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New Laws for 2014: Paid Sick Leave and Paid Time Off (CA)


This is one of the bigger pieces of legislation to come along in quite some time.  California employers take note...this one will impact you!


On September 10, 2014, California's Governor signed into law AB 1522, the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014.  This law, which goes into effect July 1, 2015, requires California employers to provide workers paid sick leave.  With a few exceptions, the law covers employees who work at least 30 days within a year of starting their employment.

A few important parts of the law to note:

  • Employees will accrue paid sick leave at a rate of at least one hour for every 30 hours worked.
  • Employees may use accrued paid sick leave for personal illness, a family member's health condition, or leave related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
  • Accrued sick days carry over to the following year of employment, but an employer may limit an employee's use of paid sick days to 24 hours or three days per calender year. 
  • Employers are not required to pay out unused accrued sick leave upon an employer's termination.

One thing to keep in mind is that employers who already provide paid sick leave or paid time off are not required to provide additional days of paid sick leave under the new law.  However, employers should ensure that the leave policy currently in place provides at least as much paid sick leave as provided for under the new law.  

California employers, you are on the clock.  By next July, you must ensure that paid sick leave or paid time off is provided for in accordance with the new law or that current paid sick leave or paid time off policies already in place follow the new requirements. 

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