Michigan - A Better Balance

Overview of Paid Sick Time Laws in the United States:
Michigan

Updated on March 10, 2025

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	Michigan
Who is covered? Note: City/county paid sick time laws cannot cover state government workers, and city, county, and state paid sick time laws cannot cover federal government workers.	Workers employed in Michigan are covered. The following individuals are exempted: U.S. government employees; certain railroad employees; someone who works under a policy that allows the worker to schedule their own working hours and prohibits the employer from taking adverse action if the worker does not schedule a minimum number of work hours; unpaid trainees or interns; and certain youth employees under age 18. As noted in other areas of this chart, there are different effective dates that may apply to workers employed by a small business, certain workers covered by a CBA, and certain workers who have signed a conflicting contract (which the employer signed as well) that meets certain requirements prior to December 31, 2024.
Can sick time be used to care for loved ones?	Yes: spouse; domestic partner; child; parent or legal guardian of the employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner; person who stood in loco parentis when the employee was a minor child; grandparent; grandchild; sibling; or an individual related to the employee by blood or whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
How is “child” defined?	A biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild or legal ward of the employee, a child of a domestic partner, or a child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis.
Can sick time be used for specific “safe time” purposes (related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking)?	Yes, when the worker or worker’s family member is the victim.
Can sick time be used under the law to bond with a new child and/or deal with a family member’s death? Note: It is possible that other laws, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act or a state equivalent, could provide eligible workers with unpaid leave for these purposes.	No.
Can sick time be used when a worker’s place of work or child’s school/place of care is closed by public health officials for a public health emergency?	Yes. Sick time can also be used to attend meetings at a child’s school or place of care related to the child’s health or disability, or the effect of domestic violence or sexual assault on the child.
Rate at which workers earn paid sick time?	1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
Do workers have different sick time-related rights based on the size of their employer? If so, based on what employer-size threshold(s)?	Yes. Workers in businesses with more than 10 employees can earn and use up to 72 hours of paid sick time. Workers in businesses with 10 or fewer employees can earn and use up to 40 hours of paid sick time. If a small business did not have any employees prior to February 21, 2022, the small business is not required to comply with the law until 3 years after the date that the employer employed their first employee. Other small businesses with 10 or fewer employees are not required to comply with the law until October 1, 2025; as of that date, workers employed by a small business are entitled to earn paid sick time.
Amount of paid sick time that can be earned under the law per year? (Note: All of these paid sick time laws make it clear that these laws establish a minimum requirement, and employers can provide greater or more generous paid sick time benefits to their workers.)	Workers in businesses with more than 10 employees can use up to 72 hours per year. Workers in businesses with 10 or fewer employees can use up to 40 hours per year.
When do workers begin to earn paid sick time?	Workers at businesses with more than 10 employees begin to earn paid sick time on February 21, 2025 or at the commencement of employment, whichever is later. (Note, however, that under Michigan’s prior paid sick time law, certain workers at businesses with 50 or more employees had the right to earn paid sick time prior to February 2025). Workers at small businesses (10 or fewer employees) begin to earn paid sick time on October 1, 2025 or at the commencement of employment, whichever is later. Employees may use paid sick time as it accrues, but an employer may require an employee hired after February 21, 2025 to wait until 120 calendar days after beginning employment before using accrued paid sick time.
Does unused sick time carry forward to the subsequent year?	Workers are entitled to carry forward unused paid sick time, but employers are not required to allow an employee to use more than 72 hours a year (for businesses with more than 10 employees) or 40 hours a year (for businesses with 10 or fewer employees). In lieu of carrying forward unused paid sick time from one year to the next, an employer may provide the worker with an amount of paid sick time that meets or exceeds the law’s requirements that is available for the worker’s immediate use at the beginning of the subsequent year.
Private Right of Action to go to Court?	No.
Are there waivers/ exemptions for workers covered by a valid Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)?	February 21, 2025, the law applies beginning on the stated expiration date in the CBA. An employer signatory to a multiemployer CBA may comply with the law’s requirements through contributions to a multiemployer plan that may be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions as provided for under this law, in an amount equal to or greater than what is required under the law, and that accrues at a rate equal to or greater than the rate required by the law. Workers whose employers contribute to certain multiemployer plans pursuant to a CBA cannot require an employee to wait 120 days after beginning work with the employer before using sick time that the worker accrued under the same multiemployer plan while working for a different employer. Also, if an employee works under a general contract (not including an employer policy signed by the employee) that conflicts with this law, that was signed by the employer and employee on or before December 31, 2024, that is effective for a maximum of 3 years, and about which the employer has notified the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the law will not apply until the stated expiration date in the contract.
What Agency or Official Enforces the Law?	The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
For the statewide paid sick time laws: can cities in the state pass paid sick time laws that are broader than the state law?	Although this Act does not explicitly address local authority to pass a paid sick time law, a separate Michigan law already preempted—or prohibited—cities from passing their own sick time laws.
Statutory Citation(s)	Mich. Comp. Laws § 408.961 et seq.
Additional Notes	After a comprehensive paid sick time ballot initiative qualified to go to voters in the November 2018 election, the Michigan Legislature bypassed voters on September 6, 2018, and passed the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act itself. However, the Legislature later severely weakened the law, with the then-Governor’s support, in the lame duck session (a move that would have not been possible if voters passed the initiative themselves), renaming it the Paid Medical Leave Act. In 2024, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered the restoration or the original version, with a ruling that the Legislature violated Michigan law by adopting and amending the earned paid sick leave ballot initiative in the same legislative session, thwarting the ballot initiative power reserved to the people in the Michigan Constitution. On February 21, 2025, the Legislature enacted an amended version of the restored law, which was signed and went into effect that same day. The information in this chart reflects the amended law as of 2/21/2025. Please note that prior to 2/21/2025, many workers in Michigan employed by businesses with 50 or more employees had access to paid sick time under the earlier version of the law. For more information, see https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/ber/wage-and-hour/paid-medical-leave-act.