Market by market
Australia
Sick and carer's leave are one combined entitlement under the National Employment Standards: 1/26 of ordinary annual hours, which lands at 10 days on a standard week. The employer pays at the base rate, there are no waiting days, unused balance rolls over indefinitely, and casuals are excluded (their loading compensates).
- Entitlement10 days a year full-time, pro-rata part-time
- Who paysEmployer, at base rate
- Waiting daysNone
- CarryoverUnlimited
- Not paid out on termination, unlike annual leave.
- Strictly an hours-based entitlement: 10 days assumes a five-day pattern.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman (NES, in force since 2010). Checked July 2026.
Canada
This is the market where generalising goes wrong fastest. Ontario's ESA gives 3 unpaid, job-protected sick days a year (the paid pandemic-era days ended in 2023). Federally regulated employers owe up to 10 paid medical days, accruing monthly. Quebec pays 2 days after 3 months' service, BC mandates 5 paid days, and the rest of the provinces write their own rules.
- Ontario3 days a year, unpaid, job-protected
- Federally regulated10 paid days, accruing 1 per month
- Quebec2 paid days after 3 months
- Province variationSubstantial (BC 5 paid days)
- Any copy implying Ontario has statutory paid sick days is wrong as of July 2026.
- Federal paid days accrue monthly, so a new hire does not start with 10.
Source: Ontario ESA guide (Unpaid regime since 2019). Checked July 2026.
New Zealand
The Holidays Act gives 10 days' sick leave once an employee reaches 6 months' service, and the entitlement is not pro-rated, so part-timers get the full 10 days. Up to 10 unused days carry over each year, capped at 20 days held. The employer pays at relevant daily pay; there is no state reimbursement.
- Entitlement10 days a year from 6 months' service
- Part-timeFull 10 days, not pro-rated
- Cap20 days held
- Who paysEmployer
| Length of service | Entitlement |
|---|
| 0 to 6 months | None (contract can be more generous) |
| From 6 months | 10 days a year, capped at 20 held |
- The Employment Leave Bill would move sick leave to pro-rated, hours-based accrual from day one, but it is still a bill; nothing changes before roughly 2028.
Source: Employment New Zealand (Holidays Act 2003, 10 days since 2021). Checked July 2026.
Singapore
Employment Act employees qualify after 3 months, with the entitlement stepping up monthly to the full 14 outpatient days and 60 hospitalisation days at 6 months. The hospitalisation figure is a combined cap, not an extra 60. The employer pays, and a medical certificate is required.
- Outpatient14 days a year from 6 months' service
- Hospitalisation60 days a year, inclusive of the 14
- Qualifying service3 months
- Who paysEmployer
| Length of service | Entitlement |
|---|
| 3 months' service | 5 outpatient / 15 hospitalisation days |
| 4 months | 8 / 30 |
| 5 months | 11 / 45 |
| 6 months and beyond | 14 / 60 |
- Covers all Employment Act employees including managers and executives; the S$2,600 threshold people cite only limits hours-of-work protections, not leave.
Source: Ministry of Manpower (Employment Act s.89). Checked July 2026.
United Kingdom
Since 6 April 2026 SSP runs from the first full day off sick: the Employment Rights Act 2025 removed both the three waiting days and the minimum-earnings test. The rate is the lower of 80% of average weekly earnings or £123.25, so low earners receive less than the flat figure. Employers carry the full cost, with no state reimbursement.
- RateLower of 80% of average weekly earnings or £123.25/week
- Payable fromDay one (waiting days abolished 6 Apr 2026)
- DurationUp to 28 weeks
- Employer reimbursementNone
- Any guidance still describing SSP as 'flat rate from day 4' is out of date twice over.
- Below about £154 a week in average earnings, the 80% formula pays less than £123.25.
Source: GOV.UK / HMRC (2026-27 rates, ERA 2025 changes from 6 Apr 2026). Checked July 2026.
United States
Federal law does not require a single paid sick day for private-sector employees. The FMLA gives eligible employees of covered employers up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year. Paid sick leave exists where states and cities mandate it, currently 17 states plus DC, each with its own accrual rules.
- Federal paid sick leaveNone
- FMLA12 weeks unpaid, job-protected
- FMLA eligibility12 months' service, 1,250 hours, 50+ employee sites
- State mandates17 states plus DC (2026)
- BLS puts typical private-sector practice at about 7 paid sick days after a year, so market practice and legal minimum are very different things in the US.
Source: US Department of Labor (FMLA 1993; state count per CRS R48921, Apr 2026). Checked July 2026.
Plain-English definitions in the HR Glossary: statutory sick pay.
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