February 2026 brought changes employers should be mindful of as they navigate compliance requirements. Below is a summary of employment law updates with important deadlines that took place in February 2026, as well as any subsequent changes, as applicable.
Key takeaways
- Five employment law updates took place in February 2026 regarding employee rights notices, wage and sick pay requirements, family leave notices, training repayment agreements, and protected leave.
- Policies regarding pay, sick leave/PTO, employee rights notices, and onboarding may be impacted by these changes.
- In addition to making sure your employee handbook is compliant, some of these changes may require additional employee notices, changes to payroll practices, or a review of existing agreements with employees.
Updates at a glance
- California (February 1, 2026 notice deadline): Workplace Know Your Rights Act notice | Employee rights notices and onboarding
- Colorado (February 1, 2026): COMPS Order #40 and related wage rules | Pay policies, payroll calculations, and paid sick leave
- District of Columbia (February 1, 2026 notice deadline): Annual Paid Family Leave notice | Leave information and employee notices
- New York State: Trapped at Work Act amendment signed February 13, 2026; law effective December 19, 2026 | Training repayment and stay-or-pay agreements
- New York City (February 22, 2026): Additional 32 hours of immediately available unpaid protected time off | Sick leave, PTO, reporting procedures, and employee notices
Updates in more detail
California: Workplace Know Your Rights Act notice
Beginning January 1, 2026, California’s Workplace Know Your Rights Act required employers to provide a standalone, written notice to employees regarding certain employee rights and protections, including those related to workers’ comp, protection from certain immigration-related workplace practices, workplace organization, protection from retaliation, and certain interactions with law enforcement in the workplace. Employers were initially required to provide the notice to current employees by February 1, 2026. California Department of Industrial Relations
Employers were also required to provide current employees an opportunity to designate an emergency contact, which was required by March 30, 2026. California Department of Industrial Relations
Employers can use the Workplace Know Your Rights notice developed by the Labor Commissioner.
Action item: Ensure that you’ve provided current employees with the required Workplace Know Your Rights notice and are providing the notice to new employees as part of onboarding. You should also familiarize yourself with the emergency contact designation process and any related notice requirements. Note that including information in your employee handbook about these requirements is not a substitute for providing the required standalone notice.
See all California employee handbook requirements.
Colorado: COMPS Order #40 and related wage rules
COMPS Order #40 and Colorado’s final 2026 PAY CALC Order went into effect on February 1, 2026. These orders provide requirements and associated pay amounts related to certain wage and hour obligations. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
Employers should also be mindful of changes to sick pay requirements, particularly for employees that are paid on salary, commission, piece rate, or multiple rates of pay for different work. CDLE’s HFWA guidance
Note that Colorado’s statewide minimum wage also changed effective January 1, 2026 to $15.16 per hour ($12.14 per hour for tipped employees that meet certain requirements). Some localities may have enacted a higher minimum wage. CDLE’s January wage update
Action item: Review your employee handbook policies and payroll practices to make sure that they’re in line with applicable wage and hour and sick leave laws, including the orders described above. If your handbook includes information about how sick pay is calculated, make sure it’s consistent with your payroll practices.
See all Colorado employee handbook requirements.
District of Columbia: Paid Family Leave notice deadline
By February 1, 2026, District of Columbia employers were required to post and provide to covered employees the Paid Family Leave notice for 2026. DC Office of Paid Family Leave
At the time, covered DC employees were eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid parental, medical, or family leave (generally counting toward one combined maximum), as well as certain prenatal leave. DC Department of Employment Services
Later update: For applications filed on or after October 1, 2026, the maximum amount of paid medical leave is 10 weeks; the maximum amount of paid family leave to care for a family member is six weeks; and the maximum weekly benefit amount is $1,100. Employees continue to be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave and up to two weeks of paid prenatal leave. Current DC program guidance
Action item: Confirm that you’ve posted and provided employees with the required notice. If you’re taking this opportunity to review your handbook policies related to DC Paid Family Leave, make sure to refer to up-to-date program information so that your policies don’t reference any incorrect or outdated information regarding employee benefits.
New York State: Trapped at Work Act amendments
On February 13, 2026, New York State signed into law an amendment (A9452/S8822) to the Trapped at Work Act, which prohibits, with certain exceptions, an employer from conditioning employment on an agreement to pay the employer if the employee or job applicant’s employment ends before a certain time. New York legislative history
The law takes effect on December 19, 2026, and applies to agreements (including agreements that amend existing agreements) entered into on or after its effective date. Certain educational reimbursement agreements related to transferable credentials and certain bonus and relocation reimbursement agreements may be exempt, subject to certain requirements. New York Department of Labor
Action item: Before entering into, or amending, stay-or-pay or training repayment agreements, employers should consult with an employment attorney regarding whether such agreements are permitted under the amended Trapped at Work Act. Employers should also review other agreements and workplace policies, including offer letters and onboarding documents, to confirm that they’re in line with the law.
