Free restaurant calculator
Massachusetts earned sick time accrual calculator
Free to use. Nothing you type leaves your browser. Figures checked against official sources on October 1, 2026. Estimates only, not legal or tax advice.
Enter your numbers
Include overtime hours.
For tipped staff, sick hours are paid at no less than $15.00.
Result
Enter hours worked to see sick time earned.
The formula
- Hours earned = hours worked ÷ 30, up to 40 hours in a year
- Value = hours earned × hourly rate, for employers with 11 or more employees
- Tipped employees are paid at least the full $15.00 for sick hours
How to read the result
Every employee earns sick time, including part-time, seasonal and temporary staff. Whether it is paid depends on your size: with 11 or more employees it is paid, and below that it can be unpaid.
Overtime hours count toward accrual. Up to 40 unused hours carry over to the next year, but nobody can use more than 40 hours in a year, and you may pause accrual while someone's bank sits at 40.
For a server paid the service rate, a sick hour costs at least $15.00, not $6.75. They are not owed the tips they would have made.
Massachusetts rules
The rules behind the numbers
How much sick time do Massachusetts restaurant employees earn?
At least one hour for every 30 hours worked, overtime included, up to 40 hours a year. Part-time, seasonal and temporary staff earn it too. Up to 40 unused hours carry over, but nobody can use more than 40 hours in a year.
Full answer and official sourceIs sick time paid or unpaid, and how do we count employees?
Employers with 11 or more employees must pay for sick time; smaller employers must provide it but can leave it unpaid. Count every full-time, part-time, seasonal and temporary employee on payroll in each pay period of the prior year, then divide by the number of pay periods.
Full answer and official sourceWhat do we pay a tipped server who uses sick time?
At least the full $15.00 minimum wage for each sick hour, not the $6.75 service rate. Employees are not owed the tips they might have earned during the absence.
Full answer and official sourceWhen can a new hire start using sick time?
Accrual starts on the first day of work, and use can start on the 90th calendar day after it, however many days the person worked in between. Employers may allow earlier use.
Full answer and official sourceDoes a PTO policy satisfy the sick time law?
Yes, if at least 40 hours of it can be used for every sick-time purpose, under the same notice and documentation limits and job protection, paid at the same rate, and accruing at least one hour per 30 worked. If you front-load 40 or more hours at the start of the year, you do not need to track accrual or allow carryover.
Full answer and official source
Rules checked against official sources on . General information, not legal or tax advice.
Common questions
How many hours do you have to work to earn one hour of sick time in Massachusetts?
Thirty. Employees earn at least one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, overtime included, up to 40 hours a year.
How long does it take a part-time restaurant employee to earn 40 hours?
It takes 1,200 hours of work to earn 40 hours. Someone working 25 hours a week reaches that in 48 weeks.
Your restaurant remains the employer of record and approves payroll and employment decisions. BOHO is not a PEO, a staffing agency, or legal counsel. A calculator gives an estimate from the numbers you enter. Confirm anything that affects pay or taxes with your payroll provider, attorney or tax adviser.
Want these numbers checked every pay cycle?
Your restaurant remains the employer of record and approves payroll and employment decisions. BOHO is not a PEO, a staffing agency, or legal counsel.