--- title: "New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Law: 1 Hour per 30 Hours Worked" description: "New Jersey paid sick leave: 1 hour per 30 worked, 40 hours a year, day 121 for new hires, carryover and covered uses, from official pages." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-new-jersey" --- Paid sick leave · New Jersey # New Jersey paid sick leave How employees earn sick time under New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Law, 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.** 1 hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Up to 40 hours of earned sick leave per benefit year. Use may begin: employees must be able to use earned sick leave 120 days after their first day of employment, or sooner. ## At a glance Law New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Law In effect October 2018. Accrual 1 hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Yearly limit Up to 40 hours of earned sick leave per benefit year. Use may begin Employees must be able to use earned sick leave 120 days after their first day of employment, or sooner. Agency New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development ## Example with dates Suppose someone at an employer in the "any number of employees" group starts on Monday, January 11, 2027 and works 30 hours every week. At 1 hour per 30 hours worked, that's 1 hour a week, and the first year comes to 40 hours, with the accrual cap of 40 hours reached on Monday, October 18, 2027. The latest an employer could hold off use is Tuesday, May 11, 2027. Hiring in another state? [Employer registration in New Jersey](/bookkeeping/out-of-state-employer-registration), or [a free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check). - By Sunday, April 11, 2027: 12 hours - By Sunday, July 11, 2027: 25 hours - By Tuesday, January 11, 2028: 40 hours Your own figures: [open the calculator set to New Jersey](/bookkeeping/sick-leave-accrual-calculator?state=nj). ## What the time covers The employee's or a loved one's care, coping with domestic or sexual violence (including safety planning or a shelter stay), and caring for a child when school or child care is closed due to an epidemic or public health emergency. ## Unused hours at year end Up to 40 hours of unused earned sick leave carries over into the next benefit year. ## Front-loading instead of accrual Allowed: employees may be advanced at least 40 hours on the first day of the benefit year. ## Smaller employers and who is covered Employers of all sizes must provide paid earned sick leave to full-time, part-time and temporary employees. ## Notices, posters and statements Employers must display the Earned Sick Leave poster and give each employee written notice of the right to earned sick leave. ## City and county rules Cities and counties can't add their own paid sick leave requirements here: [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): N.J.S.A. 34:11D-8, earned sick leave preempts local ordinances (2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes, Justia)](https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-34/section-34-11d-8/) bars local governments from requiring employers to provide leave, so the statewide rule is the one that applies. ## Worth knowing N.J.S.A. 34:11D-8(a): the act "shall preempt any ordinance, resolution, law, rule, or regulation regarding earned sick leave," and a county or municipality may not adopt a new one. More for New Jersey employers: [Payroll and leave tracking for New Jersey small businesses](/bookkeeping/payroll-and-leave-tracking-nj) and [nanny and home aide payroll in new jersey](/bookkeeping/household-employer-nanny-payroll-nj), and the [New Jersey Small Employer HR Kit](/toolkits/nj-small-employer-hr-kit). ## Sources - [Earned Sick Leave Is the Law in New Jersey (NJ Department of Labor)](https://www.nj.gov/labor/myworkrights/leave-benefits/sick-leave/law.shtml) (checked November 2026) - [Earned Sick Leave: What Employers Need to Know, MW-566 (NJ Department of Labor)](https://www.nj.gov/labor/forms_pdfs/earnedsickleave/whatemployersneedtoknow.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): N.J.S.A. 34:11D-8, earned sick leave preempts local ordinances (2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes, Justia)](https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-34/section-34-11d-8/) (checked November 2026) Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)". 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 New Jersey?** 1 hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Up to 40 hours of earned sick leave per benefit year. **When can a new employee start using sick leave in New Jersey?** Employees must be able to use earned sick leave 120 days after their first day of employment, or sooner. **Does unused sick time carry over to the next year in New Jersey?** Up to 40 hours of unused earned sick leave carries over into the next benefit year. **Can a New Jersey employer front-load sick leave instead of tracking accrual?** Allowed: employees may be advanced at least 40 hours on the first day of the benefit year. **Do small employers in New Jersey have to provide it?** Employers of all sizes must provide paid earned sick leave to full-time, part-time and temporary employees. **What can New Jersey sick leave be used for?** The employee's or a loved one's care, coping with domestic or sexual violence (including safety planning or a shelter stay), and caring for a child when school or child care is closed due to an epidemic or public health emergency. All states: [paid sick leave laws by state](/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-laws-by-state) · [Nevada](/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-nevada) · [New York](/bookkeeping/paid-sick-leave-new-york) 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. [See Tallyfinch](/bookkeeping/mcc-books-downloadable-bookkeeping-software) [Download it free](/tools/pro/trial/mccBooks) [Compare the three apps](/software) ## Want payroll and leave tracked for you? [See bookkeeping services](/bookkeeping/)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)