Required Employee Benefits by State — Comparison Table (2026)

Side-by-side comparison of state-mandated employee benefits for all 50 states + DC. Click any state name for the full breakdown including agency links, FAQs, and details.

Your state:

Summary:All states require unemployment insurance. Nearly all require workers' compensation (Texas is the lone exception). Beyond that, 5 states require disability insurance, 13 states/DC require paid family leave, and 22 states/DC require paid sick leave. Only 2 states have an employer health insurance mandate.

State	Workers' Comp	Disability Ins.	Paid Family Leave	Paid Sick Leave	Health Ins. Mandate	Unemployment	Mini-COBRA	Total
Alabama	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Alaska	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Arizona	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
Arkansas	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
California	Yes	Yes	Yes8 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
Colorado	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
Connecticut	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
Delaware	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
District of Columbia	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
Florida	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Georgia	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Hawaii	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	4
Idaho	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	2
Illinois	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
Indiana	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	2
Iowa	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Kansas	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Kentucky	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Louisiana	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Maine	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
Maryland	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
Massachusetts	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks family / 20 weeks medical	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
Michigan	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
Minnesota	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
Mississippi	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Missouri	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
Montana	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Nebraska	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
Nevada	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
New Hampshire	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
New Jersey	Yes	Yes	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
New Mexico	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
New York	Yes	Yes	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
North Carolina	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
North Dakota	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Ohio	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Oklahoma	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Oregon	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
Pennsylvania	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Rhode Island	Yes	Yes	Yes6 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
South Carolina	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
South Dakota	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Tennessee	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Texas	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	1
Utah	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Vermont	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	3
Virginia	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Washington	Yes	No	Yes12 weeks	Yes	No	Yes	No	4
West Virginia	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Wisconsin	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	2
Wyoming	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	2

What Each Benefit Means

Workers' Compensation

Insurance covering medical costs and lost wages for employees injured on the job. Required in 49 states + DC (voluntary only in Texas). Thresholds range from 1 to 5 employees.

State Disability Insurance

Partial wage replacement for employees who cannot work due to non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. Required in CA, HI, NJ, NY, and RI. Typically funded by employee payroll deductions.

Paid Family Leave

State-funded programs providing partial wage replacement for bonding with a new child, caring for a seriously ill family member, or personal medical leave. Duration ranges from 6 to 12+ weeks depending on the state.

Paid Sick Leave

Employers must allow employees to accrue and use paid time off for illness, medical appointments, or caring for a sick family member. Typically 1 hour per 30-40 hours worked, with annual caps of 24-72 hours.

Employer Health Insurance Mandate

A state law requiring employers to provide or contribute to employee health insurance. Only Hawaii (Prepaid Health Care Act, 1974) and Massachusetts (Fair Share Contribution) have true employer mandates beyond the federal ACA.

Mini-COBRA

State laws extending health insurance continuation coverage to employers with fewer than 20 employees (who are not covered by federal COBRA). Duration ranges from 63 days to 36 months depending on the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

What benefits are required in every state?

Unemployment insurance is required in all 50 states + DC. Workers' compensation is required in 49 states + DC (Texas is the only state where it is voluntary for private employers).

Which states require disability insurance?

Five states require temporary disability insurance: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. These programs provide partial wage replacement for non-work-related illness or injury.

Which states have paid family leave?

As of 2026, states with mandatory paid family leave programs include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. Several additional states have enacted programs with future effective dates.

Does the “total” count include unemployment insurance?

The total mandated benefits count includes workers' comp (if required), disability insurance, paid family leave, paid sick leave, and health insurance mandate. Unemployment insurance is universal and not counted separately. Mini-COBRA is also not counted in the total since it extends an existing benefit rather than creating a new one.

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Last updated: 2026-03-27. This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change — always verify with your state's labor department. Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, individual state agency websites.