NY Paid Sick Leave: What Long Island Employers Need to Know

If you own a business on Long Island, you're required to provide paid sick leave to your employees under New York State law. This isn't optional—it applies to virtually all employers, regardless of size. But understanding the rules can feel overwhelming, especially when you're focused on running your business.

Let's break down exactly what New York's paid sick leave requirements mean for your company and how they actually work in practice.

What New York Paid Sick Leave Is

New York's paid sick leave law requires employers to provide employees with time off for illness, injury, or certain family and safety situations. Think of it as mandatory insurance that employees earn simply by working—they accrue hours over time that they can use when life happens.

The law covers all employees who work in New York State for more than 30 hours per calendar year, including part-time workers, temporary employees, and even domestic workers. The only major exceptions are independent contractors and certain union employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.

How the Accrual System Works

Employees earn paid sick leave based on hours worked, similar to how vacation time typically accrues. Here's the step-by-step process:

Accrual Rate: Employees earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. So if someone works a standard 40-hour week, they'll earn about 1.33 hours of sick leave that week.

Annual Caps by Company Size: The maximum hours employees can accrue and use each year depends on your company size. Smaller employers (fewer than 100 employees) must provide up to 40 hours annually, while larger employers must provide up to 56 hours.

Carryover Rules: Unused sick leave carries over to the next year, but you can cap the total accrued balance. Employees can carry over unused hours up to the same limits as the annual accrual caps.

When It Starts: Employees can begin using accrued sick leave after 30 days of employment, though they start earning it from day one.

Why Smart Employers Embrace This Requirement

While paid sick leave is mandated by law, forward-thinking business owners recognize it delivers real value beyond just compliance.

Healthier Workplace: When employees can stay home when sick, they recover faster and don't spread illness to coworkers or customers. This means fewer people out sick overall and better productivity.

Reduced Turnover: Employees value job security that includes paid time off for health issues. This benefit helps you compete for talent with larger companies that offer comprehensive benefits packages.

Better Customer Service: In client-facing businesses like medical practices or accounting firms, having sick employees work often means subpar service. Paid sick leave ensures your team can deliver their best work.

Legal Protection: Proper compliance protects you from costly penalties and employee lawsuits. The consequences of getting this wrong far outweigh the cost of getting it right.

What Employees Can Use Sick Leave For

New York's law is broader than just personal illness. Employees can use paid sick leave for:

• Their own physical or mental illness, injury, or medical appointments
• Care for family members (spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or domestic partner) who are ill or need medical care
• Situations involving domestic violence, family offenses, sexual offenses, stalking, or human trafficking affecting the employee or their family

Employees don't need to provide detailed medical information, but you can require reasonable documentation for absences longer than three consecutive days.

Key Compliance Considerations

Record Keeping: You must track each employee's sick leave accrual, usage, and balance. This requires systems to monitor hours worked and calculate accruals accurately.

Notice Requirements: You must provide written notice of sick leave rights to all employees, either at hiring or by posting information prominently in the workplace.

No Retaliation: You cannot discipline, terminate, or otherwise penalize employees for using sick leave or requesting information about their rights.

Pay Requirements: Sick leave must be paid at the employee's regular rate of pay and provided within the same pay period or the following pay period.

How Benton Oakfield Simplifies Compliance

Managing paid sick leave compliance doesn't have to consume your time or create legal risks. At Benton Oakfield, we help Long Island businesses handle these requirements seamlessly as part of our comprehensive compliance services.

We work with your payroll system to ensure accurate tracking, provide the required employee notices, and keep you updated when regulations change. More importantly, we help you communicate these benefits to your employees so they understand and appreciate what you're providing—turning a compliance requirement into an employee engagement opportunity.

Our local focus means we understand the specific challenges facing Nassau and Suffolk County businesses, from medical practices dealing with seasonal illness patterns to professional service firms managing client demands during busy periods.

Ready to ensure your paid sick leave program works smoothly for both you and your employees? Contact our team to discuss how we can help you stay compliant while maximizing the business benefits of this important employee protection.

Compliance Note: Benefit plan rules and tax implications vary based on company size and location. This guide is for educational purposes only. Please contact your Benton Oakfield representative to discuss how this applies to your specific situation.

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