The Houk Law Firm is committed to providing up-to-date information about new laws
affecting employers and employees in light of the Covid-19 situation. That’s why we created
this short guide to Covid-19 paid leave.
Beginning April 1, 2020, employees are entitled to Covid-19-related paid leave. In general,
employees are entitled to paid leave when they are affected by Covid-19. Employees
may be eligible for:
80 hours of paid leave at 100% of their pay when:
– the employee must stay home on the recommendation of a doctor,
– a government order requires leave, or
– an employee has Covid-19 symptoms and is seeking a diagnosis.
80 hours of paid leave at 100% of their pay when the employee is caring:
– for someone who is at home on the recommendation of a doctor,
– for someone who has Covid-19 symptoms and is seeking a diagnosis,
– for a child whose school is closed or child care provider is unavailable
because of Covid-19
80 hours of paid leave at 100% of their pay when:
– a government order requires it
10 weeks of paid leave at 2/3 of their regular rate of pay for employees staying at home
with children while schools are shuttered due to Covid-19.
Covered employers are generally employers with fewer than 500 employees. Employers with
under 50 employees may qualify for an exemption if providing paid leave would cause them
to go out of business. Full and part-time employees are eligible.
Employers will be reimbursed 100% for the leave through tax credits.
Please contact the Houk Law Firm for assistance in understanding recently passed laws or
proposed legislation.
For more information, please see the following:
Department of Labor Guidelines for Employees
Department of Labor Guidelines for Employers
Department of Labor Guidance (Q&A)
Internal Revenue Service Press Release – Tax Credits for Employers
The information in this post is not intended to be legal advice for a specific situation.