Why can't I use my paid sick time yet?
Last updated: October 6, 2026
Applies to: US W-2 employees whose work location provides paid sick leave. Paid sick leave is an employee entitlement, so independent contractors do not earn it. Canadian T4 employees and employees outside the US and Canada follow their own local rules, which are covered in How paid sick leave works.
Summary: In many places that require paid sick leave, the law allows an employer to set a waiting period at the start of your employment. You start earning sick time straight away, but you cannot use it until you have been employed for the required length of time. Whether there is a waiting period, and how long it is, varies by your work location. Time you are off sick before the waiting period ends is not paid from your sick balance.
Earning sick time and using it are two different things
Earning (accrual). Where paid sick leave applies, you generally begin earning it from your first day of employment, based on the hours you work.
Using it. Where a waiting period applies, your earned hours sit in your balance until you reach the eligibility date. After that, you can use what you have earned, and anything you keep earning, as normal.
So a balance showing in your portal does not always mean you can use it yet.
How long is the waiting period?
It depends on the state, and sometimes the city, where you work. In some states the wait is 90 calendar days from the start of your employment; other places set a different period, and some have none at all. Do not assume a number you have heard from someone working in another state applies to you.
To find the rule for your location, check the state labor information you acknowledged during onboarding, or look up "paid sick leave" or "earned sick time" on your state labor agency's website. You can also email support@ascen.com and ask us for the date you become eligible to use your sick time.
What you will see if you are still in the waiting period
If you request sick time before you are eligible, it cannot be paid from your balance, and you may see a message saying you have not worked long enough yet to use your time off. See How PTO accrual and balances work.
If you are off sick during the waiting period
The time off is unpaid, because your sick balance cannot be used yet.
Still report your absence the way your worksite requires, following its call-out procedure.
Questions about attendance policies, excused absences, or attendance points go to your staffing partner, not to Ascen. See How to Request Sick Time or Report an Absence.
Once you pass your eligibility date, request sick time as usual. See How do I enter sick time?.
Who to contact
Your eligibility date, your balance, or a sick time request you think was handled incorrectly: email support@ascen.com.
Attendance, call-outs, and your schedule: your staffing partner.