Is paid sick leave required by law?
Short answer: There is no federal paid sick leave law for most private employers, but a growing number of states (and some cities) require it. Here is the rule in each state.
The rule in every state
Each answer links to the statute or official page it comes from (34 of 51 jurisdictions verified).
| State | The rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No statewide law. Cities and counties are barred from requiring employers to provide paid or unpaid leave beyond state or federal law. Code of Alabama § 25-7-41(b) |
| Alaska | Yes, since July 1, 2025. Employees earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 employees must allow up to 40 hours per year; employers with 15 or more must allow up to 56 hours per year. Unused leave carries over unless the employer front-loads the full yearly amount. Part-time employees are covered; some groups, such as minors working under 30 hours a week, are exempt. AS 23.10.066–23.10.069; Alaska Paid Sick Leave FAQ |
| Arizona | Yes. Employees earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Employers with 15 or more employees must allow up to 40 hours per year; employers with fewer than 15 must allow up to 24 hours per year. Unused time carries over (within the yearly use limits), and employers may make new hires wait 90 days before using it. A.R.S. § 23-372 |
| California | Yes. Employers must provide at least 40 hours or 5 days (whichever is more) of paid sick leave per year. Under an accrual plan, employees earn at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked; employers may cap yearly use at 40 hours/5 days and total accrual at 80 hours/10 days. Under a front-loaded plan, the full amount is available at the start of each year. Cal. Labor Code § 246; California Labor Commissioner, Paid Sick Leave FAQ |
| Colorado | Yes, for all employers regardless of size. Under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, employees earn 1 hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year, for their own or a family member's health needs, domestic violence-related needs, bereavement, and certain closures or evacuations. Additional leave applies during a declared public health emergency. Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA); CDLE INFO #6 |
| Connecticut | Yes, being phased in by employer size: employers with 25 or more employees since January 1, 2025; 11 or more since January 1, 2026; and all employers with 1 or more employees starting January 1, 2027. Employees earn 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year, and may carry over up to 40 unused hours. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-57s |
| District of Columbia | Yes. Employers with 100 or more employees: 1 hour per 37 hours worked, up to 7 days a year. Employers with 25–99 employees: 1 hour per 43 hours, up to 5 days. Employers with 24 or fewer: 1 hour per 87 hours, up to 3 days. Leave starts accruing at hire and can be used after 90 days, for the employee's or a family member's health needs and for domestic violence-related needs. D.C. Code § 32-531.02 (Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act) |
| Georgia | No statewide paid sick leave law. Neither federal nor Georgia law requires employers to provide sick leave. Georgia Department of Labor FAQ (Fair Labor Standards Act) |
| Illinois | Yes. Under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, workers earn 1 hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year, and can use it for any reason without giving the employer a reason. Workers in Chicago and Cook County are covered by local paid leave ordinances instead. 820 ILCS 192 (Paid Leave for All Workers Act); Illinois Department of Labor |
| Iowa | No statewide paid sick leave requirement. Employers must follow their own policies, practices or contracts on sick time; without one, it is not required. DIAL Wage Claims FAQ |
| Maine | Employers with more than 10 employees must let employees earn 1 hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year. The leave can be used for any reason, but the employer may wait until the employee has worked 120 days before allowing use. Unused hours carry over to the next year. Cities and towns may not pass their own paid leave rules. 26 M.R.S. §637 |
| Maryland | Employers with 15 or more employees must provide paid sick and safe leave; smaller employers must provide it unpaid. Employees earn at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year, and may use up to 64 hours a year. Employers may bar use during the first 106 calendar days. Up to 40 unused hours carry over. Md. Code, Labor & Employment §3-1304 |
| Massachusetts | Employees earn at least 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year. It is paid at employers with 11 or more employees and unpaid at smaller employers. Use can begin on the 90th day of employment; up to 40 unused hours carry over, but no more than 40 hours may be used in a year. M.G.L. c. 149, §148C |
| Michigan | All employers must provide earned sick time. Employees earn at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Small businesses must allow use of at least 40 paid hours a year; other employers at least 72 hours. Unused hours carry over (up to 40 or 72 hours), unless the full amount is front-loaded each year. Employers may make new hires wait 120 calendar days before using it. MCL 408.963 (Earned Sick Time Act) |
| Minnesota | Earned sick and safe time: employees earn at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours a year, and may use it as it accrues. Unused time carries over, up to a total balance of 80 hours, unless the employer front-loads the leave each year under the statute's rules. Minn. Stat. 181.9446 |
