The following changes to Washington employment law take effect on January 1, 2025.

PAID SICK LEAVE UPDATED
The state’s paid sick leave law, which applies to employers of all sizes, will be updated to cover an additional reason for leave and expanded list of family members. Employees can now use paid sick leave when their workplace or their child’s school or place of care is closed due to any declared emergency, not just for health-related closures.

Additionally, the law’s definition of family member will be expanded to include an employee’s child’s spouse and an individual who resides in the employee’s home or depends on them for care.

Action Items

Update your leave policy to reflect the new leave reason.
If your policy includes a definition of family member, update it.
Ensure those administering paid sick leave are informed about the new leave reason and definition updates.
MINIMUM WAGE
Statewide
The minimum wage will increase to $16.66 per hour.

The new minimum salary threshold for exempt employees will increase as follows:

Employers with 50 or fewer employees: $1,332.80 per week ($69,305.60 per year)
Employers with 51 or more employees: $1,499.40 per week ($77,968.80 per year)
Exempt computer professionals can be paid an hourly rate rather than a salary. That minimum will increase to $58.31 per hour.

New Local Minimum Wages
Burien
Burien passed a minimum wage ordinance applicable to employers with 21 or more full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in King County. The following rates apply:

The hourly minimum wage for employers with 500 or more FTE employees in King County will be $21.16.
Employers with 21–499 FTE employees in King County won’t be subject to a minimum wage increase until July 1, 2025, at which point it will be $20.16 per hour.
Employers with 20 or fewer FTE employees are exempt from the ordinance, so need to pay at least the state minimum wage.
Note that the minimum wage applies only to employees in Burien, but the city based the employer size threshold on employee count in King County.

By January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, employers must post a current minimum wage poster, in English and any other primary language spoken by employees, in a conspicuous location in the workplace. If employees work remotely or don’t have a regular workplace, employers must provide them with the poster individually in their primary language. The city will make a poster available for employers on its minimum wage web page by January 1, 2025.

King County
King County passed a minimum wage ordinance for employers in unincorporated areas, which takes effect in the new year. The hourly minimum wage is tiered as follows:

Employers with 15 or fewer employees and less than $2 million in annual gross revenue: $17.29
Employers with 15 or fewer employees and annual gross revenue of $2 million or more: $18.29
Employers with 16–499 employees, regardless of gross revenue: $18.29
Employers with 500 or more employees: $20.29
Employers determine their number of employees by looking at their average over the past 12 months, regardless of location.

Covered employers must maintain adequate records to demonstrate compliance.

Updated Local Minimum Wages
Bellingham
Bellingham’s minimum wage will increase to $17.66 per hour to remain $1 more than the state’s minimum wage.

Renton
The minimum hourly wage will be as follows:

Employers with 15–500 employees or that have annual gross revenue of over $2 million generated within the city limits of Renton: $18.90
Employers with 501 or more employees worldwide and certain franchisees: $20.90
Employers that don’t meet any of the above criteria are not subject to the city’s minimum wage, so they need to pay at least the state minimum wage.

Seattle
The city minimum wage will be $20.76 per hour for all employers.

SeaTac Hospitality and Transportation Industry
The minimum wage for hospitality and transportation industry workers in SeaTac will be $20.17 per hour. The state minimum wage applies to those in other industries.

Tukwila
The minimum hourly wage will be as follows:

Employers with 15–500 employees or annual gross revenue of over $2 million generated within the city limits of Tukwila: $20.10
Employers with 501 or more employees and certain franchisees: $21.10
Employers that don’t meet any of the above criteria are not subject to the city’s minimum wage, so need to pay at least the state minimum wage.