Paid Sick Leave Laws by State Guide for 2025

It should be no surprise that most people go to work when they’re fighting through a cold or a harmless illness. After all, not working often means not getting paid.

To make the matter more troublesome, in the US, federal law does not require employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees by any regulations. On the other hand, the law does require employers to offer an unpaid leave of absence to address minor illnesses.

Luckily, many US states have incorporated their own paid sick leave programs that we’re about to share with you in this text. 

Learn all about paid sick leave in each US state, together with:

• Who’s eligible to receive paid leave,
• What are the qualifying reasons for taking paid sick leave, 
• What questions bug both employees and employers regarding paid sick leave, and
• How to craft a paid sick leave policy for your company.

*Note: The information regarding paid sick leave laws and regulations by state has been checked and updated for 2025. 

• Not to be confused with FMLA, paid sick leave is a state law not all US states have adopted.
• Alternative ways of asking for time off work aside from sick leave include the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and The Healthy Families Act.
• As of January 1, 2025, 18 US states have integrated the paid sick leave laws into state laws.
• To document and manage paid sick leave, businesses can benefit from implementing time off policies through time tracking software.

What is paid sick leave?

Paid sick leave is paid time off work that is authentic to each US state. Employees may choose to use it according to employers’ regulations without losing days’ wages to tend to their illnesses. 

However, you should not confuse paid/unpaid sick leave with the Family and Medical Leave Act.  

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA is a federal labor law requiring employers to provide unpaid leave of absence to their employees for qualifying reasons. 

In other words, FMLA is a federal law that protects employees across all US states and territories, while sick leave is a law that not all states have incorporated into their legislation.

Some of the qualifying reasons for providing unpaid time off work under FMLA may include:

• Caring for a sick family member,
• Maternity/paternity leave following the year from the birth/adoption/foster care of a child,
• Diseases preventing employees from working, 
• Taking care of the household while a family member is on military duty, and others.

To receive FMLA benefits, an employee had to have:

• Worked for the employer for at least a year,
• Booked at least 1,250 work hours, and
• Worked at the location with at least 50 employed workers within 75 miles.

On the other hand, federal regulations regarding sick leave state that no employer is required to offer a paid leave of absence. 

If they choose to do so, however, they are obliged to compose a set of regulations and policies that are legitimate and contractualized. 

🎓 Mental Health Leave of Absence

The Healthy Families Act

Aside from the FMLA regulations, the US government has been making strides toward legislating the Healthy Families Act. In 2004, this bill was introduced to establish a mandate of at least 7 paid sick days (56 hours) a year for underprivileged workers (working parents, temporary workers, seasonal and part-time employees).

For the last 2 decades, the bill has been hugely publicized and supported by many congressmen and congresswomen. 

Furthermore, the Obama Administration has testified in support of the bill in recent years, and it’s been on standby since 2021, waiting to be introduced to federal law.

🎓 PTO & Vacation Tracker

Paid sick leave by state

Since not many US states offer paid sick leave privileges, the following table will only contain information regarding US states and areas that require employers to offer paid sick time benefits by state law.

Up next, we’ll talk about:

• Who is and isn’t covered,
• Qualifying reasons to take paid sick leave,
• Maximum accruals per year, and
• Maximum usage per year.

Let’s dig in for more info.

