EMPLOYMENT LAW NEWS
Paid Sick Leave Laws by State
By GovDocs
Updated February 2026
State paid sick leave laws are a major compliance challenge for large employers.
What are the paid sick leave laws by state?
While there is no federal paid sick leave law for private employers, seventeen states and Washington, D.C., have mandatory paid sick leave laws: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
In addition, 3 states have mandatory paid leave for any reason laws: Illinois, Maine, and Nevada.
The past several years have seen wave after wave of new and amended paid leave laws at the state level (and local, as well). And, of course, each jurisdiction handles them differently.
From determining accrual rates to covered family members and understanding valid reasons for use, managing paid leave laws is a major challenge for employers that operate across the U.S.
Here, we examine state paid sick leave laws. The information below covers the laws as of February 2026.
The information below will cover some of the basics at the state-level. However, employers with locations in these states with paid sick leave laws should review all aspects of the statutes to maintain compliance as well as any local level paid sick leave ordinances that may impact their employees and locations.
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Alaska Paid Sick Leave
Alaska’s paid sick leave law took effect on July 1, 2025.
All employers with employees working in Alaska are covered, and there are currently no local paid sick leave laws within the state. Generally, all employees are also covered, but there are several exceptions.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Eligible reasons for use include an employee or family member’s mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, including diagnosis, care and/or treatment, or for preventative care as well as time off for domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking for the employee or family member.
Covered Family Member
Spouse, domestic partner, or person cohabiting with employee in a conjugal relationship that is not a legal marriage; child, stepchild, adopted child, foster child, legal ward, or person to whom the employee stands in loco parentis’; parent, foster parent, adoptive parent, parent of employee’s spouse, legal guardian, or a person who stood in loco parentis when the employee was a minor child; sibling or sibling of employee’s spouse; grandparent; aunt or uncle; any other individual related by blood or whose close association with employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Other aspects of paid sick leave in Alaska include:
- Max use per year – Employers with 15 or more employees – 56 hours per year, unless the employer selects a higher limit; employers with less than 15 employees – 40 hours per year, unless the employer selects a higher limit.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Arizona Paid Sick Leave
Arizona’s paid sick leave law has been in place since 2016.
The state does have some differences in its law for large and small employers (those with fewer than 15 workers), which impacts accrual, maximum use per year and carryover.
Arizona’s law covers nearly all private employers and employees in the state, which has no paid leave laws at the city or county level. (The bulleted information below applies to large employers.)
Eligible Reasons for Use
Eligible reasons for use under the Arizona paid sick leave law include the typical reasons, but also extend to other factors, including issues related to domestic violence and stalking, as well as public health quarantines.
Covered Family Member
Biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, child to domestic partner or to whom employee stands in loco parentis, regardless of age; biological, adopted, foster, stepparent, legal guardian or person who stood in loco parentis of employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner; person to whom employee is legally married or registered domestic partner; grandparent, grandchild or sibling – whether biological, foster, adoptive or step relationship – of employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner; other individual related by blood or whose close association is the equivalent of a family member.
Other aspects of paid sick leave in Arizona include:
- Max use per year – Employers with 15 or more employees – 40 hours; employers with fewer than 15 employees** – 24 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
California Paid Sick Leave
California’s paid sick leave law went into effect in 2015. It covers all employers in the state and employees that work at least 30 days in California within a year.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Eligible reasons include an employee or family member’s health condition, including diagnosis and preventive care; to serve on an inquest jury or trial jury; time off for employee or family member related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking; for an employee who is a victim of any crime, to appear in court or comply with a subpoena/court order as a witness in a judicial proceeding; for agricultural employees who work outside, paid sick leave may be taken to avoid smoke, heat, or flooding conditions created by a local or state emergency.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, California’s paid sick leave law expands its uses to an employee or family member who is a victim of certain crimes, attending judicial proceedings, including but not limited to delinquency proceedings, post arrest release decisions, pleas, and sentencings.
Covered Family Member
Employee’s child – biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward or to whom the employee stands in loco parentis and regardless of age or dependency; parent – biological, adoptive, foster, step, legal guardian of employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner or person who stood in loco parentis when employee was a minor; spouse; registered domestic partner; grandparent; grandchild; sibling; designated person – someone identified by the employee at the time the employee requests paid sick days.
