Research Summary: American employees have long been known for their tendency to come to work while ill, a practice that jeopardizes their health and the wellbeing of colleagues and clients. A significant contributing factor is the lack of access to paid sick leave, forcing many workers to forgo necessary time off due to financial constraints.
Fortunately, as of 2026, 20 states in the U.S. have implemented mandatory paid sick leave laws, offering employees essential protection and support.
In this article, we present a comprehensive overview of the current paid sick leave laws across the United States, detailing the states that have enacted these important regulations:
| State | Covered Employees | Qualifying Reasons | Accruals | Annual Max Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s health condition; the need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked |
15+ employees: 40 hours
1-15 employees: 24 hours |
| California | Employees and employers with 1+ employee who work 30+ days per year for the business | Personal or family member’s health condition; the need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 24 hours |
| Colorado | Employers and employees who work at a business with 16+ employees | Personal or family member’s health condition; the need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 48 hours |
| Connecticut | Employers and employees who work at a business with 50+ employees | Personal or family member’s health condition; the need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 40 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Maine | Employers with 10+ employees and employees with 120 consecutive days of employment | Personal or family member’s health condition; the need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 40 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Maryland | Employers with 15+ employees and employees with 12+ hours of work per week | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; maternity or paternity leave; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 64 hours |
| Massachusetts | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s health condition; the need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Michigan | Employers with 50+ employees and employees who’ve worked 25+ hours per week 26 weeks per year | Personal or family member’s illness, injury or condition; preventive care; maternity or paternity leave; domestic violence or sexual assault reasons; exposure to communicable disease | 1 hour for every 35 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Nevada | Employers and employees who work at a business with 50+ employees (employers must be in business for 2+ years) | Any reason | 0.01923 hours of paid leave for each hour worked | 40 hours |
| New Jersey | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; school conference; meeting regarding a child’s health or disability; domestic or sexual violence reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 40 hours |
| New York | Private sector employers and employees at businesses with 5+ employees or net income of more than $1 million | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; domestic or sexual violence reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked |
100+ employees: 56 hours
1–99 employees: 40 hours |
| New Mexico | All employees and private employers with at least 1 employee | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; school conference; meeting regarding a child’s health or disability; domestic or sexual violence reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 64 hours |
| Oregon | Employers and employees at businesses with 10+ employees or in large cities (500,000+ population) with 6+ employees | Personal or family member’s illness, injury or condition; preventive care; caring for a sick child; domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault, or stalking reasons; bereavement; donation to co-worker | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked or 1.33 hours for every 40 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Rhode Island | All employees and employers with 18+ employees | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; exposure to communicable disease; domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 35 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Vermont | All employers and employees with 18+ hours of work per week | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; appointments related to long-term care; domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking reasons; when a family member’s school or business is closed for public health or safety reasons | 1 hour for every 52 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Washington | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s illness, injury or condition; preventive care; domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 40 hours worked | No max |
Cities That Require Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave in 2026
While 20 states have enacted statewide paid sick leave laws, several other states also have regional regulations affecting specific cities. Currently, here are the cities with their own paid sick leave policies:
| City | Covered Employees | Qualifying Reasons | Accruals | Annual Max Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley, CA | All employers and employees who work 2+ hours per week | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked capped at 72 hours |
25+ employees: No max
1-24 employees: 48 hours |
| Emeryville, CA | All employers and employees who work 2+ hours per week | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence reasons; to aid or care for a service dog | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked |
56+ employees: 72 hours
1-55 employees: 48 hours |
| Los Angeles, CA | All employers and employees who work 2+ hours per week under the same employer for at least 30 days | Illness for employee, family member, or any individual related by blood or affinity. | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 48 hours |
| Oakland, CA | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked |
9+ employees: 72 hours
