By: HUB's Absence Management Team

On May 21, 2024, Governor Ned Lamont signed into law a bill that makes significant changes to the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law (CT PSL). Changes go into effect January 1, 2025 for employers with 25 or more employees and will phase in over the following two years for smaller employers.

Overview

Since 2011, Connecticut Paid Sick Leave (CT PSL) has required employers with more than 50 employees to provide 40 hours of paid sick leave to all service workers in the state of Connecticut. In October 2023, changes to the law added two new qualifying reasons for CT PSL. Beginning in 2025, major expansions to the law will go into effect.

Changes to Connecticut Paid Sick Leave

Expanded Eligibility

For employers with 25 or more employees in Connecticut, all employees, except those classified as seasonal, will be eligible for CT PSL benefits beginning January 1, 2025. In January 2026, employers with 11 or more Connecticut employees will be required to provide these benefits, and finally in January 2027 the law will apply to employers with one or more employees.

The new law no longer contains an exclusion for certain manufacturers and nationally chartered not for profits.

Additional Leave Reasons

Beginning on January 1, 2025, eligible employees will be able to use CT PSL for the following reasons:

  • an employee’s or employee’s family member’s illness, injury, or health condition;
  • the medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee or employee’s family member;
  • preventive medical care for the employee’s or employee’s family member’s mental or physical health;
  • the employee’s own mental health wellness day;
  • or certain purposes when an employee or employee’s family member is a victim of family violence or sexual assault, provided that the employee is not the alleged perpetrator;
  • a determination by a health authority, employer of the employee, employer of a family member, or a healthcare provider of whether an employee or employee’s family member poses a risk to the health of others due to exposure to a communicable illness, whether or not the employee or family member contracted the communicable illness;
  • closure by order of a public official, due to a public health emergency, of either (a) an employer’s place of business or (b) a family member’s school or place of care.

Accruals

Under the new law, accrual of CT PSL will change to 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year. Exempt employees will be presumed to work 40 hours per week. At the end of the year, employees will continue to carryover up to 40 hours of unused CT PSL into the next year.

Using CT PSL

Beginning January 1, 2025, employers may not require:

  • advance notice to use CT PSL;
  • documentation to certify the need to use CT PSL;
  • employees to find coverage for their shift when using CT PSL.

Employer Notices and Record Retention

Additional obligations under the new law require employers to:

  • display a poster about employee rights under CT PSL in a conspicuous place accessible to employees;
  • provide written notice to employees of their rights by January 1, 2025, or at the time of hire, whichever is later;
  • retain the following records for a period of three years
    • the number of hours of paid sick time accrued or provided to the employee, and
    • the number of hours used by the employee during the calendar year

Next Steps

Employers should review and update their CT PSL policies to align with these changes. Employers with 25 or more employees who do not currently have a CT PSL policy in place, should prepare one to be effective January 1, 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact your HUB Advisor. View more Workforce Absence Management updates in our WAM Bulletins page.

NOTICE OF DISCLAIMER

Neither Hub International Limited nor any of its affiliated companies is a law or accounting firm, and therefore they cannot provide legal or tax advice. The information herein is provided for general information only and is not intended to constitute legal or tax advice as to an organization’s specific circumstances. You should consult an attorney, accountant, or other legal or tax professional regarding the application of the general information provided here to your organization’s specific situation in light of your organization’s particular needs.