Who Is Included in Immediate Family?

The definition of immediate family includes parents, step-parents, spouses, children, step-children, siblings, in-laws, sibling in-laws, grandparents, great-grandparents, step-great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and grandchildren. This definition is clarified by the government for family leave concerns.

According to the United States Office of Personnel Management, an immediate relative may include domestic partners of those included in the list of immediate family members. While the government definition omits great-grandparents from its specific list of individuals, it provides the general inclusion of anyone who is related by blood or affinity and whose close association with an employee is equivalent to a family relationship.