diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.test.tsx
index 41721e8fc1..e83211e8a7 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.test.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,12 @@ import { ReactWrapper } from 'enzyme';
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
 import { findByTestId, getByTestId } from '../../test-utils/enzyme-selectors';
 import { expectFocusToBeOn } from '../../test-utils/enzyme-utils';
-import { mountWithProviders, mountWithTheme, renderWithProviders } from '../../test-utils/renderer';
+import {
+    actAndWaitForEffects,
+    mountWithProviders,
+    mountWithTheme,
+    renderWithProviders,
+} from '../../test-utils/renderer';
 import { Tab, Tabs } from './tabs';
 
 function givenTabs(amount: number): Tab[] {
@@ -82,44 +87,52 @@ describe('Tabs', () => {
         expect(getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-panel-1').exists()).toBe(false);
     });
 
-    test('tab panel should not change if onBeforeUnload cancels tab selection', () => {
+    test('tab panel should not change if onBeforeUnload cancels tab selection', async () => {
         const tabs: Tab[] = givenTabs(2);
-        const shouldConfirmTabUnload = false;
+        const shouldConfirmTabUnload = Promise.resolve(false);
         tabs[0] = {
             ...tabs[0],
             onBeforeUnload: () => shouldConfirmTabUnload,
         };
         const wrapper = mountWithProviders(<Tabs tabs={tabs} />);
 
-        getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-button-2').simulate('click');
+        await actAndWaitForEffects(wrapper, () => {
+            getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-button-2').prop('onClick')();
+        });
 
-        expectPanelToBeRendered(wrapper, 'tab-panel-1');
+        expect(getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-panel-1').exists()).toBe(true);
     });
 
-    test('tab panel should change if no onBeforeUnload callback was provided', () => {
+    test('tab panel should change if no onBeforeUnload callback was provided', async () => {
         const tabs: Tab[] = givenTabs(2);
         tabs[0] = {
             ...tabs[0],
         };
         const wrapper = mountWithProviders(<Tabs tabs={tabs} />);
 
-        getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-button-2').simulate('click');
+        await actAndWaitForEffects(wrapper, () => {
+            const tabButton = getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-button-2');
+            tabButton.prop('onClick')();
+        });
 
-        expectPanelToBeRendered(wrapper, 'tab-panel-2');
+        expect(getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-panel-2').exists()).toBeTruthy();
     });
 
-    test('tab panel should change if onBeforeUnload confirms tab selection', () => {
+    test('tab panel should change if onBeforeUnload confirms tab selection', async () => {
         const tabs: Tab[] = givenTabs(2);
-        const shouldConfirmTabOnClick = true;
+        const shouldConfirmTabOnClick = Promise.resolve(true);
         tabs[0] = {
             ...tabs[0],
             onBeforeUnload: () => shouldConfirmTabOnClick,
         };
         const wrapper = mountWithProviders(<Tabs tabs={tabs} />);
 
-        getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-button-2').simulate('click');
+        await actAndWaitForEffects(wrapper, () => {
+            const tabButton2 = getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-button-2');
+            tabButton2.prop('onClick')();
+        });
 
-        expectPanelToBeRendered(wrapper, 'tab-panel-2');
+        expect(getByTestId(wrapper, 'tab-panel-2').exists()).toBeTruthy();
     });
 
     test('tab-panels should all be initially mounted when forceRenderTabPanels is set to true', () => {
diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx b/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx
index 32df277e9c..4ecc3d88e2 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx
@@ -26,14 +26,14 @@ export interface Tab {
     leftIcon?: IconName;
     rightIcon?: IconName;
     panelContent: ReactNode;
-    onBeforeUnload?: () => boolean;
+    onBeforeUnload?(): Promise<boolean>;
 }
 
 interface TabItem extends Tab {
     id: string;
     panelId: string;
     buttonRef: RefObject<HTMLButtonElement>;
-    onBeforeUnload?: () => boolean;
+    onBeforeUnload?(): Promise<boolean>;
 }
 
 interface Props {
@@ -58,9 +58,10 @@ export const Tabs: VoidFunctionComponent<Props> = ({
     ), [tabs]);
     const [selectedTab, setSelectedTab] = useState(tabItems[0]);
 
-    function handleTabSelected(tabItem: TabItem): void {
+    async function handleTabSelected(tabItem: TabItem): Promise<void> {
         if (selectedTab?.onBeforeUnload) {
-            if (selectedTab.onBeforeUnload?.()) {
+            const isConfirmed = await selectedTab.onBeforeUnload();
+            if (isConfirmed) {
                 setSelectedTab(tabItem);
             }
         } else {
diff --git a/packages/storybook/stories/tabs.stories.tsx b/packages/storybook/stories/tabs.stories.tsx
index bec2d718fa..11e05bfc5c 100644
--- a/packages/storybook/stories/tabs.stories.tsx
+++ b/packages/storybook/stories/tabs.stories.tsx
@@ -169,28 +169,22 @@ export const Contained: Story = () => {
 export const UnloadTabCallback: Story = () => {
     const tabs: Tab[] = [
         {
-            title: 'First Button',
+            title: 'Tab that cannot change because onBeforeUnload resolves to false',
             panelContent: <StyledDiv>First tab content</StyledDiv>,
             onBeforeUnload: () => {
-                console.info('cannot change tab because callback return false');
-                return false;
+                console.info('cannot change tab because onBeforeUnload promise resolves to false here');
+                return Promise.resolve(false);
             },
         },
         {
             title: 'Second Button',
             panelContent: <StyledDiv>Second tab content</StyledDiv>,
-            onBeforeUnload: () => {
-                console.info('second tab unload confirmed');
-                return true;
-            },
+            onBeforeUnload: () => Promise.resolve(true),
         },
         {
             title: 'Third Button',
             panelContent: <StyledDiv>Third tab content</StyledDiv>,
-            onBeforeUnload: () => {
-                console.info('third tab unload confirmed');
-                return true;
-            },
+            onBeforeUnload: () => Promise.resolve(true),
         },
     ];