Under California law, sick leave accrual rate equals what?

• A. Accrues at least 1 paid sick leave for every 60 hours worked.
• B. Accrues at least 1 paid sick leave for every 90 hours worked.
• C. Accrues at least 1 paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
• D. No sick leave accrual; only per-year allotment.

Answer: (C)

California requires paid sick leave to accrue at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked. This means as an employee logs hours, they earn sick leave proportionally: 30 hours worked earns 1 hour of sick leave, 60 hours earns 2 hours, 120 hours earns 4 hours, and so on. Employers can instead frontload a set amount (such as 24 hours) at the start, but if using the accrual method, the rate remains one hour per 30 hours worked. This is why the correct choice reflects an accrual of one paid sick leave hour for every 30 hours worked—the other options either slow the accrual, deny accrual, or refer to a non-accrual upfront allotment rather than the accrual rate itself.