Sick Leave Accrual Calculator

Paid sick leave

How sick leave accrual is calculated

State sick leave laws mostly work the same way: you earn a set amount of leave for every hour you work. In five of the six states in the calculator the minimum is 1 hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked; Washington uses 1 hour for every 40. Hours earned = hours worked / 30 (or / 40), and many states then limit how much you must be allowed to earn or use in a year. New Jersey's own example: work 40 hours a week and you earn 5.33 hours of sick leave in 4 weeks, because 160 hours / 30 = 5.33 hours. Minnesota's example: 30 hours a week for 28 weeks is 840 hours worked, and 840 / 30 = 28 hours.

Employers can also skip accrual and give the full yearly amount up front, which California calls an up-front policy and other states call front-loading or advance leave. If your employer front-loads, the calculator's earned figure matters less than the yearly amount you were given. There is no federal paid sick leave law for private employers: the U.S. Department of Labor states that there are currently no federal legal requirements for paid sick leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for certain medical situations, for employees who qualify.

Sources: California Labor Commissioner (DIR) paid sick leave FAQ, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, NJ Department of Labor, New York State paid sick leave, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, Washington L&I.

California paid sick leave

California employers must generally provide 5 days or 40 hours of paid sick leave. Under an accrual policy you earn at least 1 hour for every 30 hours of work, and your employer must let you use at least 5 days or 40 hours a year, whichever is more. That is why the calculator asks for the length of your workday: with 10-hour days you are entitled to use at least 50 hours, while with 6-hour days, five days of leave use only 30 hours and you still have 10 hours left. Your employer may cap your total balance at 10 days or 80 hours, whichever is more. To qualify you must work for the same employer for at least 30 days within a year in California, and you can use leave after a 90-day employment period. A local ordinance that requires more paid sick leave than state law also applies. Sick leave is paid at your regular non-overtime rate for that workweek or at your total pay for the previous 90 days divided by the non-overtime hours worked in those full pay periods.

New York paid sick leave

New York sets the yearly amount by employer size: up to 56 hours of paid sick leave a year with 100 or more employees and up to 40 hours with 5 to 99. With 4 or fewer employees, the 40 hours are paid if the employer's net income was more than $1 million in the previous tax year and unpaid if it was $1 million or less. Leave accrues at no less than 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, or the employer can give the full amount at the start of the year. All private-sector employees are covered, including part-time and overtime-exempt workers, but federal, state and local government employees are not. Employers may limit the leave taken in a year to the required amount, and paid leave is paid at your normal rate or the minimum wage, whichever is greater.

New Jersey earned sick leave

New Jersey requires employers of all sizes to provide full-time, part-time and temporary employees with up to 40 hours of earned sick leave a year. You earn 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, and 40 hours per benefit year is the most an employer must provide. You can carry up to 40 unused hours into the next benefit year, and your employer must let you use up to 40 hours a year even if you carried leave over. Employers can instead give 40 hours at the start of the benefit year, and they may choose to pay you for unused leave at the end of the benefit year.

Washington paid sick leave

Washington requires at least 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, whether you are full-time, part-time, temporary or seasonal. All hours worked count, including overtime, and L&I states there is no cap on the hours you can accrue within the accrual year. Its examples: a part-time employee working 20 hours a week earns 1 hour every two weeks, and someone working 60 hours a week earns 3 hours every two weeks. Your employer must carry over a balance of 40 hours or less to the next year, you can start using sick leave 90 calendar days after your first day of work, and the hours are paid at your normal hourly compensation. If a local ordinance is more generous, it applies.

Oregon sick time

In Oregon the sick time is paid if your employer has 10 or more employees, or 6 or more with a location in Portland; otherwise it is protected but unpaid. You earn at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year, and part-time employees earn it too. You can start using sick time after 90 days with your employer. Employers can limit use to 40 hours a year, limit carryover to 40 hours and cap the total balance at 80 hours, or front-load at least 40 hours at the start of the year.

Minnesota earned sick and safe time

Minnesota's earned sick and safe time is paid leave for employees expected to work at least 80 hours a year for an employer in the state, including part-time, seasonal and temporary employees. You earn 1 hour for every 30 hours worked from your first day, up to 48 hours a year unless your employer agrees to more. Unused hours carry over from year to year until your balance reaches an 80-hour maximum. The time is paid at the same base rate you earn when working, and Minneapolis and St. Paul have their own ordinances.

Full-year totals and what happens to unused leave

The table shows what a full 52-week year at the same weekly hours earns under each state's minimum. At 40 hours a week the states with yearly limits reach them well before the end of the year, while California and Washington keep accruing, subject to California's balance cap and use limit.

Our calculation for 52 weeks at each state's minimum accrual rate and yearly limit, before any balance cap or use limit.

Unused sick leave is handled differently from vacation when you leave a job. California does not require a cash-out unless the employer's policy provides one, Oregon employers do not have to pay for unused sick time at termination or resignation, and Washington balances generally do not have to be paid when employment ends. In California and Washington, your balance comes back if you are rehired by the same employer within 12 months. For vacation paid out at the end of a job, use the PTO payout calculator, and see the guide to final paycheck laws by state for when the last check is due.

State paid family and medical leave programs, which replace part of your wages during a longer absence, are separate from sick leave; see the maternity leave pay calculator and the guide to the New York paid family leave deduction. To see what your sick hours are worth in pay, run your rate through the hourly paycheck calculator.