1. COVID-19 Resources

What If I Might be Sick or Have Been Exposed?

COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Ended on December 31, 2022

From January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, California required most employers to provide workers up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19 reasons. Employers with 26 or more employees during this period had to provide this paid time off for workers who needed to stay home due to COVID-19 illness, exposure, caring for a family member, a COVID test or vaccine, recovering from side effects and more. If a worker took unpaid time off due to COVID-19 in 2022, they should be paid for these sick leave hours. More information is available in the Labor Commissioner's frequently asked questions.

Paid Sick Leave (up to 24 hours)

Under California's permanent paid sick leave law: if you work as an employee in California for at least 30 days in a year, you are probably covered, whether you are a full-time, part-time, or temporary worker.

California's permanent paid sick leave law gives workers sick time that can be used to:

  • Recover from physical/mental illness or injury
  • To seek medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care
  • To care for a family member who is ill or needs medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care
  • Self-isolate as a result of potential exposure to COVID-19

You can earn one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. The sick leave that your employer is required to provide may be limited to 24 hours or three days per year, whichever is more.

Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Expired December 31, 2022

Employers with 26 or more employees had to provide 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL). SPSL provided up to 80 hours of COVID-19 related paid leave from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Up to 40 of those hours could be used for isolation and quarantine, receiving vaccines and caring for a child whose school or place of care was closed. The additional 40 hours were available only when an employee, or family member for whom the employee provides care, tested positive for COVID-19.

Read Frequently Asked Questions on SPSL.

Exclusion Pay requirements from the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards expired in February 2023. Non-Emergency COVID-19 Prevention Regulations that do not include Exclusion Pay requirements are in effect. Read more about the non-emergency regulations and the ETS.

If You or a Co-worker are Denied Paid Sick Leave

If you know of an employer that has refused to provide paid sick as required by law, or who prevents workers from accessing paid sick hours, you can report the employer by leaving a message on the Paid Sick Leave Toll Free Hotline: (855) LCO‑SPSL (855‑526‑7775).

Please speak slowly and clearly to report a business' failure to provide required paid sick leave  or  California Supplemental Paid Sick Leave. Include the following information in your message:

  • Business Name
  • Business Address/Worksite
  • Business Phone Number
  • Manager or Supervisor if known
  • Explain the violation you are reporting
  • Your Name and Contact information (only for the purpose of clarifying the tip, unless you decide to file a wage claim)

More Resources

February 2023