Paid Sick Leave in Connecticut: Who Qualifies and How Much You Earn

Connecticut law requires most private employers to provide paid sick leave, and under the state's expanded statute (Public Act 24-8) eligible employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, capped at 40 hours per year. That accrual rate and cap are set in state law, not left to your employer's discretion. As of January 1, 2025 the expanded law covers employers with 25 or more employees; on January 1, 2026 it reaches employers with 11 or more; and on January 1, 2027 it applies to nearly all employers with one or more employees. Connecticut was the first state in the nation to require paid sick days, and the program is administered by the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL).

What Connecticut requires

The expanded paid sick leave law (codified primarily at Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-57r through 31-57w, as amended by Public Act 24-8) replaced Connecticut's older, narrower "service worker" sick leave statute. The key rules are:

• Accrual rate: One hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. This is more generous than the old law's 1-hour-per-40-hours formula.
• Annual cap: Employers are not required to let you accrue or use more than 40 hours of paid sick leave in a year.
• Carryover: Unused sick leave carries over to the next year, up to 40 hours — but your employer can still cap annual use at 40 hours. An employer may instead front-load 40 hours at the start of the year to avoid tracking carryover.
• When it starts: Employees begin accruing leave from the first day of employment, and may begin using accrued leave on the 120th calendar day of employment.
• Pay rate: Sick leave is paid at your normal hourly wage. Connecticut's minimum wage is indexed to inflation; as of 2026 it is in the $16-plus range, but confirm the current figure with CTDOL because it adjusts each January.

Who is covered

The expanded law dropped the old "service worker" job-category limit, so coverage is now defined mainly by employer size and the phase-in schedule:

• 2025: Employers with 25 or more employees in Connecticut.
• 2026: Employers with 11 or more employees.
• 2027: Employers with one or more employees — effectively almost every private employer.

The headcount is generally measured using the number of employees on the payroll during a designated week (commonly January 1 of the year). Certain categories are excluded or treated differently, including some seasonal employees (those working 120 days or fewer in a year) and certain temporary workers, as well as some employees covered by particular collective-bargaining or self-employment arrangements. The law also reaches part-time employees — there is no minimum-hours threshold to qualify, because accrual is tied to hours actually worked. Day laborers and many gig-style workers may be excluded depending on their classification, so check your specific status with CTDOL.

What you can use sick leave for

Connecticut's expanded law also broadened the reasons you may use paid sick leave. Covered uses include:

• Your own illness, injury, or health condition, including preventive medical care and mental health needs.
• Care for a family member with an illness, injury, or health condition, or for that family member's preventive care. The definition of family member is broad — spouse, sibling, child, grandparent, grandchild, parent, and an individual related by blood or whose close association is the equivalent of a family relationship.
• Reasons related to family violence or sexual assault, such as medical care, counseling, relocation, or legal proceedings, when you or a family member is a victim.
• A closure of your workplace, or of your child's school or place of care, ordered by a public official due to a public health emergency, or a determination that you or a family member poses a contagion risk.

Your employer cannot require you to find a replacement worker as a condition of using sick leave, and cannot require documentation for short absences in a way the statute prohibits. For absences of three or more consecutive days, an employer may request reasonable documentation.

How it compares to federal law

There is no federal law requiring private employers to provide paid sick leave. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets a federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and overtime after 40 hours in a week, but it does not mandate any paid time off. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave, and only for employers with 50 or more employees and employees who have worked at least 1,250 hours over the prior 12 months. Connecticut's paid sick leave law fills the gap the FLSA leaves open, guaranteeing paid time for short health-related absences that FMLA does not cover.

How it interacts with PTO, FMLA, and CT Paid Leave

If your employer already offers paid time off (PTO), paid vacation, or a combined leave bank that you can use for the same purposes and that meets or exceeds the law's accrual and use requirements, the employer generally does not have to provide additional, separate sick leave. The substitute policy must let you take leave for all the statutory reasons and accrue at least as much as the law requires. A generic vacation policy that cannot be used for a sick child or a family-violence court date will not satisfy the law.

Connecticut paid sick leave is separate from — and stacks with — two other Connecticut programs. The Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA) applies to employers with one or more employees and provides job-protected leave for longer, qualifying medical and family events. The Connecticut Paid Leave (CTPL) program provides wage-replacement income (paid through a state trust funded by employee payroll contributions) during CT FMLA-qualifying leave. You may use a few accrued sick-leave hours for a short illness, or tap CT FMLA/CTPL for a serious health condition or bonding leave — they cover different needs.

Local ordinances

Unlike some states, Connecticut does not have a patchwork of city or county paid-sick-leave ordinances. Paid sick leave in Connecticut is governed by the statewide statute administered by CTDOL, so the rules described here apply uniformly across municipalities such as Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford. Always rely on the state statute and CTDOL guidance rather than assuming a local rule exists.

How to enforce your rights

Employers must give written notice of your sick-leave rights, must not retaliate against you for requesting or using leave, and must keep records of accrual and use. If your employer denies paid sick leave you have earned, miscounts your hours, or retaliates against you, you can file a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Labor, Wage and Workplace Standards Division. Practical steps:

• Keep your own record of hours worked and sick-leave balances shown on pay stubs.
• Make leave requests in writing when you can, and save copies.
• Note any adverse action (discipline, schedule cuts, termination) that follows your use of sick leave — retaliation is prohibited.
• File a complaint with CTDOL within the time limits, and consider consulting an employment attorney for serious or retaliatory violations.

Where to verify

Because the phase-in thresholds and the minimum wage change on a set schedule, confirm the current rules before relying on them. The authoritative sources are the Connecticut Department of Labor (its paid sick leave guidance and FAQs) and the text of Public Act 24-8 and Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-57r to 31-57w. CTDOL publishes plain-language fact sheets and the required workplace notice, and its Wage and Workplace Standards Division can answer questions about whether your employer and your job are covered.

Official Connecticut Sources

This page is based on Connecticut employment law. Rules and figures change — verify the current details directly with the official Connecticut sources below. This is general legal information, not legal advice.

• Connecticut Department of Labor — official Connecticut agency.
• File a Wage Complaint - Wage and Workplace Standards Division
• Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 558 - Wages

Federal law and local ordinances may also apply. Federal laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act set a national floor, and your city or county may add protections (such as a higher local minimum wage or paid sick leave). Check both alongside Connecticut state law.