Washington Paid Sick Leave Accrual Calculator

The Washington statewide accrual rule

Washington’s paid sick leave law requires covered employees to accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. Accrual begins on the first day of employment. The rule comes from RCW 49.46.210 and WAC 296-128-620, and is explained by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries on its Paid Sick Leave Minimum Requirements page.

For example, 80 hours worked produces at least 2 hours of new paid sick leave. If the employee started the period with 6 hours and used 1.5 hours, the estimated remaining balance is 6.5 hours.

Overtime hours count—but do not accrue faster

All hours worked count toward accrual, including overtime hours. The overtime pay multiplier does not change the leave ratio. A person who works 45 hours earns 45 ÷ 40, or 1.125 hours of statutory-minimum paid sick leave for that period—not 47.5 hours of accrual credit and not a time-and-a-half leave multiplier.

The 90-day waiting period

Accrual starts immediately, but WAC 296-128-630 says an employee must be allowed to use accrued leave beginning on the 90th calendar day after employment begins. The optional date field adds 90 calendar days to the entered start date. A balance shown here may not yet be legally available to use. The tool does not decide whether a person is covered or whether a requested absence qualifies.

Carryover at the end of the accrual year

At least 40 hours of unused paid sick leave must carry into the next accrual year. If the balance is lower than 40 hours, that lower balance carries over. If the balance is higher, the statewide law protects at least 40 hours, while an employer policy or local ordinance may preserve more. The “minimum protected carryover” result is therefore not a recommendation to erase hours; it shows the statewide statutory floor.

Accrual method versus frontloading

This tool follows the accrual method because it can be calculated directly from hours worked. Washington also permits compliant frontloading arrangements under WAC 296-128-730. A frontloading employer provides leave in advance rather than adding a fraction after each hour worked. The frontloaded amount must use a reasonable calculation, and an identified shortfall must be corrected as the rule requires. Do not use this calculator to audit a frontloading policy.

What the estimate does not determine

• Whether a worker or employer is covered by the statewide paid sick leave law.
• Whether a local ordinance requires a more generous accrual, use, or carryover rule.
• Whether an employer’s frontloading or alternative policy complies with state law.
• Whether a particular absence is an authorized use of paid sick leave.
• How an employer tracks, credits, or reports fractional balances on payroll records.
• Rules for transportation-network-company drivers or workers covered by a qualifying construction collective-bargaining agreement.

Worked examples

Sources and verification

The calculation logic was checked against the current L&I minimum-requirements page, RCW 49.46.210, and WAC 296-128-620, WAC 296-128-630, and WAC 296-128-730 on August 3, 2026. Automated tests cover the 1-to-40 ratio, fractional accrual, overtime-inclusive hours, prior balances, leave used, nonnegative balances, the 40-hour carryover floor, the 90-day eligibility date, and visible result rendering. See the site’s methodology for how rules become tested calculator logic.