--- title: "Michigan Paid Sick Leave Law: 1 Hour per 30 Hours Worked" description: "Michigan paid sick leave: 1 hour per 30 worked, 40–72 hours a year, day 121 for new hires, carryover and covered uses, from official pages." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-michigan" --- Paid sick leave · Michigan # Michigan paid sick leave How employees earn sick time under Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA), as amended by HB 4002 (2025), the yearly limit, when new hires can use it and what it covers, with a dated example. [![Intuit ProAdvisor Gold tier badge](/img/credentials/intuit-proadvisor-gold.png)](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77)Gold tier in Intuit's ProAdvisor program. [See my Intuit listing](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77) Keeping your own books? Tallyfinch does invoices, bank import and reports on your computer. [See Tallyfinch](/bookkeeping/mcc-books-downloadable-bookkeeping-software) **Short answer.** At least 1 hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked. Use may be limited to 72 hours of paid time a year (40 hours a calendar year at a small business). Use may begin: under the accrual method, a new employee may have to wait until the 120th calendar day after starting; front-loading employers have no wait. ## At a glance Law Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA), as amended by HB 4002 (2025) In effect February 21, 2025; for small businesses, October 1, 2025. Accrual At least 1 hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked. Yearly limit Use may be limited to 72 hours of paid time a year (40 hours a calendar year at a small business). Use may begin Under the accrual method, a new employee may have to wait until the 120th calendar day after starting; front-loading employers have no wait. Agency Michigan Wage and Hour Division (LEO) ## Rules by employer size | Employer size | Rate | Yearly limit | Paid? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 11 or more employees | 1 hr per 30 | 72 hrs of use | Yes | | Small business, 10 or fewer employees (from Oct. 1, 2025) | 1 hr per 30 | 40 hrs of use | Yes | ## Example with dates Suppose someone at an employer in the "small business, 10 or fewer employees (from oct. 1, 2025)" group starts on Monday, January 18, 2027 and works 40 hours every week. At 1 hour per 30 hours worked, that's 1.33 hours a week, and the first year comes to 69.33 hours, with the yearly use limit of 40 hours reached on Monday, August 16, 2027. The latest an employer could hold off use is Tuesday, May 18, 2027. Hiring in another state? [Employer registration in Michigan, done for you](/bookkeeping/out-of-state-employer-registration), or [a free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check). - By Sunday, April 18, 2027: 16 hours - By Sunday, July 18, 2027: 33.33 hours - By Tuesday, January 18, 2028: 69.33 hours Your own figures: [open the calculator set to Michigan](/bookkeeping/sick-leave-accrual-calculator?state=mi). ## What the time covers The employee's or a family member's mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, including diagnosis, care and preventive care, and needs when the employee or a family member is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault (medical care, counseling, victim services, relocation, legal services and proceedings). ## Unused hours at year end Under the accrual method, employees may carry over up to 40 hours (small business) or 72 hours (other employers). ## Front-loading instead of accrual Allowed: front-loaded hours must be available for immediate use, and the employer need not allow carryover or pay out unused time. ## Smaller employers and who is covered A small business has 10 or fewer employees, counting full-time, part-time and temporary workers, including those from staffing agencies. Its employees accrue from October 1, 2025, and use may be limited to 40 paid hours a year. ## Notices, posters and statements Employers give written notice of ESTA rights at hiring and display the required poster (English, Spanish and Arabic versions are published). ## City and county rules Cities and counties can't add their own paid sick leave requirements here: [MCL 123.1388 (Local Government Labor Regulatory Limitation Act)](https://zeus-milenia.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-123-1388.pdf) bars local governments from requiring employers to provide leave, so the statewide rule is the one that applies. ## Worth knowing The state's FAQ was revised July 22, 2025. Where a collective bargaining agreement in effect gives less than the law, the law applies once the contract expires, and the employer must notify the department. ## Official sources - [Earned Sick Time Act (Michigan LEO)](https://www.michigan.gov/EarnedSickTime) (checked November 2026) - [Earned Sick Time Act FAQ, revised 7/22/2025 (Michigan Wage and Hour Division)](https://www.michigan.gov/leo/-/media/Project/Websites/leo/Documents/WAGE-HOUR/LEO-ESTA-FAQ-English.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [MCL 123.1388, Providing employee paid or unpaid leave time; requirement by local governmental body prohibited (Michigan Legislature)](https://zeus-milenia.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-123-1388.pdf) (checked November 2026) Rules as published on the pages above, checked November 2026. General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. A city ordinance, union contract or written policy can give employees more. ## Questions employers ask **How much paid sick leave do employees earn in Michigan?** At least 1 hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked. Use may be limited to 72 hours of paid time a year (40 hours a calendar year at a small business). **When can a new employee start using sick leave in Michigan?** Under the accrual method, a new employee may have to wait until the 120th calendar day after starting; front-loading employers have no wait. **Does unused sick time carry over to the next year in Michigan?** Under the accrual method, employees may carry over up to 40 hours (small business) or 72 hours (other employers). **Can a Michigan employer front-load sick leave instead of tracking accrual?** Allowed: front-loaded hours must be available for immediate use, and the employer need not allow carryover or pay out unused time. **Do small employers in Michigan have to provide it?** A small business has 10 or fewer employees, counting full-time, part-time and temporary workers, including those from staffing agencies. Its employees accrue from October 1, 2025, and use may be limited to 40 paid hours a year. **What can Michigan sick leave be used for?** The employee's or a family member's mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, including diagnosis, care and preventive care, and needs when the employee or a family member is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault (medical care, counseling, victim services, relocation, legal services and proceedings). All states: [paid sick leave laws by state](/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-laws-by-state) · [Maryland](/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-maryland) · [Minnesota](/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-minnesota) Tallyfinch ### Books you keep on your own computer Tallyfinch does invoices, bills, bank import, reconciliation and the main reports, in a file you own. $99 once, then $5 a month for updates; the app keeps working if you stop the plan. It does not do payroll or sales tax filing. The free download records up to 60 entries. 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