Other portions of paid sick leave in California include:
- Max use per year – 40 hours (5 days).
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Colorado Paid Sick Leave
In Colorado, the state’s paid sick leave law went into effect for all employers in 2022 and covers all employees in the state, including migratory laborers, but with the exception of independent contractors and employees subject to the federal railroad unemployment insurance act.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Colorado is one of many states with broadly defined reasons for use under the paid sick leave law. In addition to an employee’s illness, and caring for a family member, the Colorado law allows employees to use leave for issues related to a death in the family; safe time for employee or employee’s family member; time off related to closure of employee’s place of business or the school or place of care of employee’s child due to a public health emergency; time off to care for a family member because their school or place of care is closed due to inclement weather, loss of power, heating, water, or other unexpected occurrence; an unexpected occurrence resulting in the employee needing to evacuate their residence.
Covered Family Member
Any person related by blood, marriage, civil union, or adoption; a child for whom the employee stands in loco parentis or a person who stood in loco parentis to employee as a child; a person for whom the employee takes responsibility for providing or arranging health care or safety-related care.
Other aspects of paid sick leave in Colorado include:
- Max use per year – 48 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Connecticut Paid Sick Leave
The Connecticut paid sick leave law only applies to workers who work at least 10 hours per week for the employer in the most recent complete quarter. The law applies to employers with 11 or more employees. Effective January 1, 2027, employers with 1 or more employees in Connecticut will be covered.
The number of employees is based on the employer’s payroll for the week of January 1st, annually.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Employees in Connecticut may use paid sick leave for the general reasons as well as safe time due to violence or sexual assault. Employees may also use paid sick leave for a mental health wellness day and for certain public health emergency reasons.
Covered Family Member
The definition of a covered family member is broad and includes children and parents whether biological, foster, adoptive, step, in-law as well as siblings, grandparents, and grandchild. An individual whose close association with the employee equates to a family relationship is also covered.
Some other provisions of the Connecticut paid sick leave law include the following:
- Maximum use per year – 40 hours per year.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers
Illinois enacted a paid leave law effective Jan. 1, 2024, that requires private employers to provide paid leave to their employees that can be used for any reason at all.
This law doesn’t impact any local ordinance that is in effect on Jan. 1, 2024, that requires an employer to provide paid leave to its employees. Both Chicago and Cook County have their own paid sick leave ordinances.
Eligible Reasons for Use
The Illinois paid leave may be used for any reason at all.
Covered Family Member
The Illinois paid leave law does not define a covered family member as the leave can be taken for any reason – there is no need to define family members.
Some other provisions of the Illinois paid leave law include the following:
- Max use per year – 40 hours per year or a 12-month designated period.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 40 hours worked.
Maine Earned Paid Leave – Any Reason
Maine has had a paid leave law in place since 2021 that requires employers to provide paid leave to eligible employees which can be taken for any reason.
An eligible employee under this law is one who works for more than 120 days in a calendar year for an employer with more than 10 employees.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Maine paid leave may be used for any reason at all.
Covered Family Member
The Maine paid leave law does not define a covered family member as the leave can be taken for any reason – there is no need to define family members.
Some other provisions of the Maine paid leave law include the following:
- Maximum use per year – 40 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 40 hours worked.
Maryland Paid Sick Leave
Maryland’s paid sick leave law went into effect in 2018.
Another unique law, paid sick leave in Maryland covers employers with 15 or more workers. However, smaller employers must provide unpaid sick leave. And “employer” includes state and local governments.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Maryland’s law allows for the typical reasons for use, as well as bereavement and safe time for violence and sexual assault.
Covered Family Member
Employee’s child (biological, adopted, foster, stepchild, legal guardianship, loco parentis); employee’s or employee’s spouse’s parent (biological, adoptive, foster, stepparent, loco parentis); legal guardian of the employee; employee’s spouse; employee’s grandparent (biological, adopted, foster or step-grandparent); employee’s grandchild (biological, adopted, foster or step-grandchild); employee’s sibling (biological, adopted, foster or step-sibling).
