What it means for you
Most covered workers earn 1 paid hour per 30 hours worked, up to 40 a year at employers with 5 to 99 workers and 56 at those with 100 or more. Since February 2026, covered workers also get 32 hours of unpaid protected time immediately.
Who benefits: Most employees who work in New York City, including part-time, temporary, domestic, and undocumented workers; government employees and independent contractors are not covered.
If you work in New York City, you probably earn paid time off you can use when you are sick, to care for a family member, or for medical appointments. You earn 1 hour for every 30 hours you work. At employers with 5 to 99 workers, you can earn up to 40 paid hours a year; at employers with 100 or more, up to 56. Domestic workers are covered too. You do not have to apply, and part-time, temporary, and undocumented workers are covered.
The 56-hour cap began January 1, 2021, under a 2020 amendment sponsored by Council Member Andrew Cohen. Since February 22, 2026, a law sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse also gives workers 32 hours of unpaid protected time immediately on their first day and at the start of each employer’s calendar year. It became law without Mayor Eric Adams’s signature.
The City Council first passed paid sick leave in 2013, with Council Member Gale Brewer as lead sponsor. Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed it, and the Council overrode his veto on June 26, 2013. In 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito proposed a broader version, carried by Council Member Margaret Chin, that extended paid sick time to businesses with as few as 5 employees, down from 15. De Blasio signed it on March 20, 2014, and it took effect April 1.
Work and wagesHealth care
Sources
- Int 0001-2014, provision of sick time earned by employeesNew York City Council (Legistar)
- Int 0097-2010, provision of sick time earned by employeesNew York City Council (Legistar)
- Int 2032-2020, requiring city employers to provide earned safe and sick timeNew York City Council (Legistar), September 28, 2020
- Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Members Praise Plan to Significantly Expand Earned Sick Time ActNew York City Council, January 17, 2014
- Local Law 145 of 2025New York City Council (via intro.nyc)
- Protected Time Off LawNYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
- Protected Time Off Law, Frequently Asked QuestionsNYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
How we checked this
Drafted by Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic) on November 11, 2026. Checked against its sources by GPT-5.6-sol (OpenAI) on November 11, 2026, which corrected it. Confirmed the current 40-, 56-, and 32-hour benefits and that the law remains in effect. Corrected the legislative timeline, action name, sources, and credits for the 2014, 2020, and 2025 amendments.
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