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Expansion of Connecticut's Paid Sick Leave
Connecticut’s paid sick leave law will be expanded to provide paid sick days to virtually all employees. The existing law, passed in 2011, requires certain employers with 50 or more workers to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave annually to their “service workers” in certain specified retail and service industries. The Governor recently signed legislation that expands coverage over the next three years.
The legislation, among other things, expands the law by covering nearly all private sector employees and employers with at least 25 employees in 2025, those with at least 11 employees in 2026, and then those with at least one employee in 2027 (seasonal employees and certain union construction workers and their employers are exempt). Under the legislation, employees will accrue one hour of paid time off for every 30 hours worked up to a maximum of 40 hours of paid time off in a year. An employee is eligible for paid sick time after working 120 calendar days for the employer.
Employees may carry over up to 40 hours of unused time to the next year; however, the maximum that can be used by an employee in any one year will be 40 hours. Alternatively, an employer may give an employee an amount of paid sick leave that meets or exceeds the legislation’s requirements and is available for the employee to use immediately at the beginning of the next year, instead of carrying over the unused paid sick leave. Unless otherwise provided in the employer’s policy, an employee will not be entitled to payment for any unused paid sick leave upon termination of the employment.
Employers that already offer 40 hours of paid time off, regardless of how it is classified, will not be required to provide additional paid time off.
The legislation, among other things, expands the law by covering nearly all private sector employees and employers with at least 25 employees in 2025, those with at least 11 employees in 2026, and then those with at least one employee in 2027 (seasonal employees and certain union construction workers and their employers are exempt). Under the legislation, employees will accrue one hour of paid time off for every 30 hours worked up to a maximum of 40 hours of paid time off in a year. An employee is eligible for paid sick time after working 120 calendar days for the employer.
Employees may carry over up to 40 hours of unused time to the next year; however, the maximum that can be used by an employee in any one year will be 40 hours. Alternatively, an employer may give an employee an amount of paid sick leave that meets or exceeds the legislation’s requirements and is available for the employee to use immediately at the beginning of the next year, instead of carrying over the unused paid sick leave. Unless otherwise provided in the employer’s policy, an employee will not be entitled to payment for any unused paid sick leave upon termination of the employment.
Employers that already offer 40 hours of paid time off, regardless of how it is classified, will not be required to provide additional paid time off.