See all New York employee handbook requirements.
New York City: 32 hours of unpaid protected time off
Effective February 22, 2026, covered employees became entitled to an additional 32 hours of immediately available unpaid protected time off under New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act, also known as the Protected Time Off Law. Employees have 32 hours available at the start of employment and each calendar year (as defined by the employer). New York City’s February announcement
The law also expands the reasons for which protected time off may be used, such as for certain child care and caregiving needs, to attend benefits or housing appointments, or due to a public emergency.
Note that New York City’s Protected Time Off Law applies to covered employees that work in New York City, and it does not apply to all New York State employees.
Most covered employees are also entitled to up to 40 or 56 hours of paid protected time off, although some small employers are only required to make available unpaid protected time off, depending on net income in the previous tax year.
Employers must provide employees with updated notices when there are changes to employee rights under the law. Written policies regarding protected time off must be provided to employees within 14 days of when policy changes take effect (this is separate from the requirement to provide notices to employees). NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection FAQs
Action item: Employers covered by the Protected Time Off Law should review employee notices, policies and procedures, leave accrual balances, and payroll records to ensure they’re in compliance with the expanded leave requirements. Supervisors and managers should be aware of the expanded reasons for which protected time off may be used and how to respond to employee leave requests.
Employer checklist for February 2026
Below are the February 2026 updates and deadlines covered in this roundup, along with steps employers should review.
- California: Employers should make sure they’re providing the required standalone notice about employees’ workplace rights and revisit their emergency contact procedures.
- Colorado: Employers should double-check that they’re complying with any local or state-specific minimum wage ordinances and are calculating sick pay and wages correctly.
- District of Columbia: Employers should make sure they’re posting and providing the required notice about Paid Family Leave benefits. Employers implementing benefit changes should review policies now to make sure they reflect accurate benefits information.
- New York State: Employers should review training reimbursement and stay-or-pay agreements in employee handbooks before December 19, 2026.
- New York City: Employers should review employee notices, policies and procedures, leave accrual balances, and payroll records to ensure they’re in compliance with changes to the city’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act.
Employers updating their employee handbook should make sure managers and employees are aware of any significant changes, provide employees with the updated handbook (or addendum), and keep records of when and how employees received the changes (and obtain acknowledgments where appropriate).
Don’t forget that once you update your employee handbook, make sure your onboarding process, payroll practices, and managers’ day-to-day decisions are in line with those changes, too!
What to do next
Based on the states and localities where your employees (including remote employees) work, determine which of the above changes (and others not listed here) apply to your business. Then:
- Update affected policies, agreements, practices, and payroll calculations
- Post required notices and make sure managers/employees receive notices separately, if required
- Educate managers and employees about any changes that impact them
- Provide employees with the updated handbook (or addendum) and keep track of how/when they received it
- Before referring to this article (or any of our monthly employment law updates), check back to see if we’ve published any clarifications or updates
Our employment law updates are intended to help you stay on top of changes in employment law that might affect your policies and practices. They are not legal advice, and some laws change or get postponed after we first write about them, so always double-check with the resources we link to in each section (or your employment attorney) before taking action based on anything you read here!
Need to update your employee handbook? Handbooks.io’s employee handbook software helps you create, customize, and share policies that reflect your business.
Frequently asked questions
What employment law updates affected employers in February 2026?
Some of the updates covered in this February 2026 roundup include amendments to New York State’s Trapped at Work Act, new/changed deadlines in California, Colorado, DC, and New York State, and expanded protected time off in New York City.
Keep in mind that some of the laws we discuss took effect (or were amended) in February, but aren’t necessarily brand-new laws. For more details, refer to the summary above and the resources we linked to throughout this article.
Does updating our employee handbook satisfy employee notice requirements?
Employers should be sure they’re posting/providing any required notices, separate from their employee handbook, to comply with state and local laws. For example, California’s Workplace Know Your Rights Act requires employers to provide employees with a standalone notice, and updating your employee handbook alone won’t cut it!
Do these updates apply to every employer?
Not necessarily, so refer to the resources we linked to throughout this article to find out if a particular law applies to you. Some laws only apply to employers a certain size, for example, and employers shouldn’t assume that laws that take effect in one city (like New York City’s changes to protected time off) apply statewide.