Sick Leave Accrual Calculator

Last updated: 2026-10-03 · 33 state, city and federal rule sets checked 2026-10-03

Pick the law where the employee works, the employer size and the schedule. You get the balance today, what can be used now, what carries into next year, and a pay-period ledger you can download — with each law's accrual rate, caps, carryover and waiting period applied.

Calculate accrued sick leave

Pick the law, employer size and schedule. The balance updates as you type — pay period by pay period, with annual caps, carryover and waiting periods applied. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Law that applies (state or city)

Employer size

Method

Hours worked

Pay frequency

Benefit year

Employee start date

Balance as of

Use my own (more generous) policy

Sick time already used (optional)

None entered — add the dates and hours of any sick time taken to see the remaining balance.

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The math: 1 hour per 30 hours worked

Hours earned = hours worked ÷ X, where X is the law's rate (30 in most states). At 40 hours a week that is 40 ÷ 30 = 1.33 hours a week, or 69.3 hours over 52 weeks before caps. At 30 hours a week it is 1 hour a week; at 20 hours a week, 0.67.

Then apply the limits in this order: the annual accrual cap stops earning for the rest of the benefit year; a balance cap pauses earning while the bank is full; the annual use cap limits how much can be taken even if more is banked; and at year end, the carryover cap decides what rolls into next year.

Accrual rates and caps at a glance

Law	Employer size	1 hr per	Per week at 40 hrs	Year at 40 hrs/wk	Year at 20 hrs/wk	Weeks to cap (40 hrs/wk)	Use cap
Alaska	Fewer than 15 employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Alaska	15 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	56	34.67	42	56 hrs
Arizona	Fewer than 15 employees	30 hrs	1.33	24	24	18	24 hrs
Arizona	15 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
California	Any size	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	40 hrs
Colorado	Any size	30 hrs	1.33	48	34.67	36	48 hrs
Connecticut	1–10 employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Connecticut	11–24 employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Connecticut	25 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
District of Columbia	1–24 employees	87 hrs	0.46	23.91	11.95	—	24 hrs
District of Columbia	25–99 employees	43 hrs	0.93	40	24.19	43	40 hrs
District of Columbia	100 or more employees	37 hrs	1.08	56	28.11	51.8	56 hrs
Illinois	Any size	40 hrs	1	40	26	40	40 hrs
Maine	More than 10 employees	40 hrs	1	40	26	40	None
Maryland	14 or fewer employees (unpaid)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	64 hrs
Maryland	15 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	64 hrs
Massachusetts	10 or fewer employees (unpaid)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Massachusetts	11 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Michigan	Small business (10 or fewer)	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	40 hrs
Michigan	11 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	72 hrs
Minnesota	Any size	30 hrs	1.33	48	34.67	36	None
Nebraska	11–19 employees (small business)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Nebraska	20 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	56	34.67	42	56 hrs
Nevada	50 or more employees	52 hrs	0.77	40	20	—	40 hrs
New Jersey	Any size	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
New Mexico	Any size	30 hrs	1.33	64	34.67	48	64 hrs
New York	0–4 employees, net income ≤ $1M (unpaid)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
New York	0–4 employees, net income > $1M	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
New York	5–99 employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
New York	100 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	56	34.67	42	56 hrs
Oregon	Fewer than 10 employees (fewer than 6 with a Portland location) (unpaid)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Oregon	10+ employees (6+ with a Portland location)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
Rhode Island	18 or more employees	35 hrs	1.14	40	29.71	35	40 hrs
Vermont	Any size	52 hrs	0.77	40	20	—	40 hrs
Washington	Any size	40 hrs	1	52	26	—	None
Los Angeles (city), CA	Any size	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	48 hrs
San Francisco, CA	Fewer than 10 employees	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	None
San Francisco, CA	10 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	None
Chicago, IL — Paid Leave (any reason)	Any size	35 hrs	1.14	40	29.71	35	None
Chicago, IL — Paid Sick Leave	Any size	35 hrs	1.14	40	29.71	35	None
Cook County, IL (suburban)	Any size	40 hrs	1	40	26	40	40 hrs
Montgomery County, MD	Fewer than 5 employees	30 hrs	1.33	32	32	24	80 hrs
Montgomery County, MD	5 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	56	34.67	42	80 hrs
New York City, NY	0–4 employees, net income < $1M (unpaid)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
New York City, NY	0–4 employees, net income ≥ $1M (or domestic workers)	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
New York City, NY	5–99 employees	30 hrs	1.33	40	34.67	30	40 hrs
New York City, NY	100 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	56	34.67	42	56 hrs
Allegheny County, PA	26 or more employees	35 hrs	1.14	40	29.71	35	40 hrs
Philadelphia, PA	9 or fewer employees (unpaid)	40 hrs	1	40	26	40	40 hrs
Philadelphia, PA	10 or more employees	40 hrs	1	40	26	40	40 hrs
Pittsburgh, PA	Fewer than 15 employees	30 hrs	1.33	48	34.67	36	48 hrs
Pittsburgh, PA	15 or more employees	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	72 hrs
Seattle, WA	Tier 1 (1–49 FTEs)	40 hrs	1	52	26	—	None
Seattle, WA	Tier 2 (50–249 FTEs)	40 hrs	1	52	26	—	None
Seattle, WA	Tier 3 (250+ FTEs)	30 hrs	1.33	69.33	34.67	—	None