1-9 employees: 40 hours |
| San Diego, CA | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 40 hours |
| San Francisco, CA | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | No max |
| Santa Monica, CA | All employers and employees who work 2+ hours per week | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | No max |
| Washington D.C. | All employees and employers | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons |
100+ employees: 1 hour for every 37 hours worked
25-99 employees: 1 hour for every 43 hours worked 1-24 employees: 1 hour for every 87 hours worked |
100+ employees: 7 days
25-99 employees: 5 days 1-24 employees: 3 days |
| Chicago, IL | Employers with 1+ covered employee and employees who’ve worked 2+ hours over any 2-week period | Personal or family member’s health condition; need for diagnosis, care, treatment, or preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 40 hours worked | Half of unused sick leave up to 20 hours |
| Duluth, MN | Employers with 5+ employees and employees with 80+ of annual work in the city | Personal or family member’s illness, injury or condition; preventive care; domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking reasons | 1 hour for every 50 hours worked | No max |
| Minneapolis, MN | Employers with 6+ employees and employees with 80+ of annual work in the city | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; domestic or sexual violence reasons; Family member place-of-care closure | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 40 hours |
| Saint Paul, MN | Employers with 1+ employees and employees with 80+ of annual work in the city | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; domestic or sexual violence reasons; Family member place-of-care closure | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | No max |
| New York City, NY | Employers with 5+ employees and employees with 80+ of annual work in the city | Personal or family member’s illness, injury, or condition; preventive care; family offense matters, sexual offenses, stalking, or human trafficking reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 40 hours or 2 days for domestic workers |
| Philadelphia, PA | Employers with 10+ employees (all chain establishments) and employees with 40+ hours of work in the city | Personal or family member’s illness, injury or condition; preventive care; stalking, domestic or sexual violence reasons | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 40 hours or 2 days for domestic workers |
| Seattle, WA | All employers and employees | Personal or family member’s illness, injury or condition; preventive care; domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking reasons |
250+ employees: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked
1-249 employees: 1 hour for every 40 hours worked |
No max |
| Tacoma, WA | All employers and employees with 80+ of annual work in the city | Personal or family member’s illness, injury or condition; preventive care; domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking reasons; bereavement |
250+ employees: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked
1-249 employees: 1 hour for every 40 hours worked |
No max |
Trends in Paid Sick Leave Legislation
Paid sick leave has gained significant traction in recent years, particularly following the expiration of the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Before 2015, only three states had legislation in place for paid sick leave: Connecticut (2011), California (2014), and Massachusetts (2014).
Since then, numerous states have adopted paid sick leave laws, with New Mexico being the most recent to implement its legislation in 2022.
Benefits of Paid Sick Leave
The primary objective of paid sick leave is to provide employees with a financial safety net while also safeguarding the health of co-workers and clients. The COVID-19 Pandemic highlighted the risks posed when employees lack access to paid sick leave, allowing illnesses to spread rapidly in workplaces.
Here are some of the key benefits associated with paid sick leave:
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Paid sick leave can significantly reduce the spread of illness, with studies estimating a decrease of up to 400 COVID-19 cases per day.
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In regions where paid sick leave is available, the overall flu infection rate decreased by 5.5 to 6.5%.
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79% of U.S. workers support the implementation of paid sick leave laws.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paid Sick Leave Laws
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Can you get fired for calling in sick?
You can be terminated for calling in sick in any state with at-will employment. In such states, employers can dismiss employees for any reason, which means protections against termination for health-related absences are limited.
Unfortunately, at-will employment is the norm in all U.S. states except Montana. Even in states that have paid sick leave laws, protections for employees taking leave are often minimal.
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Can a boss ask why you are sick?
No, under federal law, your employer cannot inquire about the specific reasons for your illness when you request paid or unpaid leave.
However, employers may ask other questions, particularly if you are requesting paid leave as opposed to unpaid leave. For example, they may inquire about your expected return date or request documentation from a healthcare provider.
Conclusion
Paid sick leave is increasingly becoming a standard benefit across the United States. Since 2015, the number of states with paid sick leave laws has grown from three to twenty, reflecting a significant shift in workplace policies aimed at enhancing employee health and wellbeing.
These laws not only contribute to reducing illness among workers and the general population but also garner widespread support from the workforce. With many states implementing paid sick leave legislation since 2019, it is likely that more states will follow suit in the coming years.
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
