NYC employers: Sick leave law obligations have been expanded once again.
Under existing law, New York City employers were already required to provide paid sick leave, specifically 56 hours for employers with 100+ employees and 40 hours for employers with fewer than 100 employees.
Under a recently enacted bill, which takes effect February 22, 2026, these sick leave obligations have been expanded even further.
First, employers of all sizes will have to provide employees with an additional 32 hours of unpaid sick/safe time upon hire and at the beginning of each year.
Second, employees will be able to use sick leave for the following additional covered reasons:
- closure of the workplace, or the employee’s child’s school or childcare provider has closed or restricted in-person access, due to a public disaster, or the employee is prevented from reporting to work due to a public official’s direction to remain indoors or avoid travel during a public disaster
- the employee needs to provide care for a minor child or care recipient
- to initiate, attend or prepare for a legal proceeding or hearing related to subsistence benefits or housing, or to take steps to apply for, maintain, or restore such benefits or shelter for the employee, their family member or care recipient
NYC employers should make sure to consult with counsel to update their sick leave policies to align with these expanded obligations prior to the February 2026 effective date.