How to Apply for Paid Sick Leave in Austin

While it sounds simple enough, calling in sick when you’re feeling ill and experiencing symptoms of a disease is often an awkward and demanding process. If your state doesn’t mandate employers to offer paid sick leave, does that leave you with only two options—take unpaid time off or work sick?

Each state has different sick leave regulations, but that doesn’t mean counties and cities can't enact their own laws. Do companies in the capital of Texas offer paid sick days to their employees? We’ll tell you all you need to know about the Austin paid sick leave ordinance.

DoNotPay can also help you create a rock-solid sick leave request letter in a few minutes if you sign up for our app.

Austin Paid Sick Leave Ordinance

Austin is one of the three Texas cities that attempted to adopt a paid sick leave ordinance that was supposed to regulate paid sick leave policy. This would mandate companies to allow their employees to accrue 64 hours of paid sick leave per year.

The ordinance never went into effect because it was deemed unconstitutional as it conflicted with the Texas Minimum Wage Act.

The Austin city council passed this ordinance in February 2018, but the Texas Supreme Court declined to hear the case in June 2020.

The other two cities that tried to adopt this ordinance are:

• Dallas
• San Antonio

Can You Get Paid Sick Leave in Austin?

Not having state-level law that mandates it doesn’t mean you can get paid time off. You can request paid sick leave if:

1. The company’s policy grants it
2. You meet the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) criteria

Check your employer’s policy and rules to see whether you can get paid sick leave.

Can the Family and Medical Leave Act Help?

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that covers sick leave for both public and private employees. With this law, employees can get up to 12 weeks of sick leave within a 12-month period. Unfortunately, the FMLA provides unpaid leave only.

The following table contains FMLA eligibility criteria for both employers and employees:

How To Inform Your Employer That You’re Sick

You can use the following methods to call in sick:

1. Send an email to your employer
2. Call them over the phone
3. Use DoNotPay to create a professional sick leave letter

Keep in mind that, in most cases, your employer needs to find someone else to cover your work while you’re on sick leave, so be sure to notify them in time that you’re feeling unwell.

Request Sick Leave in Minutes With DoNotPay’s Help

If you’re unsure how to tell your employer that you’re sick and need time off, don’t fret—DoNotPay can create a formal sick leave request letter in a matter of minutes.

We will use the information you provide and check whether there’s a law in your state that applies to your case. If so, we’ll ensure the letter complies with it entirely.

All you need to do is register for DoNotPay and follow the instructions below:

1. Locate the Request Sick Leave feature
2. Enter the state where your company is located (so we can find the relevant sick leave laws if there are any)
3. Answer a few questions about your company
4. Select the dates when you’ll be absent
5. Tell us if you want DoNotPay to send your request to your employer

If you get fired for taking sick days off, you can send demand letters to your employer in small claims court with DoNotPay’s help.

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