Connecticut paid sick leave rules for employers

“January 1, 2026 - employers with 11 or more employees in CT”

Sick leave policy template

What it means for Connecticut employers

Connecticut is in the middle of a three-step phase-in under CGS 31-57r to 31-57w: 25 or more employees from January 1, 2025, 11 or more from January 1, 2026, and 1 or more from January 1, 2027. A business with 4 or 8 employees is outside the law this year but needs a policy in place for January 1, 2027. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)

The headcount test is a single week, not an average: the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) looks at the payroll for the week that contains January 1, every year. A shop that has 12 people that week is covered for the year even if it drops to 9 in March. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)

Only hours actually worked earn leave; paid or unpaid time off does not. Overtime-exempt staff are presumed to work 40 hours a week and earn nothing for hours beyond 40. Employees may use leave in one-hour increments whatever the timekeeping system, and are paid the greater of their normal hourly wage or the state minimum fair wage (CGS 31-58), without overtime or commissions in the rate. Where pay varies, CTDOL uses the average hourly wage of the pay period just before the leave. (CTDOL, Paid Sick Leave notice (poster effective 1/1/2026))

The permitted uses are wide: the employee's or a family member's illness, treatment or preventive care, a mental health wellness day, closures ordered in a public health emergency, communicable disease exposure, and needs arising from family violence or sexual assault. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)

Penalties and liability

CTDOL says an employer found in violation after a formal administrative hearing owes a $100 civil penalty per violation, and the Labor Commissioner can order payment for used sick leave, reinstatement, back wages and restored benefits. Failing to give CTDOL reasonable access to the sick leave records is itself a violation that can carry the same $100 penalty. There is no private right of action outside this process; the decision can be appealed to Superior Court. (CTDOL, Paid Sick Leave notice (poster effective 1/1/2026))

Exceptions and special cases

• Seasonal employees (120 days or less of work in a year) are excluded, as are members of construction trade unions whose agreements maintain a multiemployer health plan. If a worker hired as seasonal passes 120 days, the employer looks back to the first day and credits the hours that would have accrued. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)
• New employees can use accrued leave 120 calendar days after hire. It is a one-time wait: a returning employee who already met it does not wait again, though a break in service ends the old balance and accrual starts over. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)
• No documentation: CTDOL says employers may not require any proof that leave is for a permitted purpose, and the law does not require advance notice; employees are expected to call out as soon as practicable under the normal policy. An employer may still discipline an employee who uses the leave for a purpose the law does not cover. (CTDOL, Paid Sick Leave notice (poster effective 1/1/2026))
• Payout: no employer is obliged to pay out unused sick leave at termination unless its own policy, a contract or a collective bargaining agreement says so. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)

Worked examples

A dental practice with 10 people on January 1, 2026

It is below 11 for the week containing January 1, 2026, so the law does not apply this year. On January 1, 2027 it is covered whatever its size, and accrual starts that day for everyone already on staff. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)

A hire on Monday, February 2, 2026

Leave accrues from the first shift, but the 120-calendar-day wait ends on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. From that date the employee can use what has built up, in whole hours. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)

Carrying hours into 2027

An employee ends the benefit year with 32 unused hours. All 32 can carry over (the limit is 40), but use in the new year is still capped at 40 hours. Instead of carryover, the employer may front-load the new year's amount. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs)

How to act on it

Paid sick leave: Connecticut and neighboring states

Each state links to its rulebook. Only rules we verified are shown.

Questions about Connecticut paid sick leave rules

The verified rules behind this page (4)

• Accrual: Connecticut paid sick leave: employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours actually worked. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs; verified Sep 24, 2026)
• Annual cap: Employees accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year (employers may allow more). (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs; verified Sep 24, 2026)
• Employer coverage: Since January 1, 2026, the law covers employers with 11 or more employees in Connecticut, counted on the payroll for the week containing January 1st. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs; verified Sep 24, 2026)
• Employer coverage from 2027: From January 1, 2027, the law covers employers with 1 or more employees in Connecticut. (Connecticut DOL, Paid Sick Leave FAQs; verified Sep 24, 2026)

Sources (3)

• Connecticut Department of Labor, Paid Sick Leave FAQs
• CTDOL, Paid Sick Leave notice (poster effective 1/1/2026)
• Office of Governor Ned Lamont, paid sick days expansion (May 2024)

Checked Sep 24, 2026 · How we verify every rule · Report an error

Where this goes next

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