The law covers private employers with fewer than 500 employees and certain public employers. Small business with fewer than 50 employees may qualify for an exemption if leave payments would threaten the viability of their businesses.

The law requires cover employers to provide workers up to two week of paid sick leave at full pay, up to a specified cap, if they are unable to work under a government quarantine or isolation order or they have been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to Covid-19

Employees can also qualify for up to two weeks of paid sick leave at partial pay, up to a specified cap, if they must care for another individual related to the same virus issues or if a child’s health care provider is unavailable. Covered employers must also provide up to 12 weeks family and medical leave, up to 10 weeks at partial pay, if a worker must care for a child whose school or place of care is closed.

The United States reimburses private employers with tax credit for the costs of such leave. 

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind