

Also planned: stronger protection from dismissal from October 2027

The government plans stronger protection from dismissal for pregnant employees from October 2027. It would start when you tell your employer you’re pregnant, and last 2 weeks after a pregnancy that ends before 24 weeks. The government’s response doesn’t mention IVF, so how it will apply after embryo transfer isn’t clear yet.

There’s still no law giving leave for fertility treatment

A bill to create a right to paid time off for fertility treatment fell in 2026 before its second reading, and no new fertility bill has been introduced. Some employers have signed the voluntary Fertility Support Pledge, or have their own fertility policies that go further than the law, so it’s worth asking HR what yours offers.

Northern Ireland is different

Employment law is separate in Northern Ireland, with its own equivalent protection during pregnancy. Treating a woman less favourably because she is having IVF can be unlawful sex discrimination there too.

Since 6 April 2026, Northern Ireland has had leave after miscarriage, which can be paid if you’re eligible, and it covers an IVF pregnancy that was confirmed and then lost. For advice, contact the Labour Relations Agency rather than Acas.