Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Nebraska program

Paid days off to care for your child (Nebraska paid sick time)

Paid sick time you can use to care for an ill child or attend their appointments.

What it is

Paid sick time you can use to care for an ill child or attend their appointments.

Nebraska’s law covers care for an ill child of any age. It can keep some appointment days from becoming unpaid days. Employer type, size and earned hours still need checking.

Eligibility rules
  • The law has applied since October 1, 2025 to covered work in Nebraska. Private employers with fewer than 11 staff are outside it.
  • Federal, state and local government employers are excluded. Their own leave policies may still provide paid time.
  • Accrual starts after 80 hours of consecutive employment, at one hour for every 30 hours worked.
  • HR checks the statutory employer category and payroll history, not just today’s headcount. The 40-hour category covers qualifying employers with 11–19 employees; other covered employers use 56 hours. Worker exclusions in section 48-3802 also apply. These are earned hours, not an immediate annual grant.
What you get
  • Your usual hourly pay and benefits for covered sick time.
  • Covered workers earn one hour for every 30 hours worked after the initial employment threshold; the required annual allowance is up to 40 or 56 hours.
  • Covered uses include appointments and meetings about your child’s illness.
What the help covers
  • Accrued time can be used as it becomes available. It is a limited sick-time benefit rather than months of paid family leave.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask HR for your accrued sick-time balance and the employer’s notice policy.
  2. If you choose to use it, give notice through that policy and keep the dates of the care or appointments.

Your employer · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • HR records the used hours and pays them at the usual rate. Documentation can be required after more than three consecutive workdays.
Good to know

An existing paid-time-off policy can satisfy the law. The employer does not have to add a second bank.

Other details
  • Government employers and private employers with fewer than 11 staff are outside the law; ask HR which category the employer is in.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could I use earned sick time for my child’s care? How much is available and how would it work with our other leave options, and could you help me discuss it with HR?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand how many care days could remain paid.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Ask HR for the balance in writing and give notice as the policy requires.

Your social worker

HR tracks accrual and pays the hours at your usual rate.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
Your employer applies the law.
Ask HR
“Under the Nebraska Healthy Families and Workplaces Act I can use paid sick time to care for my child. What is my accrued balance?”

How to apply

First step: Ask HR in writing what your accrued sick-time balance is.

  1. Ask HR for your accrued sick-time balance in writing.
  2. Use it for appointments and treatment days.
  3. If HR says the company is too small, ask how many people are on the payroll.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask HR in writing for your accrued balance and use it for the child’s appointments.

What to gather

  • Your pay stubs
  • The appointment schedule

How long: Usable as it accrues, after the first 80 hours of employment.

What a yes looks like

Paid hours on your pay stub for the days you were at the hospital.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If HR says the company is exempt, ask for the headcount and whether it is a government employer.

Watch out

  • The floor is eleven employees, not five.
  • Government employers are outside this law entirely.
  • Documentation can be asked for after more than three days in a row.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

At least 40 paid hours a year at an employer of 11 to 19, and 56 hours at a larger one, usable for a child’s illness.

  • $40 — Hours a year at an employer of 11 to 19 people
  • $56 — Hours a year at a larger employer
  • $11 — Smallest employer size the Act reaches
  • $30 — Hours worked for each hour of sick time earned

Legal protection: Care for an ill child of any age, including appointments and meetings about the illness

What it costs the family: None: it is paid at your usual hourly rate and benefits.

The eligibility facts, as published

Other
a private employer with 11 or more staff; accrual begins after 80 hours of consecutive employment
Residency
work performed in Nebraska
Processing standard
usable as it accrues

Expect friction on: Government employers are excluded, and the smallest employers are outside it

The trap: The floor is eleven employees, not five. Employers with 11 to 19 owe at least 40 hours a year; larger ones owe 56.

Where I read this

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