Last updated: 2026-09-21.
Statewide MandateHow Alaska's real statutory thresholds apply to specific employer profiles. Each section re-frames the state law above for one audience — the underlying figures never change, only the lens does.
For employers with fewer than 15 employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "1 employee". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For employers with 50 or more employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "1 employee". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant, café, and food-service operators: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including restaurants & food service, use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores, shops, and chains: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including retail employers, use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics, hospitals, and healthcare staffing: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including healthcare employers, use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hr teams onboarding new employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "1 employee". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant and food-service operators with fewer than 15 employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small restaurants (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant groups and chains with 50 or more employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large restaurants & chains (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores and shops with fewer than 15 employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small retail (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail chains with 50 or more employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large retail & chains (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics and healthcare practices with fewer than 15 employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small healthcare (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hospitals and healthcare systems with 50 or more employees: Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://labor.alaska.gov/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large healthcare systems (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Statewide mandate | Yes |
| Employer threshold | 1 employee |
| Accrual rate | 1 hour per 30 hours worked |
| Max accrual / year | 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees) |
| Paid or unpaid | paid |
| Carryover | Yes (no cap, must carry over) |
| Qualified reasons | Own/family illness, preventive care, safety leave. |
| Effective date | Jul 1, 2025 |
| Official source | https://labor.alaska.gov/ ↗ |
Alaska employers have no federal paid sick-leave mandate — the FFCRA expired and the Healthy Families Act has not passed. The federal FMLA is unpaid and limited to 50+ employee employers. Alaska's Paid Sick Leave law (Ballot Measure 1, effective Jul 1, 2025; AS 23.10.067) requires paid sick leave for all employers, accruing 1 hr/30 hrs, with size-based caps (40 hrs for 1–14 employees, 56 hrs for 15+), and — critically — requires carryover with no cap on the unused balance.
Alaska is the only non-contiguous state with a 2025 paid sick-leave law. Its 1-in-30 accrual matches the West Coast generous standard (California, Oregon, Washington all use 1:30), but Alaska's size-based cap (40 hrs for small, 56 for large) is more modest than California's 80-hour accrual cap. Among U.S. states Alaska now joins the West Coast bloc; Hawaii has no comparable statewide mandate. Alaska's required uncapped carryover is stricter than many states that let employers cap or forfeit balances.
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 2024 (Nov 2024) | Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 1 (the Paid Sick Leave initiative) at the general election. |
| 2025 (eff. Jul 1, 2025) | The law takes effect (AS 23.10.067); all employers must provide paid sick leave, 1 hr/30 hrs, caps by size (40/56 hrs), required carryover with no balance cap. |
| 2026 | Minimum wage phases up ($14 in 2026, $15 in 2027) alongside the sick-leave law; no change to the sick-leave accrual tracked. |
Employers in Alaska most often trip on the items below. Amounts are typical statutory ranges — confirm the current figure with the state labor department before acting.
| Violation | Typical penalty / fine | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Failing to provide paid sick leave or denying its use | Alaska Dept. of Labor & Workforce Development enforces the wage-and-hour provisions; employees may recover denied leave and the Department can assess penalties under state wage law — confirm current figures with AK DOLWD. | Capping or forfeiting the carried-over balance violates the required uncapped carryover. |
| Retaliation | Prohibited; remedies include back wages and reinstatement. | Mis-tallying the 15-employee threshold for the 56-hour cap is a common error. |
| Wrong size-cap application | Employers with 15+ must allow 56 hrs; treating them as the 40-hr (<15) tier shortchanges workers. | Headcount is measured across the employer's Alaska workforce. |
Use the button below to print or save a one-page compliance summary for Alaska. It includes the state law table and any local ordinances above.
Yes. Alaska requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. Accrual is 1 hour per 30 hours worked, capped at 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees), with carryover Yes (no cap, must carry over).
Employees accrue 1 hour per 30 hours worked. The max accrual is 40 hours/year (<15 employees); 56 hours/year (15+ employees).
No local ordinances are tracked for Alaska beyond the state law.
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