Connecticut’s paid sick leave law gives most private-sector employees in the state the right to earn paid time off for illness, caregiving, and certain safety situations. You accrue one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year, and can start using that time on your 120th day of employment. Coverage began expanding on January 1, 2025, and by January 1, 2027 the law will reach virtually every employer in Connecticut with at least one worker.
Who Is Covered
Coverage depends on how many people your employer has on payroll in Connecticut during the week that includes January 1 of each year.1FindLaw. Connecticut Code 31-57r – Definitions
- January 1, 2025: employers with 25 or more employees
- January 1, 2026: employers with 11 or more employees
- January 1, 2027: all employers with one or more employees
Public Act 24-8 replaced the older, narrower system that only protected “service workers” in specific occupations at employers of 50 or more. The statute now uses “employee,” so job title and industry no longer decide whether you qualify.2Connecticut General Assembly. Public Act No 24-8 – An Act Expanding Paid Sick Days in the State
A few workers are left out. Seasonal employees who work 120 days or fewer in a year are not covered.1FindLaw. Connecticut Code 31-57r – Definitions Workers in a construction trade union that participates in a multiemployer health plan are also excluded, as are self-employed people.
How You Earn Paid Sick Time
You earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours you work, in one-hour increments, up to 40 hours per year.3Justia. Connecticut Code 31-57s – Employer Requirement to Provide Sick Leave to Employees Accrual starts on day one. Using the time is different: you become eligible to actually take leave on your 120th calendar day of employment, roughly four months in.
Employers can skip the accrual math by frontloading. If your employer gives you the full 40 hours at the start of the year and makes it available immediately, that satisfies the law and there is nothing to track.3Justia. Connecticut Code 31-57s – Employer Requirement to Provide Sick Leave to Employees
Unused hours don’t disappear. You can carry up to 40 accrued but unused hours into the next year, but the 40-hour cap on actual use still applies within any single year.
If your employer already offers PTO, vacation, or unlimited leave that you can use for the same reasons and that accrues at least as fast, that plan meets the requirement. Nothing stops an employer from being more generous than the statute.
What You Can Use It For
The permitted reasons are broad and cover more than being sick yourself.
Your Own Health
Any personal illness, injury, or health condition qualifies, including diagnosis and ongoing treatment. Preventive appointments like physicals and screenings count. Mental health wellness days are explicitly allowed, so you do not need a diagnosis to take one.4Justia. Connecticut Code 31-57t – Permitted Uses for Paid Sick Leave
Caring for a Family Member
The definition of family under the expanded law is wide. It covers your spouse or domestic partner, your child (biological, adopted, foster, stepchild, legal ward, or a child you’re standing in as a parent for), a parent or parent-in-law, a sibling, a grandparent, and a grandchild, including relationships formed by marriage, adoption, or foster care. It also reaches anyone related by blood or close association whose relationship with you is the equivalent of those listed, which can include an aunt who raised you, a longtime partner, or another family-like bond.5Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut’s Paid Sick Leave Law
Domestic Violence or Sexual Assault
If you or your child is a victim of family violence or sexual assault, you can use paid sick leave for medical or psychological treatment, services from a victim organization, relocating, or legal proceedings related to the incident.4Justia. Connecticut Code 31-57t – Permitted Uses for Paid Sick Leave
Public Health Emergencies
You can take paid sick leave when a public official closes your workplace, or your family member’s school or care facility, because of a public health emergency. It also covers exposure to a communicable disease when a health authority, healthcare provider, or your employer determines you or a family member poses a risk to others.5Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut’s Paid Sick Leave Law
What You Get Paid
Paid sick leave is paid at your normal hourly wage or the state minimum wage, whichever is higher. If your pay varies with the type of work you do, your normal hourly wage is the average hourly rate from the pay period immediately before the one in which you take leave.3Justia. Connecticut Code 31-57s – Employer Requirement to Provide Sick Leave to Employees
No Doctor’s Note Required
Your employer cannot demand medical documentation to let you use paid sick leave. The Connecticut Department of Labor has stated that no documentation is required under the law.6Connecticut Department of Labor. Paid Sick Leave Q&A A demand for a doctor’s note before you can use your accrued time may itself be a violation.
Protection From Retaliation
Firing you, demoting you, suspending you, or taking any other negative action because you requested paid sick leave, used it, or complained about a violation is prohibited.7Justia. Connecticut Code 31-57v – Retaliation, Discrimination Prohibited
Retaliation carries a $500 civil penalty per violation. Other violations, such as failing to provide accrued leave or skipping required notice postings, carry penalties of up to $100 per violation. The Labor Commissioner can also order reinstatement, back wages, payment for sick leave you used, and restoration of benefits you lost.
Filing a Complaint
If your employer denies your accrued leave, refuses to pay you for time you used, or retaliates against you, you can file a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Labor. Any employee who believes the law has been violated can bring one.7Justia. Connecticut Code 31-57v – Retaliation, Discrimination Prohibited
Before you file, pull together your employer’s legal business name and worksite address, the specific dates you requested leave and what happened each time, and pay stubs showing your hours and any accrued sick time. Detailed records make an investigator’s job much easier.
Two forms cover most situations. Use the Statement of Claim for Wages if you were not paid for sick leave you actually took. Use the Workplace Standards Complaint Form for non-wage issues like retaliation or a flat refusal to let you use leave. Both are available through the DOL’s Wage and Workplace Standards Division.8Connecticut Department of Labor. Wage and Workplace Standards Complaint Forms Instructions
Send completed forms to the Connecticut Department of Labor, 200 Folly Brook Blvd, Wethersfield, CT 06109. The Labor Commissioner may hold a hearing where both sides present evidence, and if a violation is found, the employer faces the penalties above and you may receive back pay, reinstatement, and restoration of benefits. Either side can appeal to Superior Court.