Understand Sick Leave, Paid Leave, and FMLA in Connecticut

As an employer in the state of Connecticut (CT), navigating an employee’s leave of absence can be an ongoing challenge for your human resources team. Not only do you have to comply with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in Connecticut, there are also three state-specific leave programs to understand and adhere to.

So how much leave are eligible employees entitled to? Is it paid or unpaid leave? And what changes are coming to the CT paid leave program in 2026, 2027, and beyond?

Here’s what you need to know about family and medical leave laws in Connecticut, including how to use leave of absence automation to ensure compliance.

3 Types of Leave Programs in Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) oversees three different types of leave programs available to employees in Connecticut:

1. CT Paid Sick Leave

Connecticut Paid Sick Leave provides paid time off for eligible employees to address their own physical or mental health condition or that of a family member. They accrue leave at the rate of one hour per 30 hours worked, up to a total of 40 hours per year, and can start using them 120 days after they’ve been hired.

2. CT Paid Leave

Connecticut Paid Leave (CTPL) is an income replacement program that provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave benefits for the following reasons:

• An employee’s own health condition (including being a bone marrow donor)
• Caring for a family member
• Welcoming a new child into the family
• A qualifying exigency related to the Armed Forces
• Military caregiver leave
• Safe leave (i.e., family violence leave)

CT Paid Leave is administered by the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority, while the CT Department of Labor handles appeals. It’s funded by a 0.5% contribution taken out of employees’ wages, and self-employed workers can choose to opt in via the CT Paid Leave Authority’s website (ctpaidleave.org).

3. CT Family and Medical Leave

Connecticut Family and Medical Leave, or Connecticut FMLA (CTFMLA), provides up to 12 weeks of leave per year for qualifying medical reasons. Employers aren’t required to continue providing health insurance while the employee is on leave, although this is required if the employee qualifies for the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

CTFMLA and FMLA are generally unpaid, unless the employee qualifies for short- or long-term disability, workers’ comp, or another type of paid leave program.

Understanding CTFMLA vs. FMLA in Connecticut

Employees in the state of Connecticut may be entitled to leave at either the state or federal level. Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), covered employers with 50 or more employees must provide up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period for the following qualifying reasons:

• The employee’s own serious health condition
• A family member’s serious medical condition
• A qualifying exigency related to active duty military service
• The birth or adoption of a child, or the placement of a child in foster care
• Military caregiver leave (up to 26 weeks) to care for a service member

At the state level, the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CTFMLA) offers many of the same protections as FMLA. It allows for 12 weeks of leave every 12 months as well as two additional weeks of leave for conditions that arise during pregnancy.

However, there are several differences between CTFMLA and FMLA in Connecticut:

• CTFMLA has a broader definition of “family member,” including siblings, grandparents, and even non-relations with a close personal bond.
• Employees are eligible for CTFMLA after three months of employment; to qualify for FMLA, they must work for their employer for at least a year and perform 1,250 hours of service.
• FMLA applies to private employers with at least 50 employees in a 75-mile radius; CTFMLA applies to any employer with at least one employee in the state of Connecticut.

If a situation is covered by CTFMLA and FMLA, both types of leave run concurrently rather than back-to-back. The exception is if an employee uses CTFMLA leave for a scenario that isn’t covered by FMLA — such as caring for a grandparent — in which case, they’ll still have 12 weeks of FMLA leave remaining.

When it comes to parental leave, spouses who work for the same employer may be required to split their 12 weeks of leave between them. The same goes for military caregiver leave, in which case they would get a total of 26 weeks combined.

Changes to Connecticut Leave Requirements in 2025, 2026, and 2027

Connecticut’s leave laws allow employees to take the time off they need to recover from a medical condition or to care for a family member — which is ultimately good for the well-being of your workforce. But keeping up with leave laws and their changes can be a challenge.

Here are three things you need to know about changes to Connecticut leave laws that have either recently come into effect or will apply in the near future.

1. More Employers Must Comply With CT Paid Sick Leave

Connecticut is decreasing the threshold at which employers become bound by its Paid Sick Leave law. As of January 1, 2025, employees with at least 25 employees in CT were required to provide sick leave. As of January 1, 2026, that threshold falls to 11 employees, and as of January 1, 2027, it falls to one or more employees in CT.

Both full-time and part-time employees are covered; the only exception is a seasonal employee who works fewer than 120 days per year.

2. More Employees Are Eligible for CT Paid Leave

As of October 1, 2025, Connecticut Paid Leave will be expanded to include “certain school employees” who weren’t previously covered by it. This is because some teachers and school employees are excluded due to separate bargaining agreements.

The expanded rules will apply to non-certified employees (i.e., those whose job doesn’t require a certification) who have earned $2,325 or more in the relevant base period.

3. More Leave Is Available Under CTFMLA

In 2022, a set of amendments to CTFMLA expanded the amount of leave available to eligible employees. The maximum leave entitlement changed from 16 weeks of leave in a 24-month period to 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period.

It also reduced the employer threshold from 50+ employees to one or more, shortened the waiting period (from 12 months of employment to three), and introduced an additional two weeks of leave for complications that arise during pregnancy.

Keep Up With Connecticut Leave Laws With Pulpstream

As more employers in Connecticut are bound by family and medical leave laws, it’s important for HR teams to stay up-to-date with the latest requirements. Employers need to be familiar with the eligibility and contribution requirements under Connecticut leave laws as well as the stricter requirements for federal FMLA leave.

Pulpstream’s leave of absence management platform does most of the work for you, assessing each leave request against state and federal requirements. Use a custom rule engine to automatically verify and approve leave requests in-house, sparing you from expensive HR outsourcing and external legal advice.

Employees can log in via a self-service portal to upload supporting documents (such as a medical certification from their healthcare provider), while employers can track FMLA leave, whether the employee takes it all at once or intermittently.

Request a demo today to see what a difference it can make for your HR team!