In Maryland, the paid sick leave law also includes:
- Max use per year – 64 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Massachusetts Paid Sick Leave
The Massachusetts paid sick leave law went into effect in 2015 and applies to employers with 11 or more workers.
Also of note, covered employees are those whose primary place of work is in Massachusetts, regardless of the employer’s location.
Eligible Reasons for Use
The Massachusetts law is somewhat narrowly defined in terms of allowed reasons for use. However, it does include travel to or from an appointment, pharmacy or other location related to reason sick time was taken and to address the psychological, physical or legal effects of domestic violence.
Covered Family Member
Child, parent and spouse. It also includes, biological, adopted, foster, step-, in-law, legal and in loco parentis relationships.
Massachusetts’ paid sick leave law also includes:
- Max use per year – 40 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Michigan Paid Sick Leave
Michigan’s paid sick leave law covered employers with 1 or more employees and all employees, with limited exceptions.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Michigan is another state with many reasons for which employees can use paid sick leave, including safe time and public health quarantine.
Covered Family Member
Child – biological, adopted, foster or step child, legal ward, a child of a domestic partner, or child to whom eligible employee stands in loco parentis; parent – biological, adoptive, foster, or step parent, legal guardian of eligible employee or eligible employee’s spouse or domestic partner or individual who stood in loco parentis when eligible employee was a child; individual to whom eligible employee is legally married or a domestic partner; grandparent; grandchild; sibling – biological, foster or adopted; an individual related by blood to the employee; an individual whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Other facets of the Michigan paid sick leave law include:
- Max use per year – 40 hours
- Accrual rate – Small business employees – 40 hours; all other employees – 72 hours.
Minnesota Paid Sick Leave
Minnesota’s paid sick leave law went into effect back on Jan. 1, 2024.
It covers most employers in the state, as well as smaller bodies of government, and applies to employees that work at least 80 hours per year in the state.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Minnesota may have the broadest reasons for use among states with paid sick leave laws, covering the normal factors, plus school closures, public health emergencies and more.
Covered Family Member
The employee’s child, spouse, registered domestic partner, sibling, stepsibling, foster sibling, parent, grandchild, foster grandchild, step-grandchild, grandparent, step-grandparent, sibling-in-law; “child” includes foster child, adult child, legal ward, child whom employee is legal guardian, or child whom the employee stands or stood in loco parentis; child of a sibling of employee; child-in-law; “parent” includes biological, adoptive, foster parent, stepparent, or person who stood in loco parentis when the employee was a minor child; sibling of the parents of employee; any of the above family members of the employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner; any individual related by blood whose close association is the equivalent of a family relationship; one individual annually designated by the employee.
Other aspects of Minnesota’s paid sick leave law include:
- Max use per year – No applicable provision.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Nebraska Paid Sick Leave
Nebraska’s paid sick leave law took effect on Oct. 1, 2025. It applies to employers with 11 or more employees and employees who work in Nebraska for 80 or more hours in a calendar year, with certain exceptions.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Paid sick time may be for the usual reasons, including certain public health emergencies and attending a meeting needed for the child’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition, at a school or place where the child is receiving care.
Covered Family Member
Biological, foster, step, or adopted child, legal ward, or child to whom employee stands in loco parentis; biological, foster, step, or adoptive parent or a legal guardian of an employee or employee’s spouse; person who stood in *loco parentis* to employee or employee’s spouse when a minor child; person to whom the employee is legally married under any state law; grandparent, grandchild, or sibling (biological, foster, adoptive, or step relationship) of employee or employee’s spouse; any other person related by blood employee or whose close association with employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Two other provisions of the Nebraska’s paid sick leave law include the following:
- Maximum use per year – Employers with 20 or more employees – 56 hours per year, unless the employer selects a higher limit; employers with 11-19 employees – 40 hours per year, unless the employer selects a higher limit.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Nevada Paid Leave Law – Any Reason
Since Jan.1, 2020, employers in Nevada have been required to provide full and part time employees with paid leave that can be taken for any reason. The law applies to private employers with 50 or more employees in Nevada, but it does not apply to businesses in their first two years of operation.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Nevada paid leave may be used for any reason at all.
