CT Paid Leave and Paid Sick Days are both Connecticut laws that can provide paid time off for illness, but they are fundamentally different programs. The most significant difference in these laws lies in the reason for why the paid time off can be used. Paid sick days can be used for preventive care and diagnosis or treatment of any physical or mental health condition. This means they can be used for a doctor’s appointment for a routine physical for yourself or a child, for example. These days can also be used for any illness, including a minor illness like a cold. Paid sick days may also be used for mental health wellness days and public health emergency closures of a workplace or a child’s school, and communicable disease exposure.

CT Paid Leave, on the other hand, is used for more serious illnesses. In fact, the CT Paid Leave Act has a very specific definition of serious health conditions, which involves both incapacity and treatment by a healthcare provider. Serious health conditions can include things like cancer, surgeries, chronic health conditions like asthma or diabetes, and more. CT Paid Leave can also be used for other reasons, like caring for a loved one with a serious health condition, pregnancy and childbirth, bonding with a new child (biological, adopted, or foster), for safe leave reasons due to family violence or sexual assault, and for military family leave.

Another significant difference between the laws is the amount of time available. Under the Paid Sick Days law, employees accrue paid sick time at the rate of 1 hour per thirty hours worked, up to 40 hours per year. CT Paid Leave, on the other hand, provides up to 12 weeks of income replacement benefits in a 12-month period for most leave reasons.

Documentation is another area in which the laws differ dramatically. Under the Paid Sick Days law, an employer may not require an employee to provide documentation if they are using a paid sick day for a reason allowed by the law. On the contrary, CT Paid Leave will require documentation to support the reason for the leave when someone applies for benefits. For example, if someone is taking leave for their own serious health condition and requesting benefits from CT Paid Leave, they will need to provide a form called a Certification for a Serious Health Condition, which their provider will fill out with specific information about the amount of time they will need to be away from work for that condition.

While there are some exclusions under both laws, CT Paid Leave applies to most employers with one or more people working in Connecticut. As of January 1, 2027, paid sick days will also apply to most employers with one or more people working in Connecticut.

Another similarity with the laws is that an employer may not retaliate or discriminate against an employee for using either CT Paid Leave or the paid sick days to which they are entitled.

Both Paid Sick Days and CT Paid Leave are a benefit to employees to allow them paid time off for health-related reasons, but reasons for use are dramatically different. To find out more about CT Paid Leave, ctpaidleave.org. For more information about Paid Sick Days, visit the CT Department of Labor website at www.portal.ct.gov/dol.

This article was written by Jessica Vargas, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at CT Paid Leave.