Work, Pay & Leave Rights · Surprise rank #91
NYC Caregiver? Your Employer Can't Penalize You Just for Caring for Family
NYC's Human Rights Law protects covered workers from employment discrimination based on caregiver status, including caring for a child or sick family member.
Who
Workers and job applicants covered by the NYC Human Rights Law who meet the law's caregiver-status definition.
Where: New York City
What to do
Start here: Document the employment action and caregiver-related statements, then contact the NYC Commission on Human Rights online or at 212-416-0197.
Eligibility: NYC employment-discrimination coverage generally applies when the employer has four or more workers. The conduct must be tied to protected caregiver status.
What you get
Covered employers cannot discriminate in hiring, firing, pay, benefits, promotions, assignments, evaluations or discipline because of protected caregiver status.
Benefit: Protection against caregiver-based employment discrimination plus access to the NYC Commission on Human Rights complaint process.
Possible value: No fixed cash amount; remedies can include job-related relief and damages depending on the case.
Good to know
Important: The law protects against discrimination because of caregiver status. It does not create a general right to any schedule or leave request simply because someone is a caregiver.
Availability: Active legal protection
Why people miss it: Workers often know about protections for race, disability or pregnancy but not caregiver status as its own NYC protected category.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026