New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Poster Required

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Dev	elopment	 	
N	e	w Je	rsey Earned Sick Leave	
No	tice	 of Em	ployee Rights	
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO EARNED SICK LEAVE.
Amount of Earned Sick Leave
Your employer must provide up to a total of 40 hours of earned sick leave 
every benefit year. Your employer’s benefit year is:
Start of Benefit Year: __________ End of Benefit Year: __________
Rate of Accrual
You accrue earned sick leave at the rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours 
worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours of leave per benefit year. Alterna	-	
tively, your employer can provide you with 40 hours of earned sick leave 
up front.    
Date Accrual Begins
You begin to accrue earned sick leave on October 29, 2018, or on your 
first day of employment, whichever is later.  
Exception: 	If you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that 	
was in effect on October 29, 2018, you begin to accrue earned sick leave 
under this law beginning on the date that the agreement expires.  
Date Earned Sick Leave is Available for Use
You can begin using earned sick leave accrued under this law on Feb	-	
ruary 26, 2019, or the 120th calendar day after you begin employment, 
whichever is later. However, your employer can provide benefits that are 
more generous than those required  under the law, and can permit you 	 	
to use sick leave at an earlier date.
Acceptable Reasons to Use Earned Sick Leave
You can use earned sick leave to take time off from work when:
•  Yo u	 need diagnosis, care, treatment, or recovery for a mental or 	 	
physical illness, injury, or health condition; or you need preventive 
medical care.  
•  You need to care for a 	family member 	during diagnosis, care, treat	-	
ment, or recovery for a mental or physical illness, injury, or health 
condition; or your family member needs preventive medical care.
•  You or a family member 	have been the victim of domestic violence 	
or sexual violence	 and need time for treatment, counseling, or to 	
prepare for legal proceedings.  
•  You need to attend 	school-related conferences, meetings, or 	
events	 regarding your child’s education; or to attend a school-related 	
meeting regarding your child’s health.  
•  Your employer’s business 	closes due to a public health 	 	
emergency	 or you need to care for a child whose school or child care 	
provider closed due to a public health emergency.
Family Members
The law recognizes the following individuals as “family members:”
•  Child (biological, adopted, or foster child; stepchild; legal war\
d; child of 
a domestic partner or civil union partner)
•  Grandchild •  Sibling •  Spouse  •  Parent •  Grandparent 
•  Domestic partner or civil union partner
•  Spouse, domestic partner, or civil union partner of an employee’s 	 	
parent or grandparent
•  Sibling of an employee’s spouse, domestic partner, or civil union 	 	
partner 
•  Any other individual related by blood to the employee
•  Any individual whose close association with the employee is the 	 	
equivalent of family	
Advance Notice
If your need for earned sick leave is foreseeable (can be planned in ad\
	-	
vance), your employer can require up to 7 days’ advance notice of your 
intention to use earned sick leave. If your need for earned sick leave is 
unforeseeable (cannot be planned in advance), your employer may re	-	
quire you to give notice as soon as it is practical.  
Documentation
Your employer can require reasonable documentation if you use earned 
sick leave on 3 or more consecutive work days, or on certain dates spec	-	
ified by the employer. The law prohibits employers from requiring your 
health care provider to specify the medical reason for your leave.  
Unused Sick Leave
Up to 40 hours of unused earned sick leave can be carried over into the \
next benefit year. However, your employer is only required to let you use 
up to 40 hours of leave per benefit year. Alternatively, your employer can 
offer to purchase your unused earned sick leave at the end of the benefit 
year.  
You Have a Right to be Free from Retaliation 	 	
for Using Earned Sick Leave
Your employer cannot retaliate against you for:
•  Requesting and using earned sick leave
•  Filing a complaint for alleged violations of the law
•  Communicating with any person, including co-workers, about any vio\
la	-	
tion of the law
•  Participating in an investigation regarding an alleged violation o\
f the 
law, and
•  Informing another person of that person’s potential rights under the law.
Retaliation includes any threat, discipline, discharge, demotion, suspen\
	-	
sion, or reduction in hours, or any other 	 	
adverse employment action against you for exercising or attempting to 
exercise any right guaranteed under the law.  
You Have a Right to File a Complaint
You can file a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Labor and 
Workforce Development online at 	nj.gov/labor/wagehour/complnt/filing_	
wage_claim.html	 or by calling 609-292-2305 between 8:30 a.m. and 	 	
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.    
Keep a copy of this notice and all documents that show your amount 
of sick leave accrual and usage.  
You have a right to be given this notice in English and, if available, your 
primary language. 
For more information visit the website of the Department of Labor and 
Workforce Development: 	nj.gov/labor	.	
Under New Jersey’s Earned Sick Leave Law, most employees have a right to accrue up to 40 hours of earned sick leave per year. 	 	
Go to 	nj.gov/labor 	to learn which employees are covered by the law.    	
New employees must receive this written notice from their employer when \
they begin employment, and existing employees must receive it 
by November 29, 2018. Employers must also post this notice in a conspicu\
ous and accessible place at all work sites, and provide copies to 
employees upon request.    	
Enforced by: NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development 	 	Division of Wage and Hour Compliance, PO Box 389, Trenton, NJ 08625 - 0389 • 609 -292-2305 
This and other required employer posters are available free online at 	nj.gov/labor	. 	
If you need this document in Braille or large print, call 609-292-2305. TTY users can contact this department through the New Jersey Relay: 7-1-1.	
MW-565 (12/21)	Display this poster in a conspicuous place