Missouri - A Better Balance

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

Updated on November 8, 2024

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	Missouri
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 who are employed in Missouri will be covered. Federal, state, and local government employees are exempt. The following workers are also exempt: certain camp workers employed for less than four months in a year; certain individuals employed by an education conference center operated by an educational, charitable, or nonprofit organization; certain students whose employment/earnings qualify them for tuition/housing/education fee breaks; certain domestic workers employed in a private home on an occasional basis (for under 6 hours on each occasion); babysitters working on a casual basis; certain casual employees such as golf caddies and newspaper delivery workers; workers employed by a retail or service business whose annual gross volume sales is under $500,000; certain small-circulation newspaper employees; and certain railroad employees.
Can sick time be used to care for loved ones?	Yes: spouse; domestic partner or someone with whom the employee is in a continuing romantic or intimate relationship that is not a legal marriage; child; parent or legal guardian of the employee or employee’s spouse, or person who stood in loco parentis when the employee or employee’s spouse was a minor child; grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the employee or employee’s spouse; or a person for whom the employee is responsible for providing or arranging health or safety-related care.
How is “child” defined?	A biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, a child of a domestic partner, a child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis, or an individual to whom the employee stood in loco parentis when the individual was a minor.
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.
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 15 or more employees can use up to 56 hours of paid sick time per year. Workers in businesses with fewer than 15 employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year.
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.)	As described above, workers earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked and use is capped as follows: Workers in businesses with 15 or more employees can use up to 56 hours of paid sick time a year. Workers in businesses with fewer than 15 employees can use up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year.
When do workers begin to earn paid sick time?	At the commencement of employment or May 1, 2025, whichever is later.
Does unused sick time carry forward to the subsequent year?	Workers are entitled to carry forward up to 80 hours of unused paid sick time, but employers are not required to allow an employee to use more than 56 hours a year (for businesses with 15 or more workers) or 40 hours a year (for businesses with fewer than 15 workers). In lieu of carrying forward unused paid sick time from one year to the next, an employer may pay a worker for unused paid sick time (up to 80 hours) at the end of a year and 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?	Yes.
Are there waivers/ exemptions for workers covered by a valid Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)?	For workers covered by a CBA that is in effect on November 5, 2024, the law applies upon any renewal, extension, amendment, or modification of the CBA after November 5, 2024.
What Agency or Official Enforces the Law?	The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations may enforce this law. It is possible that a local government may be able to enforce this law, but is not required to do so.
For the statewide paid sick time laws: can cities in the state pass paid sick time laws that are broader than the state law?	No, pursuant to a separate Missouri statute.
Statutory Citation(s)	RSMo §§ 290.600-642
Additional Notes	This law was passed by voters on November 5, 2024. Workers will be eligible to begin earning and using paid sick time on May 1, 2025.