Pittsburgh Enacts Employee-Friendly Amendments to Paid Sick Leave Law
On June 12, 2025, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey signed an amendment to Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Days Act into law. The amendment accelerates employees’ accrual of sick leave and increases usage and carry-over caps. The amendment takes effect on January 1, 2026.
Key Changes to the Paid Sick Days Act
1. Accelerated Accrual Rate: The amendment increases the accrual of paid sick time from one hour of leave for every 35 hours worked, up to one hour for every 30 hours worked. This applies to all employers in Pittsburgh, regardless of size.
2. Increased Accrual and Usage Caps: The amendment also increases the maximum amount of paid sick leave that employees can accrue and use annually.
- For employers with 15 or more employees: Employees must be allowed to accumulate (through accrual or frontloading) and carry over (if accruing) up to 72 hours of paid sick leave per year, up from the current 40 hours.
- For employers with 14 or fewer employees:Employees must be allowed to accumulate (through accrual or frontloading) and carry over (if accruing) up to 48 hours of paid sick leave each year, up from the current 24 hours.
Implications for Employers
Before this amendment, the paid sick leave laws in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County used the same accrual rate and permitted employees to accumulate and annually use the same amount of paid sick leave. With these amendments, Pittsburgh employees will have faster accrual and higher accumulation and usage caps than employers elsewhere in Allegheny County. Employers with facilities both in the City of Pittsburgh and other locations in Allegheny County should pay special attention to these differences.
Pittsburgh employers should review their paid sick leave policies to ensure they remain compliant. Contact your Vorys attorney with questions about the new Pittsburgh law or for assistance in reviewing or drafting appropriate policies.
