Which States Require Paid Sick Leave? (2026)

There is no federal paid sick leave law

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) states plainly that there are no federal legal requirements for paid sick leave. The federal rule that does exist is unpaid: the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible employees at companies with 50 or more employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for serious health conditions. See how to handle an FMLA request.

Paid sick leave comes from states and some cities. The rule that applies is generally the one where the employee works, so a remote team can be subject to several laws at once.

Ten states at a glance

Paid sick leave in the ten states covered on our state pages
State	Statewide law?	How leave is earned	Yearly amount
California	Yes, all employers	1 hour per 30 hours worked, or a lump sum at the start of the year	Employees must be able to use at least 40 hours or 5 days a year. You may cap the balance at 80 hours or 10 days.
New York	Yes	1 hour per 30 hours worked	40 hours (paid at 5 to 99 employees; unpaid at 4 or fewer if net income is $1 million or less). 56 hours paid at 100 or more. Plus 20 hours of paid prenatal leave since January 1, 2025.
Texas	No statewide law	Not required	Not required
Washington	Yes	1 hour per 40 hours worked	No yearly cap on what is earned. Unused balances of 40 hours or less must carry over to the next year.
Massachusetts	Yes	1 hour per 30 hours worked	Up to 40 hours. Paid at 11 or more employees; smaller employers must still give the time, unpaid.
Colorado	Yes, all employers	1 hour per 30 hours worked	Up to 48 hours.
Illinois	Yes (Paid Leave for All Workers Act)	1 hour per 40 hours worked, or front-loaded	Up to 40 hours, usable for any reason. Chicago and Cook County employers follow their local ordinances instead.
Florida	No statewide law	Not required	Not required. State law also bars cities and counties from requiring benefits that state or federal law does not.
New Jersey	Yes, all employers	1 hour per 30 hours worked	Up to 40 hours per benefit year.
Georgia	No statewide law	Not required	Not required

Other states with paid sick leave laws

State	Who must provide paid leave	Earned and yearly amount
Alaska	Employers in the state, since July 1, 2025	1 hour per 30 hours worked
Arizona	All employers	1 hour per 30 hours. Up to 40 hours at 15 or more employees, 24 hours below 15.
Connecticut	Employers with 11 or more employees (expanded January 1, 2026)	1 hour per 30 hours, up to 40 hours a year. Usable after 120 days.
Maine	Employers with more than 10 employees	1 hour per 40 hours, up to 40 hours a year, usable for any reason.
Maryland	Paid at 15 or more employees; unpaid below 15	1 hour per 30 hours, up to 40 hours a year.
Minnesota	Employees expected to work at least 80 hours a year in the state	1 hour per 30 hours, up to 48 hours a year.
New Mexico	Employers in the state, since July 1, 2022	1 hour per 30 hours worked.
Oregon	Paid at 10 or more employees (6 or more with a Portland location); unpaid below	1 hour per 30 hours, up to 40 hours a year.
Vermont	Employers in the state	1 hour per 52 hours. Employers may cap it at 40 hours a year.
Washington, DC	All employers, by size	1 to 24 employees: 1 hour per 87, up to 3 days. 25 to 99: 1 per 43, up to 5 days. 100 or more: 1 per 37, up to 7 days.

Other states have their own paid sick leave laws too, and several changed in 2025 and 2026. This page is not an exhaustive list: if you have people in a state not named here, check that state's labor department before assuming nothing applies.

Recent changes to know about

California raised its minimum to 40 hours or 5 days a year on January 1, 2024.
New York added 20 hours of paid prenatal leave, separate from sick leave, on January 1, 2025.
Alaska's voter-approved paid sick leave law took effect July 1, 2025.
Missouri repealed its voter-approved paid sick leave requirement. Employers are no longer required to provide it as of August 28, 2025.
Washington added immigration proceedings as a permitted use on July 27, 2025.
Connecticut extended its law to employers with 11 or more employees on January 1, 2026.

City and county rules

Some cities and counties have their own laws on top of the state. New York City gives most employees up to 40 or 56 hours of paid protected time off a year, plus 32 hours of unpaid protected time off from the start of employment. Illinois's statewide law does not apply to employers covered by the Chicago and Cook County ordinances, which have their own rules. When a local and a state rule both apply, the safe approach is to meet whichever is more generous on each point.

How to set up a policy that works everywhere you hire

List every state and city where you have employees, including remote ones.
For each, note the accrual rate, the yearly cap, whether the leave must be paid at your size, and any waiting period (for example, 90 days in California, Washington, Illinois and Oregon, and 120 days in Connecticut).
Decide between accrual and front-loading. California, Illinois and Oregon allow a lump sum at the start of the year if it meets the minimum.
Check whether your general PTO policy counts toward each state's requirement before relying on it.
Track accrued and used hours for every employee. Minnesota, for example, requires balances on pay statements.
Put the policy in your handbook and display the state posters. See labor law posters.

Common mistakes

Assuming part-time or temporary staff do not earn sick leave. In states like Colorado and New Jersey they do.
Applying your headquarters state's rules to remote employees who live elsewhere.
Asking for a doctor's note where the law limits documentation (Connecticut and Illinois, for example).
Missing a size threshold as you grow, such as 11 employees in Massachusetts and Connecticut or 15 in Arizona and Maryland.

Common questions

Is there a federal paid sick leave law for private employers?

No. The Department of Labor says there are no federal legal requirements for paid sick leave. Covered employers must give unpaid leave under the FMLA.

Do part-time employees earn paid sick leave?

In the states that address it, generally yes. Colorado and New Jersey, for example, cover full-time, part-time and temporary employees.

Can I give all the sick leave at the start of the year instead of tracking accrual?

Many states allow it. California, Illinois and Oregon, for example, let you front-load at least the yearly minimum instead of tracking hours worked.

Does Texas, Florida or Georgia require paid sick leave?

None of the three has a statewide paid sick leave law. Florida also bars its cities and counties from requiring benefits that state or federal law does not.

Sources

Last reviewed October 2, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and exceptions apply, so check the sources above or an employment lawyer before you act on a specific case.