Minnesota Paid Leave Law (MN PLL)

As of January 1, 2026, Minnesota’s Paid Leave Law (PLL) law provides employees with up to 20 weeks of PLL per benefit year. The program is administered by the Family and Medical Benefit Insurance Division (the “Division”) of the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). All employees are covered with the exception of seasonal employees, federal employees, self-employed individuals, and independent contractors. Further, employers may offer a private plan, so long as that plan provides benefits and protections that are the same as or greater than those provided under the public plan, and is approved by the Division. Private plans can be self-insured or insured through a carrier, and any employer with an approved private plan will not be required to pay tax premiums under the statute.

Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of leave for their own serious health condition, or up to 12 weeks of leave for other reasons – family care, bonding, qualifying exigency, and safety leave (time off because of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking of the employee or a family member to seek medical attention, victim services, counseling, relocation, or legal advice). However, an employee may only take up to 20 weeks combined of paid leave in a benefit year, not to exceed the 12 weeks allotted for the different leave reasons. Leave under the MN PLL runs concurrently with the Minnesota Pregnancy and Parental Leave Act as well as the federal FMLA when the employee is eligible for leave under these laws. An eligible employee can file an application for benefits and establish a benefit account with the Division up to 60 days prior to their leave, and the Division will determine the employee’s eligibility for PLL.

Benefits under the program will be calculated based on the average hours the employee has worked during the last two quarters prior to their application for benefits, with the amount based on a percentage of their average weekly wage. However, the maximum weekly benefit amount an employee could receive is equal to the state average weekly wage, which is $1,423 in 2026. Additionally, an employer may choose to designate certain benefits such as salary continuation, vacation, sick time, or other paid time off as a supplemental benefit payment, which can then be used to “top up” the amount of PLL benefits an employee receives. Intermittent leave is permitted in the minimum increment provided under employer policy for other forms of leave (e.g., PTO, sick, etc.), even if the increment is less than 1 day. If taking leave intermittently, employees cannot apply for benefits until they have accumulated at least 8 hours of leave. A covered employee’s initial paid week will occur only after seven leave days are taken, whether consecutive or not.

For appeals on PLL claims, employees and employers will have 30 calendar days from the date of the decision to request a review, after which a hearing will be held and reconsideration can be requested. Once a decision is made on a reconsideration, then the employer or employee filing can appeal the decision to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Employers can register for a Paid Leave Only account through the state’s Unemployment Insurance program online system, but if your organization was already covered under the Unemployment Insurance program, your UI account should have automatically been converted into a joint UI/Paid Leave account. The 2026 total premium rate for MN PPL will be 0.88%, which includes both family leave and medical leave. Contributions may be split 50% between employer and employee, though employers may choose to contribute up to 100% of the premiums. Small employers who employ 30 or fewer people and the average employee wage is less than 150% of the statewide average weekly wage will pay a reduced premium rate of 0.22%, while employees contribute the same maximum rate as a large employer (0.44%). Premium rates will be adjusted annually, with the maximum contribution rate for an employee capped at the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) limit. The first premium payments will be due on or before April 30, 2026, only applied to wages earned between January 1, 2026, and March 31, 2026. There is a premium calculator available to assist with estimated costs under the program.

You can also find a FAQs page that addresses benefits and premiums, as well as an employer resource toolkit that provides additional information about the program and the mandatory workplace poster. As a reminder, the poster should be provided in any language spoken by five or more employees.

Updates to your company handbook may need to be made if you include Minnesota state-specific leave benefits information.

Employers are required to post a notice within the workplace as well as provide the notice to new hires, and annually thereafter.

The Larkin Company will consider any law changes carefully, and update our internal resources and processes, as well as our employee leave information packets, if necessary.

MN PLL Bill – HF 2

Amendments to MN PLL – HF 5363

MN PLL Employer Resource Toolkit

Premium Calculator