Covered Family Member
The Nevada paid leave law does not define a covered family member as the leave can be taken for any reason – there is no need to define family members.
Some other provisions of the Nevada paid leave law include the following:
- Maximum use per year – 40 hours.
- Accrual rate – 0.01923 hours for each hour worked.
New Jersey Paid Sick Leave
In New Jersey, its paid sick leave law went into effect in 2018. It applies to all private employers in the state and most workers, though there are exceptions regarding covered employees.
Eligible Reasons for Use
New Jersey allows employees to take paid sick leave for the usual reasons along with time off for handling issues related to domestic or sexual violence, school closures due to public health emergencies, quarantines or meetings due to a child’s health condition or disability.
Covered Family Member
Child, grandchild, sibling, spouse, domestic partner, civil union partner, parent or grandparent of an employee; or a spouse, domestic partner, or civil union partner of a parent or grandparent of the employee; or a sibling of a spouse, domestic partner, or civil union partner of the employee; or any other individual related by blood to the employee or whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
New Jersey’s paid sick leave law also includes:
- Max use per year – 40 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
New Mexico Paid Sick Leave
Benefits under the New Mexico paid sick leave law went into effect in 2022. The law covers most private employers and employees in the state but generally excludes tribal land.
Eligible Reasons for Use
New Mexico’s law allows for the typical reasons for use, including safe time, but also permits leave for meetings at child’s school or place of care.
Covered Family Member
Employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner; child – biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward or child employee stands in loco parentis; parent – biological, adoptive, foster, step, legal ward or person who stood in loco parentis when employee was a minor child; grandparent; grandchild; sibling – biological, foster, step or adopted; spouse or domestic partner; person with a close association equivalent to a family relationship.
The New Mexico paid sick leave law also includes:
- Max use per year – 64 hours in a fixed 12-month period, as determined by the employer.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
New York Paid Sick Leave
New York’s paid sick leave law has been in effect since 2020 and covers all employers in the state, except governmental agencies. There are differences though depending on the size of the employer. Large employers are those with 100 or more employees. Employers with 5-99 employees and employers with 4 or less employees have different maximum accrual caps and usage per year amounts than large employers.
New York also has a prenatal paid leave law that requires employers to provide 20 hours of paid leave for prenatal reasons in addition to the paid sick leave hours.
Eligible Reasons for Use
New York paid sick leave permits employees to use the time for the standard reasons, but the law is broad in its safe time uses.
Covered Family Member
Child – including biological, adopted, foster, legal ward, or child standing in loco parentis and child of employee’s spouse or domestic partners; spouse; domestic partner; parent – including biological, foster, step or adoptive parent, or a legal guardian of an employee or a person who stood in loco parentis when the employee is a minor child and parent of employee’s spouse or domestic partner; sibling; grandchild; or grandparent.
Other aspects of New York’s paid sick leave law include:
- Max use per year – 56 hours (for large employers).
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Oregon Paid Sick Leave
Oregon’s paid sick leave law has been in effect since 2016 and applies to employers with 10 or more employees in the state. Employers with less than 10 employees in Oregon must provide unpaid sick time accrued at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked and may limit the amount of unpaid sick time annually to 40 hours.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Oregon allows employees to use paid sick leave for several reasons, notably safe time, dealing with death of a family member, for level 2 or level 3 emergency evacuation orders or absences due to air quality or heat index level issues, home care for child will an illness or condition that is not serious health condition but requires home care, and blood donation.
Covered Family Member
Spouse or same gender domestic partner; parent – including custodial and non-custodial, biological, adoptive, step or foster parent and in-law of spouse or same-gender domestic partner; child – including biological, adoptive, step or foster child of employee or employee’s same-gender domestic partner, whether adult or minor; grandparent; grandchild of employee; parent-in-law of employee or with whom employee was or is in a relationship of in loco parentis; any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with a covered individual is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Other aspects of the Oregon paid sick leave law include:
- Max use per year – 40 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 30 hours worked or 1 1/3 hours for every 40 hours worked.
Rhode Island Paid Sick Leave
The Rhode Island paid sick leave law went into effect in 2018 and covers all employers in the state.
