Effective January 6, 2016, New Brunswick, New Jersey has enacted a new paid Sick/Paid Safe Time ordinance. This requires employers with 5 to 9 employees (at least 5 full-time employees) must provide up to 24 hours of paid Sick/Safe Time per year to both full-time and part-time employees. Employers with 10 or more employees (at least 5 full-time employees) must provide up to 40 hours of paid Sick/Safe Time per year to full-time employees and up to 24 hours per year to part-time employees.
Both part-time and full-time employees must accrue one hour for every 35 hours worked. Paid Sick/Safe Time may be used for the following:
- -Illness, injury or preventative care for the employee, their partner or the employee’s family member
- -Closure of the employee’s business or a child’s school or place of care due to a public health emergency
- -Reasons related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.
A new employee must be able to begin accruing paid Sick/Safe Time on the first day of employment and be eligible to begin using accrued paid Sick/Safe Time after the end of 120 calendar days from the date of their employment. Employees are entitled to use paid Sick/Safe Time as it is accrued. Accrued but unused paid Sick/Safe Time will be carried over to the following calendar year, provided that the employer is not required to carry over to the following year more than the maximum annual paid Sick/Safe Time an employee was eligible to earn in the year from which it was carried over or allow the use of more than 40 hours of paid Sick/Safe Time in a calendar year. Employers are not required to carry over unused paid Sick/Safe Time if the employee is paid for any unused paid Sick/Safe Time at the end of the calendar year in which the time was accrued.
The employer must provide notice to each employee of their rights under the Sick/Safe Time ordinance upon hire (or as soon as practicable if the employee is already employed on the effective date of the law). The employer must also display a poster in each place of business in a conspicuous and accessible place. The agency has developed a notice that may be used to meet both the employee notice and workplace poster requirements; which can be found here: http://thecityofnewbrunswick.org/planninganddevelopment/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2015/12/Employer-Notice-English-1.pdf
For more on the New Brunswick, NJ paid Sick/Safe Time Ordinance, go to http://thecityofnewbrunswick.org/planninganddevelopment/paid-sick-safe-time-in-new-brunswick/
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This information is provided as a courtesy, may change and is not intended as legal or tax guidance. Employers with questions or concerns outside the scope of a Payroll Service Provider are encouraged to seek the advice of a qualified CPA, Tax Attorney or Advisor.
