As of April 4, 2025, employees may take up to thirty-two hours of paid urgent family leave per year. This change is the result of Legal Notice 28 of 2025, which amended the Urgent Family Leave Regulations (the ‘Regulations’) which provided for a maximum of fifteen hours of urgent family leave to be availed of from the employee’s annual leave entitlement.
Under the new amendments, the first 16 hours of urgent family leave may be deduced from the annual leave of the employee. The remaining 16 hours may be deducted from the sick leave entitlement of the employee. This is different from the previous situation, where the urgent family leave could be availed of solely from the annual leave entitlement.
Urgent family leave can be availed of in those situations involving accidents, sickness, births and deaths of immediate family members. An ‘immediate family member’ includes the spouse, child, siblings and parents of the employee, irrespective as to whether they reside with the employee. It also includes individuals with the legal custody of a child.
This leave applies to both full-time employees and part-time employees on a pro-rata basis.
These changes were brought about to improve work-life balance and comply with European Union legislation. These changes introduced the minimum standards that are to be adhered to, however employers may still agree on more favourable conditions for their employees and on further hours of such leave.
For further information on employment law, contact Dr Rita Mifsud or any other member of Iuris Advocates.