| Missouri | No statewide paid sick leave law. The paid sick time law approved by voters in 2024 was repealed effective August 28, 2025. RSMo 290.600 (repealed by 2025 H.B. 567) |
| Nebraska | Employers with 11 or more employees must provide paid sick time under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (in effect October 1, 2025). Employees earn 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, starting after 80 hours of consecutive employment. Employers with 11 to 19 employees must allow up to 40 hours a year; employers with 20 or more, up to 56 hours a year. Nebraska Department of Labor, Paid Sick Time FAQs |
| Nevada | Private employers with 50 or more employees in Nevada must provide paid leave that can be used for any reason: at least 0.01923 hours for each hour worked (about 40 hours a year for full-time work). Employers may cap carryover and use at 40 hours a year and need not pay out unused leave at separation. Temporary, seasonal and on-call employees are excluded. NRS 608.0197 |
| New Jersey | Employers of all sizes must provide earned sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per benefit year, for full-time, part-time and temporary employees. New Jersey Department of Labor, Earned Sick Leave |
| New Mexico | Under the Healthy Workplaces Act, employees earn paid sick leave of at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 64 hours a year (or the employer may front-load 64 hours each January 1). Employers do not have to pay out unused sick leave at separation. Healthy Workplaces Act, Laws 2021, ch. 131 (H.B. 20), NMSA 1978, §50-17-1 et seq. |
| New York | All employers must provide sick leave each calendar year: up to 40 hours unpaid at employers with 4 or fewer employees (paid if the employer's net income was over $1 million); up to 40 hours paid at employers with 5 to 99 employees; up to 56 hours paid at employers with 100 or more employees. New York State Department of Labor, Wages and Hours FAQ; Labor Law §196-b |
| North Dakota | No statewide paid sick leave law for private employers. If an employer offers sick leave, it is treated as PTO (and paid out at separation) only when it is combined with vacation in one balance; a separate sick leave balance is not PTO. ND Minimum Wage & Work Conditions Order summary (N.D. Admin. Code ch. 46-02-07) |
| Ohio | No statewide paid sick leave law for private employers. Ohio Rev. Code ch. 4111 (minimum wage and overtime law contains no sick leave requirement) |
| Oklahoma | No statewide paid sick leave law. State law also bars cities and other local governments from requiring employers to give paid or unpaid sick or vacation days. 40 O.S. § 160 |
| Oregon | Yes. Workers earn at least 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, and employers may cap use at 40 hours a year (or front-load 40 hours). Sick time must be paid at the regular wage if the employer has 10 or more Oregon employees (6 or more if it has a location in Portland); smaller employers must provide it unpaid. Use can be delayed until the 90th day of work. ORS 653.601 to 653.661 |
| Rhode Island | Yes. Employees earn at least 1 hour of sick and safe leave for every 35 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year. Employers with 18 or more employees must pay for it; smaller employers must provide it unpaid. Accrual starts on the first day of work; use may be delayed up to 90 days for new employees (180 days for temporary, 150 days for seasonal workers). R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 28-57 (Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act) |
| South Carolina | No statewide paid sick leave law. State law does not require employers to provide paid vacation or sick time. LLR Wages and Child Labor FAQ |
| South Dakota | No statewide paid sick leave law. Paid vacation and sick time are a matter of employer policy. DLR, South Dakota Labor and Employment Laws: What You Need to Know |
| Tennessee | No statewide paid sick leave law. Paid time off, vacation and sick pay are set by employer policy. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-2-103 |
| Texas | No statewide paid sick leave law. Paid leave is set by the employer's written policy. Texas Payday Law (Tex. Lab. Code ch. 61) |
| Utah | No statewide paid sick leave law. Utah labor law generally does not require employers to provide benefits. UALD wage claim guidance |
| Vermont | Yes. Employees earn at least 1 hour of earned sick time for every 52 hours worked. Employers may cap accrual at 40 hours in a 12-month period and may make new hires wait up to one year before using it (time still accrues). Sick time is paid at the employee's normal hourly wage or the minimum wage, whichever is higher. 21 V.S.A. § 482 |
| Virginia | No general statewide paid sick leave law. A state law requires paid sick leave only for home health workers who provide consumer-directed care under the state Medicaid plan and work an average of at least 20 hours a week or 90 hours a month. Va. Code § 40.1-33.3 et seq. |
| Washington | Yes. Employees earn at least 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, paid at their normal hourly pay. They can start using it 90 days after starting work. Unused balances of 40 hours or less must carry over to the next year. Employers must give a statement of sick leave balance at least monthly. A few exceptions apply (such as doctors, lawyers, dentists and certain salaried executives). Washington Minimum Wage Act (RCW 49.46.210) |
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.