Nevada Sick Leave Law: What Nevada Employers Must Provide (and What’s Optional)
If you’re searching for the Nevada sick leave law or Nevada sick time law, you’re likely trying to confirm whether Nevada requires “paid sick leave,” how much time employees accrue, and what you must put in your policy to stay compliant. Nevada does not have a standalone statewide “paid sick leave” statute like some states—but it does require many employers to provide paid leave that employees can use for illness, through Nevada’s paid leave law.
Below is a practical, HR-friendly breakdown of what Nevada requires, how accrual works, how employees can use leave, and what to document.
Is There a Nevada Sick Time Law?
Nevada’s requirements are best understood as paid leave rather than a dedicated “paid sick leave” program.
The key law: Nevada’s Paid Leave (SB 312)
Nevada enacted a paid leave mandate through Senate Bill 312 (2019), codified primarily in NRS 608.0197. Under this law, covered employers must provide paid leave that employees may use for any reason, including sick time.
Why this matters: Even though the statute isn’t titled “sick leave,” it effectively functions as a Nevada sick time law because employees can use the paid leave when they are ill (subject to the law’s rules).
Which Employers Must Provide Paid Leave That Can Be Used as Sick Leave?
Covered employers
Generally, the law applies to private employers with 50 or more employees in Nevada.
Common exemptions (high-level)
Nevada’s paid leave requirement includes exemptions for certain workers and situations, including (but not limited to) some categories of:
- Temporary, seasonal, or on-call employees (depending on facts and classification)
- Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement that meets statutory conditions
- Certain newly-hired employees during an initial waiting period (see below)
Because exemptions can be fact-specific, many employers confirm coverage by reviewing headcount, employee classification, and work location.
How Much Sick Time Do Employees Get Under Nevada’s Paid Leave Law?
Accrual rate
Covered employees accrue paid leave at a rate of 0.01923 hours per hour worked.
That equates to roughly:
- 40 hours per year for a full-time employee working 2,080 hours/year.
Annual caps
Employers may cap:
- Accrual at 40 hours per benefit year
- Use at 40 hours per benefit year
Waiting period to use leave
Employers may require employees to wait until they have been employed for 90 days before using accrued paid leave.
How Can Employees Use Nevada Paid Leave for Sick Time?
A key difference between Nevada and classic “paid sick leave” states: Nevada’s paid leave is broadly usable.
Permitted uses (including sick leave)
Employees can use accrued paid leave for any reason, including:
- Their own illness, injury, or medical appointment
- A family care need (if the employee chooses to use their leave that way)
- Personal obligations unrelated to health
Because the leave is “for any reason,” employers should avoid policies that improperly restrict use only to medical reasons.
Documentation and note requirements
While Nevada’s statute allows reasonable notice procedures, employers should be cautious about imposing documentation requirements (like a doctor’s note) in a way that effectively limits an employee’s ability to use leave. A practical approach is to:
- Require notice “as soon as practicable” for unforeseeable absences
- Use consistent call-in procedures
- Apply rules uniformly to avoid retaliation or discrimination risk
For comparisons with more prescriptive sick leave states, see SwiftSDS’s guide to the arizona sick leave law, which has specific sick-time mechanics and enforcement structure.
Carryover, Payout, and “Use-It-or-Lose-It” Rules in Nevada
Carryover
Nevada’s paid leave law allows employers to manage carryover through a compliant benefit-year design and caps. Many employers choose either:
- Accrual with carryover (subject to the 40-hour accrual/use caps), or
- A frontloading approach (if administered to meet the annual availability expectations)
Payout of unused leave at separation
Nevada’s paid leave law does not universally require payout of unused paid leave upon separation in all cases; however, payout obligations can arise from:
- Your written policy or offer letter
- An employment contract or CBA
- Employer practice (which can create expectations)
This is an area where policy language matters. If you want to see how another state treats payout more explicitly, SwiftSDS also covers related payout questions in other jurisdictions (for example, do you get paid for unused sick days in california).
Policy and Recordkeeping: Actionable Compliance Steps for HR
To comply with the Nevada sick leave law framework (Nevada paid leave used as sick time), focus on policy clarity and consistent administration.
1) Put the accrual formula and caps in writing
Your handbook or standalone leave policy should plainly state:
- Accrual rate: 0.01923 hours per hour worked
- Annual accrual cap: 40 hours
- Annual use cap: 40 hours
- Benefit year definition (calendar year, anniversary year, etc.)
2) Confirm your “eligible employee” definitions
Misclassifying employees (especially seasonal/temporary categories) is a common compliance risk. Make sure eligibility language matches how workers are actually scheduled and staffed.
3) Align with federal wage/hour posting and pay rules
Even though Nevada’s paid leave is state-driven, the wage/hour foundation still matters—especially for pay-stub accuracy and overtime interactions. Many employers keep federal notices current, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act poster (and the Spanish version, Derechos de los Trabajadores Bajo la Ley de Normas Justas de Trabajo (FLSA), where applicable).
For public employers, the DOL also provides Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act - State and Local Government.
4) Train managers on lawful use and retaliation risk
Because the leave can be used for “any reason,” managers should not:
- Demand the reason for leave beyond what’s needed for scheduling
- Discourage use through attendance points or discipline inconsistently applied
- Treat leave use as a performance issue without HR review
5) Coordinate with other leave laws (FMLA and beyond)
Nevada paid leave may run alongside federal protections. If an absence potentially qualifies as a serious health condition, HR should evaluate FMLA eligibility and notices. SwiftSDS outlines these requirements in Fmla nevada.
Nevada Posting Requirements: Avoid Location Confusion
Nevada employers often search for “Nevada posting requirements,” and it’s easy to end up on pages that refer to Nevada County (which is not the state of Nevada). If you’re managing multi-state or multi-county compliance, be careful to distinguish between Nevada (the state) and similarly named jurisdictions.
For example, SwiftSDS has separate local posting requirement pages such as:
These are useful for Arkansas locations, but they are not Nevada state postings.
How Nevada Compares to Other States’ Sick Leave Frameworks
Nevada’s approach (paid leave usable for any reason) differs from states that mandate leave specifically labeled and protected as “paid sick time.” If your organization operates across state lines, it helps to compare.
- For a neighboring-state example with dedicated paid sick time rules, see arizona sick leave law.
- If you’re building a broader compliance library for HR leaders, SwiftSDS also tracks related state law requirements such as california employment laws and workplace protections like anti discrimination laws in california.
(And if your compliance scope also includes wage topics, you may want a quick cross-reference to resources like alabama minimum wage and california 50 dollar minimum wage for broader policy benchmarking.)
FAQ: Nevada Sick Leave Law
Is paid sick leave required in Nevada?
Nevada does not have a separate statewide “paid sick leave” statute, but many employers must provide paid leave under NRS 608.0197, and employees may use that leave for illness—functionally covering sick time needs.
How many hours of sick time do employees get in Nevada?
Covered employees accrue paid leave at 0.01923 hours per hour worked, up to 40 hours per benefit year, and employers may cap use at 40 hours per year.
Can Nevada employers require a doctor’s note to use paid leave?
Because Nevada’s paid leave can be used for any reason, employers should be careful about requiring medical documentation as a condition of use. If you have a documentation practice, keep it narrowly tailored, consistent, and reviewed by HR to avoid inadvertently restricting lawful leave use.
SwiftSDS helps employers maintain compliant labor law programs across states and worksites. For multi-state leave administration, consider comparing Nevada’s structure to the arizona sick leave law and coordinating longer medical leaves with Fmla nevada.