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Do you have to give your employer vacation time in Massachusetts?

Do you have to give your employer vacation time in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts laws There is no law that requires an employer to give you vacation time. But if an employer chooses to provide vacation time, they must treat those payments like other wages under: MGL c.149, § 148 Payment of wages

What does the Massachusetts Wage Act say about vacation pay?

The Massachusetts Wage Act states, “Every person having employees in his service shall pay weekly or bi-weekly wages earned to him.” The law further describes “wages” as being “any holiday or vacation payment due an employee under an oral or written agreement.”

When does an employer have to pay accrued vacation?

No federal laws require employers to offer vacation pay when an employee quits. Individual states can determine whether any accrued vacation time must be paid out when an employee leaves an employer. Employers typically have their own policies and contracts with employees regarding how to handle unused vacation time.

Can a company limit the amount of vacation time an employee can take?

Employers can also dictate the amount of vacation time an employee may take and can require that the allotted time be accrued over time (e.g., a certain amount of hours per pay period). Employers may also enforce a policy that prohibits employees from rolling unused vacation time forward to subsequent years.

Are there any vacation time laws in Massachusetts?

2. There are no “vacation time laws” in Massachusetts. Employers are not required to let employees accrue vacation time (although it is a sought-after benefit for both recruiting and retaining employees). Need to create PTO policies but don’t know where to start?

How are sick and vacation time accrued in Massachusetts?

Commonwealth employers can choose to separate sick and vacation time into different accrual “buckets” for their employees, or they can bundle the time together into one bucket, called paid time off (PTO), which often accounts for both vacation and sick leave. Learn more in our article, Defining & Implementing PTO Accrual.

Can a employer enforce a vacation leave policy in Ma?

MA Atty. Gen. Advisory 1999/1. An employer cannot enforce a vacation leave policy where an employee forfeits all or part of their accrued or vested vacation upon separation from employment. MA Atty. Gen. Advisory 1999/1. An employer may place a reasonable cap on the amount of vacation leave employees may accrue.

Employers can also dictate the amount of vacation time an employee may take and can require that the allotted time be accrued over time (e.g., a certain amount of hours per pay period). Employers may also enforce a policy that prohibits employees from rolling unused vacation time forward to subsequent years.