Additional guidance around the expansion of the state’s sick leave law has been released by the California Department of Industrial Relations. This guidance went into effect on January 1, 2024.

Changes to the state laws include:

• Employees may use up to five days (or 40 hours) of paid sick leave each year. This is an increase from three days or 24 hours.
• Employers are not obligated to allow employees to accrue more than 10 days (or 80 hours) in paid sick leave, as long as the right to accrue and use paid sick leave is not restricted by the employer. This is an increase from six days or 48 hours.
• Employers are not required to carry over unused, accrued leave if they choose to “frontload” the full amount of leave (five days or 40 hours) at the start of each calendar year. This method is also referred to as the up-front method.

You can also review the updated FAQ regarding the state sick leave law.

This article is informational and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with an employment lawyer or accountant for additional clarification on how these changes impact your company.