State	Eligible employers & employees	Qualifying reasons for taking paid sick leave	Max accrual per year	Usage per year
Arizona	All employers and employees are covered.	Caring for a family member with an illness (mental or physical) or a condition, Recovery time for injuries, Psychological  counseling, and Relocation, legal procedures, and recovery due to domestic violence, etc.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	If the business has more than 15 employees, the employee can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year. If the business has fewer than 15 employees, the employee can accrue up to 24 hours of paid sick time a year.
California	Employers are obligated to provide paid sick leave to employees who have worked for them at least 30 days in a calendar year, including part-time, per diem, in-home supportive services providers, and temporary employees.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To obtain relief as a crime victim or to assist a family member who is a crime victim.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked, capping at 80 hours (or 10 days).	Employees can use a minimum of 40 hours of annual accrued days. The carryover of accrued days is possible if established by the employer’s policy.
Colorado	All employers and employees are covered.	Any mental or physical illness, injury, or condition that interferes with their ability to work, A need to get a diagnosis, care, or treatments for these types of conditions, A need for preventive care, including vaccination, Domestic violence, sexual assault, or harassment,  Caring for family members with any of the listed conditions or needs, Bereavement or taking care of financial and legal issues after the death of a family member, and Unexpected events, such as power/water/heat loss that may require the employee to either evacuate or take care of their family members.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 48 hours of paid sick time. An additional 48-hour accrual can be carried over to the following calendar year.
Connecticut	Employers with at least 25 employees as of January 1, 2025. The law covers all private sector employees except for seasonal employees and some construction workers.	Serious health conditions, Taking care of a close family member in a serious health condition,  Obtaining preventative medical care, Taking care of a newborn or an adopted newborn child, Taking a mental health wellness day, In case of a public health emergency or health risk exposure, and To obtain relief as a crime victim or to assist a family member who is a crime victim.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year. Furthermore, an additional 40-hour accrual can be carried over to the following calendar year.
Illinois	Employers are required to provide paid sick leave to employees who have worked for them for at least 90 days. Seasonal workers, federal employees, and part-time college students employed at university aren’t eligible for paid sick leave.	Any reason associated with maintaining one’s own or their family member’s health and well-being.	1 hour for every 40 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year.
Maine	Maine employees who work at businesses with more than 10 employees are entitled to paid sick leave.  Employers aren’t obligated to provide paid sick leave until the employee has worked at least 120 days in their establishment.	Mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, Medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee’s mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, or preventative medical care, If an employee or a family member is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, Medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability, Obtaining services from a victim services organization, and Relocating due to domestic violence or sexual assault.	1 hour for every 40 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year. An additional 40-hour accrual can be carried over to the following calendar year.
Maryland	Employees at businesses with at least 15 workers are entitled to paid sick leave. Businesses with 14 or fewer employees are required to provide unpaid sick leave.	Healing from an injury, whether mental or physical, Caring for a family member with an injury or condition, whether mental or physical, Obtaining preventative medical care for themselves or a family member,  Parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, and If an employee or their family member is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked, capping at 40 hours per year.	Employees can use up to 64 hours of paid sick time a year.
Massachusetts	Employers with 11 or more employees must provide 40 hours of paid sick time. If the business employs fewer than 11 employees, the sick leave is unpaid. Full-time, part-time, seasonal, per-diem, or temporary workers are all eligible to receive paid sick leave.	Serious health conditions, Taking care of a close family member in a serious health condition,  Routine medical appointments,  Taking care of a newborn or an adopted newborn child, Caring for themselves or their spouse in the event of pregnancy loss or failed assisted reproduction, adoption or surrogacy, and Domestic violence involving the employee or their children.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked, capping at 40 hours per year.	Employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year.