“Year” figures assume 52 weeks of work and stop at the annual accrual cap where the law has one. Tiers without an hourly rate (e.g., frontload-only or exempt tiers) are omitted. Rules and sources for every row are on its state page.

Sick leave accrual FAQ

How do I calculate sick leave at 1 hour per 30 hours worked?

Divide hours worked by 30. 40 hours a week earns 1.33 hours of sick leave a week; 25 hours a week earns 0.83 hours; 520 hours worked earns 17.33 hours. Then apply the law's caps: most states let employers stop accrual or limit use at 40 hours a year (48 in Colorado and Minnesota, 56 at larger employers in Alaska, Nebraska and New York, 64 in New Mexico, 72 at larger employers in Michigan and Pittsburgh).

How many sick hours does a full-time employee earn in a year?

At 1 hour per 30 hours and 2,080 hours a year, about 69.3 hours — but the annual cap usually stops it sooner: a 40-hour cap is reached after 30 weeks, 48 hours after 36 weeks, 56 hours after 42 weeks. At 1 per 40 hours (Illinois, Washington, Philadelphia) a full-timer earns 52 hours a year before caps; at 1 per 52 hours (Vermont, Nevada) about 40.

Do overtime hours count toward sick leave accrual?

For non-exempt employees, hours worked generally include overtime (Colorado and Vermont say so explicitly). Overtime-exempt employees are usually assumed to work 40 hours a week (or their normal shorter week) for accrual — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Rhode Island all use this rule, and DC stops accrual at 40 hours a week.

What happens to unused sick leave at the end of the year?

Under the accrual method, most laws require unused hours to carry over — often up to 40 hours (Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Washington), up to 48 in Colorado, 72 at larger Michigan employers, or all hours in states like New York and Alaska where only use is capped. Frontloading the full amount each year usually removes the carryover duty; the calculator shows what carries over and what can be dropped.

Is this calculator accurate for my payroll?

It models a steady weekly schedule and credits accrual at the end of each pay period, split exactly at your benefit-year boundary. Real balances depend on actual hours worked and your payroll's rounding. Use the Excel export — it has live formulas — to enter actual hours each period.

Official Sources

Figures checked against these sources on 2026-10-03

Related Resources on This Site

Helpful guides

Minimum Wageminimum wage by state
Payrollhow to set up payroll — checklist by state
Overtimeovertime calculator
Employment Lawat-will employment — what it means

General information, not legal advice.