On May 1, 2025, Missouri’s new paid sick leave law goes into effect, and most private employers are covered. Beginning May 1, employees will earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. There is no cap on how many hours an employee may accrue and employees may roll over up to 80 hours from one year to the next; employers with 15 or more employees may cap usage at 56 hours per year. Smaller employers may cap usage at 40 hours per year.

Employees may use paid sick leave if they or a covered family member have an illness, injury, or health condition, require medical care, treatment, or preventative medical treatment, if their place of employment or their child’s school has been ordered closed due to a public health emergency, or if they need to be absent to attend to matters relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

By April 15, 2025, employers must provide employees with written notice of their paid sick leave policy. This must be a single page in 14-point font or larger that states: 1) employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, 2) employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who request or use paid sick leave, 3) employees have a right to bring a civil action if they are denied paid sick leave, and 4) the contact information of Missouri’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Employers that already have a paid time off policy may keep their current policy if that policy makes available enough leave to meet the new law’s accrual requirements and leave can be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions as it can under the new law.