Michigan	Employees who work at businesses that employ at least 11 workers are entitled to paid sick leave, which is capped at 72 hours per year. If the business employs 10 or fewer workers, the leave is capped at 40 hours per year.	The employee or a member of their family is affected by a physical or mental illness or condition, The employee or a member who’s been a crime victim and requires treatment or counseling, Meetings at a child’s school related to health, disability, violence, or assault, and In case of a public health emergency.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 40/72 hours of paid sick time, depending on the size of the business.
Minnesota	Employers are required to provide paid sick leave to employees who have worked for them at least 80 hours in a year.  Independent contractors aren’t eligible for paid sick leave.	In case of personal and family health needs, In case of public health emergencies, and Various safety reasons, including but not limited to sexual assault, abuse, or stalking.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked, capping at 48 hours per year unless the employer offers additional hours.	Employees can use up to 48 hours of paid sick time per year. If employees don’t use all of the paid sick leave they’ve earned by the end of the accrual year, the employer must carry over any unused hours until a maximum 80-hour cap is reached.
Missouri	All non-exempt employers are required to offer paid sick leave starting May 1, 2025. All employees are eligible except part-time workers, exempt officials, and youths not working full-time.	Treatment of a mental or physical illness and preventative medical care services (family included), In case of a public health emergency, Taking care of a child during an emergency, and Absenteeism due to matters relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employees are entitled to use no more than 40 hours of paid sick time per year if the business employs fewer than 15 workers. Otherwise, larger businesses allow 56 hours of paid sick leave time per year unless the employer specifies it differently in their policy.
Nebraska	All private sector employers, regardless of size, are required to comply. As of October 1, 2025, employees who work in Nebraska for at least 80 hours in a year will be eligible.	Treatment of a mental or physical illness and preventative medical care services (family included), and In case of a public health emergency.	Effective October 1, 2025, employers must offer 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.	Per year, employees can use up to 40 or 56 hours, depending on the business’ size.
Nevada	Limited solely to the private sector; All employees working for covered employers are eligible for paid leave, except for seasonal, on-call, and temporary workers.	Employees may use accrued paid leave for any reason, including personal, family, or medical matters.	0.01923 hours of paid sick leave per 1 hour worked.	Employees’ sick leave usage can be capped at 40 hours per year by the employer.
New Jersey	All employers and employees are covered, referring to businesses with at least 50 employees. Otherwise, the leave isn’t paid.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To attend school-related events, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year.
New Mexico	All employers and employees are covered.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 64 hours of paid sick time a year.  Employees can carry over unused days to the following calendar year.
New York	If the employers own a business with 5 or more employees and an income of $1 million or more, they are required to provide paid sick leave — all employees are covered.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employers with 100 or more employees must provide up to 56 hours for annual accrued days. Employers with 5 to 99 employees and employers with 4 or fewer employees whose business has an income of at least $1 million must provide up to 40 hours for annual accrued days.
Oregon	If the employer owns a business with 10 or more employees (6 or more if they’re in Portland), the employer is required to provide paid sick leave. If the number is less than 10, the sick leave isn’t paid for.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care,  To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a newborn or an adopted child, In case of the death of a family member,  If an employee is a victim of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, and In case of a public health emergency.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year.
Rhode Island	Rhode Island employers with at least 18 employees must provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.  Employers with fewer than 18 employees must provide sick and safe leave time, although it doesn’t need to be paid.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care.	1 hour for every 35 hours worked.	Employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time.
Vermont	Employees who work no less than 18 hours per week are eligible to receive paid sick leave. All employers with more than 5 full-time employees must have started complying with the Earned Sick Time Law on January 1, 2017.  Employers of 5 or fewer full-time employees will have to start complying by January 1, 2018.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care.	1 hour for every 52 hours worked, including overtime work.	Employees can use up to 40 hours for annual accrued days.
Washington	All employers and employees are covered.	For a mental or physical illness or health condition, If a family member needs to be taken care of due to a mental or physical illness or health condition, If the employee’s workplace or their child’s school or place of care has been closed, and If the employee is absent from work for reasons that qualify for leave under the state’s Domestic Violence Leave Act (DVLA).	1 hour for every 40 hours worked.	If you don’t use all of the paid sick leave you’ve earned by the end of the accrual year, your employer must carry over balances of 40 hours or less to the next year.

Paid sick leave by municipality

Some larger US states’ counties and cities have implemented independent labor laws regarding sick leave that provide additional benefits than the state laws. In such cases, the local laws take precedence and obligate employers to respect them.

Let’s see how the laws differ in the following municipalities in reference to their respective states.

Municipality	Eligible employers & employees	Qualifying reasons for taking paid sick leave	Max accrual per year	Usage per year
Berkeley, CA	All employers and employees who work at least 2 hours per week within the city limits.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	Businesses with fewer than 25 employees can cap the use of paid sick leave at 48 hours per year. For businesses with more than 25 employees, the cap rests at 72 hours.
Emeryville, CA	All employers and employees are covered.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To provide care for a guide dog, signal dog, or service dog.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked. For businesses that employ 55 or fewer employees, the accrual cap is 48 hours. For larger businesses, the cap is 72 hours.	The total number of paid sick leave hours accrued during a calendar year (the cap is the same as the number of accrued days).
Los Angeles, CA	All employers and employees who work at least 2 hours per week within the city limits.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To attend school-related events, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	48 hours per year, with the cap for accrued hours being no less than 72 hours.
Oakland, CA	All employers and employees who work at least 2 hours per week within the city limits.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 10 employees can cap accrual time at 40 hours per year, while larger businesses can cap it at 72 hours.	The total number of paid sick leave hours accrued during a calendar year (the cap is the same as the number of accrued days).
San Diego, CA	All employers and employees who work at least 2 hours per week within the city limits.	Medical care for the employee or their immediate family.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked, with the cap resting at 80 hours per year.	40 hours per year.
San Francisco, CA	All employers and employees who work at least 2 hours per week within the city limits.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Employers with 10 or more employees may cap an employee’s sick leave at 72 hours. The cap for employers with fewer than 10 employees rests at 40 hours.	The total number of paid sick leave hours accrued during a calendar year (the cap is the same as the number of accrued days).
Santa Monica, CA	All employers and employees who work at least 2 hours per week within the city limits.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.  Businesses with 25 or fewer employees can cap the leave at 40 hours, while larger businesses go up to 72 hours.	The total number of paid sick leave hours accrued during a calendar year (the cap is the same as the number of accrued days).
West Hollywood, CA	All employers and employees who work at least 2 hours per week within the city limits.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.  Employees are entitled to 96 hours of compensated leave annually and an additional 80 hours of uncompensated sick leave.  The rate of accrual isn’t fixed — the first 24 accrued hours are earned at a rate of 0.046 hours per hour, and all additional hours are accrued at a rate of 0.033 hours per hour.	The total number of paid sick leave hours accrued during a calendar year (the cap is the same as the number of accrued days).
Chicago, IL	All employers and any employee who works at least 80 hours for an employer in Chicago within any 120-day period in a calendar year.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 35 hours worked. The total number of hours can be capped at 40 per year.	The total number of paid sick leave hours accrued during a calendar year (the cap is the same as the number of accrued days).
Cook County, IL	All within the city limits, except Chicago employers and employees.	Any reason associated with maintaining one’s own or their family member’s health and well-being.	1 hour for every 40 hours worked.	40 hours per year.
Bloomington, MN	All employers and any full-time, part-time, and temporary employees who work within the Bloomington City limits for 80 hours or more in a year.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked. The total number of hours can be capped at 48 per year.	No cap, all accrued hours can be used.
Minneapolis, MN	Employers with 6 or more employees. Employees who work within the city limits for at least 80 hours per year.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour per 30 hours worked.	No cap, all accrued hours can be used.
Bernalillo County​, NM	Employers with 2+ employees. Employees who work at least 56 hours per year for an employer in Bernalillo County.	Any reason.	1 hour for every 32 hours worked.	No cap, all accrued hours can be used.
Westchester County, NY	Employees who work at least 80 hours per year for an employer in Westchester County.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.	40 hours per year.
Philadelphia, PA	All employers with 10 or more employees and employees except seasonal workers and employees hired for less than 6 months, adjunct professors, pool employees, interns, and state and federal employees, as well as independent contractors.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 40 hours worked.	40 hours per year.
Pittsburgh, PA	All employers and employees who work within city limits, except state and city government officials and employees.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care,  To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a newborn or an adopted child, In case of the death of a family member,  If an employee is a victim of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, and In case of a public health emergency.	1 hour for every 35 hours worked.	For businesses with 15 employees or less, the maximum usage per year is 24 hours. For larger businesses, the number is 40.
Allegheny County, PA	Employers with at least 26 employees. All full-time and part-time employees who work within the county limits.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 35 hours worked, capping at 40 hours per year.	40 hours per year.
Seattle, WA	All employers and any employee who works at least 240 hours per year in Seattle.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event. For employers of businesses with 250+ full-time employees, when their place of business has been closed for any health or safety reason.	For companies with up to 250 employees, the rate is 1 hour for every 40 hours worked.  For larger businesses, the rate is 1 hour/30 hours.	No cap, all accrued hours can be used.
Tacoma, WA	All employers and any employee who works at least 80 hours per year in Tacoma.	To recover from physical/mental illness or injury, To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care, and To care for a family member (or oneself) in case of a domestic or sexual violence event.	1 hour for every 40 hours worked, no cap.	No cap, all accrued hours can be used.

Guidelines for crafting a sick leave policy

In most cases, state and local governments dictate the minimum requirements for paid sick leave policies that employers must follow. 

However, employers are entirely responsible for offering increased benefits or changing the policy and its structure in a way that doesn’t violate the law and still benefits the employees’ well-being.

After all, offering increased benefits means being a good employer, which in turn helps boost productivity and improve employee morale.

So, how should you go about making these changes? Let’s break it down and examine the sections your paid sick leave policy should include.

Section #1: Sick leave purpose and eligibility

First off, it’s important you maintain a sense of transparency with your employees. Therefore, introducing a company-wide policy should be explained in simple-to-get terms. Also, your employees are bound to have a question or two regarding if the policy applies to them. Therefore, be concise and stick to the point.

For example, a clear and easy-to-understand approach would be:

🎓 Part-time vs. Full-time Employment: Understanding the Difference 

Section #2: Accrual and use of paid sick leave

This section is the most important one, and it will probably be the one most employees stick around to read. In most cases, employers choose one of the 2 methods for using paid sick leave:

• Stating a predetermined number of sick days each employee can use, or
• Accrual based on the number of hours worked.

In essence, you’ll have to clearly state your reasoning behind choosing a method that works best for the company.

