Sick leave resources by state

Use the dropdowns below to learn more. Use CMD + F (or CTRL + F) to search for words in the article.

Set up a sick time off policy or emergency sick pay policy so you can keep track of time off taken by your employees and pay your team for sick hours when you run payroll. You can set up multiple types of policies to apply to different groups of employees if needed.

Policy options include:

Sick policy (sick leave)
- If you need to have both a sick policy and an emergency sick leave policy, set up the emergency sick policy as a Custom policy.
Limited and unlimited time off policy
Holiday pay policy

Employer requirements for paid time off balances

Some states, like California, require employers to give their employees updated reports of their unused time off for sick pay. You can meet this requirement by running a time off balances report.

You can also give your employees access to Gusto and give them these instructions for how they can locate this information themselves.

State and local sick leave resources

If you have questions about a sick leave ordinance for a particular state or city, contact the applicable local authority or review the ordinance online.

Below is a list of some states and cities with sick leave laws, plus links for details. If a required sick leave law is missing, contact us. Rules may only apply to some employers, so check your state or city’s info.

Table last updated Feb, 13, 2025.

State	Agency resources	Sick leave details
Alaska	Alaska legislature	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: Depends on employer size. Carryover: Yes, amount depends on employer size. Accrual starts: July 1, 2025, or when employment begins (whichever is later). Use: As soon as it's earned.
Arizona	State of Arizona	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: Depends on employer size. Carryover: Yes, amount depends on employer size. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: As soon as it's earned.
California	State of California The cities below also have sick leave requirements: Berkeley Emeryville Long Beach Los Angeles Oakland San Diego San Francisco Santa Monica	State of California Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 80 unused hours. Accrual starts: After 30 days. Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
Colorado	State of Colorado Poster: Paid leave, whistleblowing, and protective equipment	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 48 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 48 unused hours per year. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: As soon as it's earned.
Connecticut	State of Connecticut	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 120-day waiting period.
District of Columbia	Washington, D.C.	Earning sick leave: Depends on employer size. Maximum: Depends on employer size. Carryover: Yes, amount depends on employer size. Starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
Illinois	State of Illinois (beginning Jan 1, 2024) Chicago Cook County	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours per year. Accrual starts: When employment begins Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
Maine	State of Maine First state to offer paid leave (not specific to sick time).	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 120-day waiting period.
Maryland	State of Maryland Montgomery County Prince George County	State of Maryland Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year or no more than 64 hours at any time. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 106-day waiting period.
Massachusetts	State of Massachusetts	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
Michigan	State of Michigan Heads up: The Michigan Supreme Court recently issued an opinion resulting in changes to the state’s earned sick time laws and established the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act (starting Feb 1, 2025).	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: Depends on employer size. Carryover: Yes, up to 72 unused hours or 40 for a small business (10 employees or less). Accrual starts: Feb 21, 2025 or when employment begins (whichever is later). Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
Minnesota	State of Minnesota (new rules effective Jan 1, 2024) Accrual: 1 hour of earned sick and safe time, for every 30 hours worked Accruing begins: When employment begins, or on Jan 1, 2024 (whichever is later) Maximum: 48 hours per year Carryover: Yes—can carry over up to 80 unused hours in subsequent years Usage: Sick leave can be used as it accrues Bloomington (paid sick leave ordinance) Duluth (repealed Jan 17, 2024) Minneapolis St. Paul	State of Minnesota Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 48 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 80 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins, or Jan 1, 2024 (whichever is later). Use: As soon as it's earned.
Missouri	State of Missouri (starts May 1, 2025)	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: Depends on employer size. Carryover: Yes, up to 80 unused hours. Accrual starts: May 1, 2025 or when employment begins (whichever is later). Use: Depends on employer size.
Nebraska	State of Nebraska (starts Oct 1, 2025) Nebraska voters passed Initiative 436 requiring Nebraska employers to provide paid sick leave.	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: Depends on employer size. Carryover: Yes, amount depends on employer size. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: Depends on employer size.
Nevada	State of Nevada	Earning sick leave: 0.01923 hours for every hour worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
New Jersey	State of New Jersey—scroll down and click the "For employers" tab. Bloomfield East Orange Elizabeth Irvington Jersey City Montclair Morristown New Brunswick Newark Passaic Paterson Plainfield Trenton	State of New Jersey Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 120-day waiting period.
New Mexico	NM paid sick leave Bernalillo County	State of New Mexico Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 64 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 64 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: Once earned.
New York	New York State Requires employers with five or more employees or net income of more than $1 million to provide paid sick leave to employees and for employers with fewer than five employees and a net income of $1 million or less to provide unpaid sick leave to employees. New York City Westchester County	New York State Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: Depends on employer size. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: Once earned.
Oregon	State of Oregon Info on the new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program–effective Jan 1, 2023–can be found in this article. Eugene Portland	State of Oregon Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours, capping total balance at 80 hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
Pennsylvania	Allegheny County Philadelphia Pittsburgh
Rhode Island	State of Rhode Island	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 35 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 90-day waiting period.
Texas	Texas private employers do not have to give employees sick days, but the state has info to help with sick leave.
Vermont	State of Vermont	Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 52 hours worked. Maximum: 40 hours per year. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: Once earned.
Virginia	Virginia law search tool This only applies to employers of certain healthcare workers.
Washington	State of Washington Seattle SeaTac Tacoma	State of Washington Earning sick leave: 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. This applies regardless of full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal status. If a local ordinance requires more generous paid sick leave benefits for employees than state law, those requirements will apply. Maximum: Not limited. Carryover: Yes, up to 40 unused hours. Accrual starts: When employment begins. Use: After a 90-day waiting period.