Florida HR Laws for Small Employers (2026)

Florida at a glance

Pay range in job posts: No state law requires it. Roles based in states that do require pay ranges follow those states' rules.
New-hire reporting: Within 20 days of the hire date, to the Florida Department of Revenue. Independent contractors paid $600 or more a year are reported within 20 days of their start date or first payment.
Paid sick leave: No state law. Florida also bars cities and counties from requiring private employers to provide benefits beyond state and federal law.
Paid family and medical leave: No state program. Federal FMLA (50 or more employees) is the main job-protected leave. Florida adds up to 3 working days of domestic violence leave at 50 or more employees.
Final pay when you end employment: No Florida law sets a deadline, and federal law does not require immediate payment. Pay by the next regular payday.
Final pay when they quit: Same: no state deadline. Pay by the next regular payday.
Unused vacation at exit: No Florida law requires payout. Your written policy or agreement controls, so put the rule in writing.

Hiring in Florida

New-hire reporting. Every employer, whatever its size, reports new and rehired employees to the Florida Department of Revenue's New Hire Reporting Center within 20 days of the hire date, online, by mail or by fax. Independent contractors paid $600 or more in a calendar year are reported within 20 days of their start date or first payment. See new-hire reporting.

E-Verify. Under Florida Statutes section 448.095, private employers with 25 or more employees must use E-Verify for every new employee within 3 business days after the employee starts working for pay, and keep a copy of the documents and the verification for at least 3 years. An employer found out of compliance 3 times in 24 months faces a $1,000 fine for each day until it complies, and its state licenses can be suspended. A 2026 bill to extend E-Verify to all private employers (HB 197) died in the Senate, so the 25-employee line still stands. Every employer, at any size, still completes the federal Form I-9. See Form I-9 and E-Verify.

Florida hiring rules by company size
Employees	What applies
1 or more	New-hire reporting within 20 days; federal Form I-9
4 or more (1 or more in construction)	Workers' compensation coverage
15 or more	Florida Civil Rights Act
25 or more	E-Verify for every new hire
50 or more	Domestic violence leave (and federal FMLA)

No Florida law requires a pay range in job posts. If you hire remote employees in states that do, such as New York or New Jersey, those postings follow that state's rule. For background checks, the federal rules apply; see background checks and hiring employees in another state.

Leave in Florida

Florida has no state paid sick leave law and no state paid family leave program. A state law also stops cities and counties from requiring private employers to provide wages or benefits beyond what state or federal law requires, so there are no local sick leave mandates either. Any sick leave or paid time off you offer is set by your own policy, so write it down clearly. See paid sick leave laws.

Domestic violence leave. Employers with 50 or more employees must give employees with 3 or more months of service up to 3 working days of leave in any 12-month period when the employee or a family member is a victim of domestic or sexual violence. It can be paid or unpaid, at your discretion, and you can require the employee to use available vacation, personal or sick leave first. Retaliation is not allowed.

At 50 or more employees, federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave also applies: up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. See how to handle an FMLA request and maternity leave at a small business.

Final pay and ending employment

Ending employment in Florida
What	Rule
Final pay, fired or laid off	No state deadline. Pay by the next regular payday.
Final pay, quit	No state deadline. Pay by the next regular payday.
Unused vacation	No state payout law. Follow your written policy.
Health coverage, fewer than 20 employees	State continuation through the insurance carrier, up to 18 months
Health coverage, 20 or more employees	Federal COBRA

Florida has no state rule on how often you must pay, or how fast you must pay at the end, and federal law does not require an immediate final paycheck. Paying on the next regular payday keeps things simple and predictable for everyone. See final paycheck laws.

Health coverage for small employers. The Florida Health Insurance Coverage Continuation Act covers insured group health plans of employers with fewer than 20 employees. After a qualifying event such as a job ending, the insurance carrier sends the election notice within 14 days of being told. Coverage can last 18 months (29 with a qualifying disability) at up to 115% of the premium. Tell your carrier promptly when someone leaves. See when you need to offer COBRA.

For larger layoffs, plan around the federal WARN Act, which applies at 100 or more employees. See WARN Act layoffs.

Other things to know

Minimum wage: $15.00 an hour since September 30, 2026, the last step of the 2020 constitutional amendment (it was $14.00 from September 30, 2025). The $15.00 rate runs through December 31, 2027. After that the rate is adjusted for inflation each year, taking effect each January 1.
Discrimination: the Florida Civil Rights Act applies at 15 or more employees and bans discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap or marital status. Federal laws apply at their own thresholds; see HR laws by company size.
Workers' compensation: required at 4 or more employees, or at 1 or more in construction. See workers' compensation requirements.
Posters: display the Florida minimum wage poster along with the federal posters. See labor law posters.

Common questions

Does Florida require paid sick leave?

No. Florida has no state paid sick leave law, and state law stops cities and counties from creating their own. Any sick leave you offer follows your own written policy.

Do I need E-Verify in Florida with 10 employees?

Not under Florida law: the mandate starts at 25 employees. You still must complete the federal Form I-9 for every new hire.

When is a final paycheck due in Florida?

Florida has no state deadline for final pay, and federal law does not require immediate payment. Pay it by the next regular payday, whether the employee quit or was let go.

What is the Florida minimum wage now?

$15.00 an hour since September 30, 2026. It stays at $15.00 through December 31, 2027, then adjusts for inflation each January 1.

How MambaHR handles this

MambaHR keeps your Florida employee records and hiring pipeline, and onboarding sends the new-hire forms, starts the Form I-9 and follows up until the paperwork is done. Time off is approved within your own policy, since Florida sets no sick leave rules, and federal FMLA eligibility is checked. When someone leaves, it works out final pay for a person to approve and prepares the COBRA continuation notices.

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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.