Also, state law dictates the usage per year, so make sure you point it out even if you choose to stick with the state minimum.

Here’s an example of how it would look like:

Section #3: Sick leave documentation

So, what happens when an employee checks in with you and asks you for a paid sick leave? There has to exist a set of rules that dictates the following:

• Formal way of requesting the leave,
• Preparation and processing of leave documentation, and
• Record-keeping system.

Your HR and accounting department will probably be explaining the process in detail to each employee as they request their leave, but including the general information in the policy is important. Here’s a way to do it:

Section #4: Non-retaliation and compliance related to sick leave

Finally, as you’ve ironed out the details, it’s important you voice your company’s message through your policy. 

In other words, it’s essential that you state that employees are free to use paid sick leave when they need to — without fear of retaliation or presenteeism pressure.

Here’s an example:

Paid sick leave laws by state — Frequently asked questions

Now that we’ve covered some general facts regarding US states that offer paid sick leave to workers, it’s time to untangle and answer some confusing questions regarding paid sick leave.

1. Do you get paid for unused sick days?

The short answer is no. According to federal law, employers are not obligated to cash out the wages earned for sick leave. 

However, employers must let you carry over the unused sick days into the following calendar year, as long as it’s in accordance with the maximum accrual of sick leave days.

2. Do companies pay out sick time when you quit?

Not on a federal level, no. However, if you live and work in some of the US states mentioned on our list, employers will either pay out the remaining sick leave or let you use it as a part of your 2-week notice period.

For example, employers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania aren’t obligated to pay out the remaining sick leave. However, employers in the state of New York are obligated by the New York State Department of Labor to pay out all the days prior to the end of the calendar year or if the employees quit.

3. What can you use sick leave for?

In most cases, employees use sick leave to recover from an illness or tend to an injured or sick loved one. However, depending on the state you’re in, there are a multitude of reasons for taking sick leave.

Some of them may include:

• Mental or physical illness, injury or health condition,
• Medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition,
• Preventative medical care,
• Being a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault,
• Medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability,
• Obtaining services from a victim services organization, 
• Relocating due to domestic violence or sexual assault, 
• Being exposed to a contagious disease,
• Dealing with unexpected events that may require evacuation, and others.

4. Which states have mandatory paid sick leave?

The US states that have mandatory paid sick leave are the following:

• Arizona,
• California,
• Colorado,
• Connecticut,
• Illinois,
• Maine,
• Maryland,
• Massachusetts,
• Michigan,
• Minnesota,
• Missouri,
• Nebraska,
• Nevada,
• New Jersey,
• New Mexico,
• New York,
• Oregon,
• Rhode Island,
• Vermont, and
• Washington.

Track employee sick leave with Clockify

Why make your life hard by dealing with papers, countless files, and folders when there’s crafty software that can do it for you?

Clockify is a reliable and free time tracker with a bundle of features that can make your business life easier. Aside from simple time tracking, Clockify lets you:

• Log your weekly activities through timesheets,
• Use the kiosk to clock in and out by using a PIN code from a shared device,
• Block out activities through your calendar and focus on your work, and
• Create time off policies, including one for paid sick leave.

Clockify’s time off feature allows you to create company-wide policies with various fields that will affect that policy in particular. For example, you’ll be able to choose whether the policy requires admin approval, if the hours/days accrue automatically, or even if half-days are allowed.

Once it’s set up, requesting sick leave should look like this:

To document your paid sick leave, the best course of action would be to also input the days using timesheets. Simply write a short description, enter a project (your workspace admin can simply create a project titled: “Time Off: Sick Leave”), and enter the hours you would normally work:

So, what are you waiting for? 

Conclusion/Disclaimer 

Hopefully, our comprehensive guide helped you get familiar with all of the relevant information regarding paid sick leave laws in the United States. You can get more data on paid sick leave laws for each state by following the official links we:

• Provided as sources in the table, and
• Used as sources in the State Labor Laws guides linked in this guide.

Please bear in mind — this paid sick leave laws guide was checked and updated in Q1 of 2025. Thus, it may not include changes introduced after it was published. 

We strongly advise you to consult the appropriate institutions and/or certified representatives before acting on any legal matters.

Clockify is not responsible for any losses or risks incurred should this guide be used without legal guidance.

After you’ve become familiar with all the paid sick leave laws nuances, tracking your team’s time off comes next. Clockify lets you stay on top of everyone’s time off from work — including paid sick leave. Track who’s available and when, and schedule your team accordingly.