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New Jersey paid sick leave law

The short answer

New Jersey Earned Sick Leave: employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked (employers may instead front-load the annual amount). (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights)) Employers must allow accrual and use of up to 40 hours per benefit year; up to 40 unused hours carry over, but use can be limited to 40 hours per benefit year. (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights)) Employers of all sizes must provide paid earned sick leave (full-time, part-time and temporary employees; few exemptions). (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights))

Last verified Sep 24, 2026 · How we verify every rule

General information, not legal advice. This page is for general information only and isn’t legal, financial or tax advice. Laws vary by state and change; check the official source or talk to a qualified professional about your situation. Every rule on this page links to its official source.

Do you have to give paid sick leave?Yes, statewideVerified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official pages from the same agency

  • Accrual: New Jersey Earned Sick Leave: employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked (employers may instead front-load the annual amount). (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights))

    “Earn one hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours you work. The maximum amount employers are required to provide you is 40 hours of leave per benefit year.”

    NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights) · nj.gov

    “Employees earn 1 hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours of leave per benefit year.”

    NJDOL, MW-590 Small Business Guide to Earned Sick Leave (3-26) · nj.gov

    nj.gov · nj.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official pages from the same agency

  • Annual cap: Employers must allow accrual and use of up to 40 hours per benefit year; up to 40 unused hours carry over, but use can be limited to 40 hours per benefit year. (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights))

    “You must allow employees to carry over up to 40 hours of unused Earned Sick Leave into the next benefit year. You are only required to permit them to use up to 40 hours of leave per benefit year, no matter how much time they have carried over and accrued.”

    NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights) · nj.gov

    “allow employees to carry over up to 40 hours of unused Earned Sick Leave into the next benefit year. You are only required to permit them to use up to 40 hours of leave per benefit year, no matter how much time they have carried over and accrued.”

    NJDOL, MW-590 Small Business Guide to Earned Sick Leave (3-26) · nj.gov

    nj.gov · nj.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official pages from the same agency

  • Employer coverage: Employers of all sizes must provide paid earned sick leave (full-time, part-time and temporary employees; few exemptions). (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights))

    “Employers of all sizes must provide full-time, part-time, and temporary employees with up to 40 hours of earned sick leave per year so they can care for themselves or a loved one.”

    NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights) · nj.gov

    “Employers of all sizes must provide earned sick leave to nearly all employees.”

    NJDOL, MW-590 Small Business Guide to Earned Sick Leave (3-26) · nj.gov

    nj.gov · nj.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official pages from the same agency

One more case for this topic is not verified yet. Check the official source.

What it means for an employer

  1. Put your sick leave policy in writing: accrual rate, yearly cap, carryover and how to request leave.
  2. Track accrued and used hours for each employee in payroll.
  3. Check the verified rules above for the employer size and employees covered.

The federal default

“There is currently no federal law guaranteeing access to paid sick leave, although many states and localities have passed paid sick leave laws.”

U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau: Paid leave · dol.gov

State rules can add to the federal default. The New Jersey rules above are the ones we verified; for anything not covered, ask the state labor office.

Paid sick leave: New Jersey and its neighbors

StatePaid sick leave
New JerseyYes, statewide
New YorkYes, statewide
PennsylvaniaNo statewide law
DelawareNot verified

Only verified rules are shown. "Not verified" means we have not checked that state's rule yet; open its rulebook for the official source.

New Jersey employer rulebookEvery verified rule for the statePaid sick leave laws by stateOne row per state, with sources

Questions about New Jersey paid sick leave law

Do you have to give paid sick leave in New Jersey?

Accrual: New Jersey Earned Sick Leave: employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked (employers may instead front-load the annual amount). (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights)) Annual cap: Employers must allow accrual and use of up to 40 hours per benefit year; up to 40 unused hours carry over, but use can be limited to 40 hours per benefit year. (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights)) Employer coverage: Employers of all sizes must provide paid earned sick leave (full-time, part-time and temporary employees; few exemptions). (NJDOL, Earned Sick Leave (My Work Rights))

Sources (3)

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