Connecticut Sick Leave Law

Connecticut passed the Paid Sick Leave Act making it the first state mandating paid sick leave for qualifying employees. This legislation went into effect on January 1, 2012. There are some limitations regarding the types of employees covered by the sick leave law. Here's what they look like.

Covered employers:

Companies with 50 or more employees.

Eligible employees:

Hourly "service workers", as defined by the Act under paragraph 7. The law does not cover exempt, salaried employees or day laborers.

Leave provided:

Covered employees receive 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours they work, maxing out at 40 hours (5 days). Up to 5 days of paid sick leave can be carried over from one year to the next, but an employee can't use more than 5 days of paid sick leave in any calendar year.

Qualifying Reasons for Leave:

A covered employee is allowed to use accrued sick leave for their own, their spouse's, or their child's:

1.   Illness, injury, or health condition
2.   Medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition
3.   Preventive medical care.

Also, workers who are victims of family violence or sexual assault are allowed to use accrued sick leave for treatment, services, relocation, participation in legal proceedings, and other related needs.

Changes Expected in 2022

A new law that comes into effect on Jan. 2022, will make significant changes to the existing Family and Leave Act. Some of these changes include: 

• The Act will apply to all employers in the private sector with at least one employee
• Employees who were employed for three months are eligible under this Act
• The Act allows eligible employees to receive a maximum of $900 per week for up to 12 weeks

More Resources:

• Conn. Paid Sick Leave Act
• Federal Family and Medical Leave Act Overview
• Other States' Paid Family and Sick Leave Laws