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

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Washington program

Use the sick leave you have already earned

Workers covered by Washington’s paid-sick-leave law earn at least one hour per 40 worked, and state law lets you use it to care for a child who needs treatment.

What it is

Workers covered by Washington’s paid-sick-leave law earn at least one hour per 40 worked, and state law lets you use it to care for a child who needs treatment.

Most Washington workers are covered by the state paid-sick-leave law (some jobs are exempt). Earned hours can cover clinic days now and the Paid Leave waiting week, as far as the balance goes.

Eligibility rules
  • State minimum is one hour for every 40 worked; covered employees can generally use it after 90 days of employment.
  • Some workers are exempt from the state law; an employer policy, union agreement or local law (Seattle has its own) may give more.
  • Give reasonable notice; for longer absences ask what documentation the employer wants.
What you get
  • Paid hours from your own balance for appointments and short absences.
  • Usable during the seven-day wait before Paid Leave pays.
  • No employer-size test.
Checking the balance
  • Your balance is usually on the pay statement; payroll can confirm it in writing.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask payroll for your sick-leave balance in writing and how to use it for your child’s care.
  2. Share the appointment dates you know and ask how to handle changes.
  3. Tell payroll which pot a day off comes from, sick leave or Paid Leave, so it is reported correctly.

Labor & Industries: paid sick leave · Official page ↗

Working with Paid Leave
  • Keep sick leave and Paid Leave separate when asking payroll how a day will be paid.
Good to know

Sick leave and Paid Leave are different pots. Using earned hours first can cover the waiting week, as far as your balance goes. Your employer cannot make you use up paid time off before Paid Leave.

Other details
  • Seattle’s paid sick and safe time ordinance can give more than the state minimum for Seattle employers.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Can I use my earned sick leave for my child’s appointments, and how should I coordinate it with Paid Family and Medical Leave so nothing is reported wrong?”

Why I’m asking: I want to use paid hours I already have before any unpaid time starts.

More background and detailed requirements

How this could help

Check your current balance on your pay statement or with payroll. These are paid hours you have already earned, which may help cover clinic visits and shorter absences while longer family leave is being arranged.

The state minimum does not cover every worker. Your employer’s policy, a union agreement or a local law may provide more leave than the minimum, so ask about the actual policy that applies to you.

What to know before you apply

  • Eligible employees generally can start using accrued state sick leave after 90 days of employment.
  • Follow the employer’s reasonable notice rules. For longer absences, ask what verification they require.
  • Keep sick leave and state Paid Family and Medical Leave separate when asking payroll how a day off will be paid.

Your next steps

  1. Ask payroll for your available sick-leave balance and the process for using it for your child’s care.
  2. Explain the dates or appointment schedule you know and ask how to handle changes.

employed by a Washington employer, subject to the statute's coverage exceptions

no floor under state law

Washington employment

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 for the balance in writing and say what the leave is for.

Your social worker

The employer records and pays the leave.

The care team

The clinic can confirm appointment dates if the employer asks.

Who decides
The employer, under state law; the Department of Labor and Industries enforces it.
Ask HR
“Could we plan which appointments I can cover with accrued sick leave while arranging longer leave?”

How to apply

First step: Ask payroll for your available sick-leave balance and the process for using it for your child’s care.

  1. Ask for your accrued paid sick leave balance in writing.
  2. Say the leave is to care for a child needing treatment, which is what the Family Care Act covers.
  3. If you work in Seattle for a very large employer, ask which accrual rate applies to you.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask the employer or the human resources office for your accrued balance in writing and say it is for a child needing treatment.

What to gather

  • Your pay stubs showing accrued leave
  • The appointment dates

How long: Immediate: it is leave you have already earned.

What a yes looks like

Paid days off without an argument.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the employer refuses, the Department of Labor and Industries takes complaints about paid sick leave.

Watch out

  • An employer cannot refuse to let you use earned leave for your child's care.
  • Seattle's largest employers use a better rate than the state floor.
  • This is separate from the state's paid family leave, and it covers the first week.

Dates that change this

2026-09-10: Seattle's rule was confirmed; Tacoma's and SeaTac's local rules were not retrievable. Ask the city labour standards office where you work.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

One paid hour for every forty worked at every employer, usable for a child who needs treatment; one per thirty at Seattle's largest employers.

  • $1 — Hours of paid sick leave earned for every forty hours worked
  • $1 — Hours of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked at Seattle’s largest employers
  • $250 — Full-time equivalents at which Seattle's largest-employer rate starts

Legal protection: Leave you have earned can be used for a child needing treatment or supervision · Local rules that are more generous survive

What it costs the family: Nothing; it is paid time you have already earned.

The eligibility facts, as published

Employment
employed by a Washington employer, subject to the statute's coverage exceptions
Employer size
no floor under state law
Residency
Washington employment

Expect friction on: Getting the balance in writing

The trap: The Family Care Act is what stops an employer refusing to let you use leave you already earned for your child. Local rules that are better than the state's still apply: in Seattle, the largest employers accrue an hour for every thirty hours worked.

Where I read this

← Back to your options