However, covered employees must perform most of their work in the state. (There are exceptions for certain jobs, as well as government employees.)
Eligible Reasons for Use
The paid sick leave law in Rhode Island is fairly typical regarding eligible reasons for use but does include safe time and public health emergencies.
Covered Family Member
Child – biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, child of a domestic partner, child of employee who stands in loco parentis; parent – biological, foster, adopted, step, legal guardian, person who stood in loco parentis to employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner as a child; spouse – including common law marriages; mother-in-law and father-in-law (of spouse or domestic partner); grandparents; grandchildren; domestic partner; sibling – biological (full- or half-blood), adopted, foster or step; care recipient; member of the employee’s household.
Other details of paid sick leave in Rhode Island include:
- Max use per year – 40 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 35 hours worked.
Vermont Paid Sick Leave
Vermont’s paid sick leave law went into effect for employers of all sizes in 2018.
It covers most employers and employees in the state, though, again, there are exceptions.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Vermont’s paid sick leave is fairly typical regarding eligible reasons for use but does include safe time and public health emergencies.
Covered Family Member
Parent, grandparent, spouse, child (son or daughter by birth or adoption), brother, sister, parent-in-law, grandchild, foster child, ward, or any child an employee has assumed parent responsibilities or standing in loco parentis.
Vermont’s paid sick leave law also includes:
- Max use per year – 40 hours.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 52 hours worked.
Washington State Paid Sick Leave
In the state of Washington, its paid sick leave law has been in effect since 2017. It covers most employees, though there are several exceptions. However, all private employers are covered by the law.
Eligible Reasons for Use
Washington’s paid sick leave law allows employees to use leave for a multitude of reasons, including broad allowances regarding safe time, public health emergencies, and to allow an employee to prepare and participate in any judicial or administrative immigration proceeding involving the employee or employee’s family member.
Covered Family Member
Child (biological, adopted, foster, step, or child to whom employee stands in loco parentis, is legal guardian or is de facto parent, regardless of age or dependency); parent of employee or employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner (biological, adoptive, de facto, foster parent, step-parent, legal guardian, or person who stood in loco parentis when employee was minor child); spouse; registered domestic partner; grandparent; grandchild; sibling; and an individual who regularly resides in the employee’s home or where the relationship creates an expectation that the employee care for the person.
Other facets of paid sick leave in Washington State also include:
- Max use per year – No applicable provision.
- Accrual rate – 1 hour for every 40 hours worked.
There are other local paid sick leave laws for employers to note in the state.
Washington D.C. Paid Sick Leave
D.C.’s paid sick leave is required of all private employers and the District government. The amount of paid sick leave that must be provided to eligible employees depends on the number of employees employed by the employer. The calculation is based on the number of full-time employees for the prior calendar year divided by 12.
Eligible employees are those whose primary working time is in D.C. (50% or more), and the employee has worked at least 1,000 hours with the same employer with no break in service in the past 12 months. There are some exclusions, however, for restaurant workers receiving a combination of wages and tips, students, substitute teachers, among others.
Eligible Reasons for Use
D.C.’s earned sick leave can be taken for the usual reasons as well as for services due to being the victim of domestic violence or sexual abuse.
Covered Family Member
Covered family members under the law include the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, children (including step, foster, grandchildren, and the spouses of children), parents, siblings (including step and half and sibling’s spouses), child who lives with the employee and for whom the employee has permanent parental responsibility, and a person whom the employee resides in the preceding 12 months and maintains a committed relationship. Covered family members also include in-law relationships.
Some other provisions of the D.C. paid sick leave law include the following:
- Max use per year – 7 days for employers with 100 or more employees.
- Accrual Rate – 1 hour for every 37 hours worked for employers with 100 or more employees.
Conclusion
State paid sick leave laws are a major compliance challenge for large employers.
Companies with locations across the country should review these laws, as well as any applicable local ordinances that may apply, to ensure they are adhering to the law.
If you’re part of an organization that needs help managing these laws, check out GovDocs Paid Leave.
This Employment Law News blog is intended for market awareness only, it is not to be used for legal advice or counsel.
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