MN Paid Leave Program

FAQ for MN Paid Leave Program

• What is the Minnesota Paid Leave Program?

  The Minnesota Paid Leave Program is a state-led insurance program that will provide job protection and partial wage replacement to eligible employees who need time off from work for specific family or medical reasons, including:

  • Care for your own serious health condition
  • Bonding with a new child
  • Caring for a seriously ill family member
  • Addressing issues related to domestic violence
  • Preparing for or responding to a family members military deployment

  All Paid Leave applications will require certification, which is a document from a healthcare provider or a service provider that supports your need for leave.

• How do I qualify for Paid Leave Payments?

  To qualify for Paid Leave payments, you must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Have a qualifying event that makes you unable to work such as: 
     • Your own serious health condition
     • Welcoming a new child
     • Caring for a loved one
     • Managing a family members active duty
     • Safety concerns like domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking
  2. You have earned at least the state’s average annual wage during the last year
  3. A health care or service provider confirms your need for leave. They will need to fill out a form confirming your condition or need for time off. 
  4. You have not already used up your leave for the year (12 weeks of medical, 12 weeks of family leave, or 20 weeks total of both types of leave).

• Am I eligible for the Minnesota Paid Leave Program?

  To be eligible to participate, you must have worked 50% or more of the year in the state of Minnesota and have earned at least 5.3% of the statewide average annual wages in the past year ($3,900 in 2025). This amount will be updated annually by the state. These earnings can come from multiple jobs worked in Minnesota. 

• Does a qualifying event need to last a certain amount of time to count towards Minnesota Paid Leave?

  There is no waiting period for Minnesota paid leave. Payments start from day one of your approved leave, but for most reasons (except bonding), your qualifying event must last at least 7 calendar days. This 7-day requirement is a qualifying period, not a waiting period, and once met, benefits are paid retroactively for that first week, even for intermittent leaves where those days don’t have to be consecutive.

• What documentation is required for my application?

  All leaves under the Minnesota Paid Leave Program require certification, which means a health care professional or service provider needs to provide documentation that the leave is necessary.

  • For medical leave, a health care provider will need to complete a certification form that demonstrates your serious health care condition prevents you from performing your regular job and the amount of time needed.
  • For caring leave, to care for a family member, your family member’s health care provider will need to complete a certification form that demonstrates that your care is medically necessary, and the amount of time needed.
  • For bonding leave, to welcome a child into your home, you will need documentation completed by a health care professional, adoption agency, or foster care agency that demonstrates the child has arrived or been placed in your home.
  • For military family leave, you will need a copy of the active duty orders or other official military document that shows your family member is about to be deployed for duty.
  • For safety leave, you will need documentation that includes proof of the need for leave. This could include a letter from a qualified professional (such as a domestic violence advocate, counselor, or attorney), a police report, or a restraining order or other court order. This document does not require detailed information about what happened, only that safety leave is required.

• Will my job be protected while I am out on an approved leave?

  Yes, the Minnesota Paid Leave Program offers job protection to employees if they have been employed for at least 90 days.

• If I am approved for Minnesota’s Paid Leave, how much money will I receive?

  An employee’s payment is based on how much they normally earn. The Department of Employment and Economics Development (DEED) states that most people will receive somewhere between 55% – 90% of their regular wages while on an approved leave through the Minnesota Paid Leave Program, with a maximum weekly benefit set at the state average wage.

  DEED has also shared that they will provide a calculator on their website so employees can estimate their partial paid leave payments.

• How much leave am I eligible to take in a 12-month period?

  Eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of medical leave for their own serious health condition and up to 12 weeks of family leave to care for a family member, bond with a new child, address their own safety needs, or support a family member’s military service. If both types of leave are needed within the same 12-month period, the maximum combined total is 20 weeks.

• How will the two leave types interact with one another?

  The easiest way to show this is through an example:

  • In February, Frank needs to be out for 6 weeks for surgery. This is classified as Medical Leave as it addresses the employee’s own serious health condition. 
  • In July, Frank’s spouse had a child and has been approved for 12 weeks of bonding leave. This is classified as Family Leave. 
  • At the end of these two leaves, Frank will have used 18 of their 20 eligible weeks in a 12-month period. Frank will only have 2 weeks of Medical Leave available to them if needed. 

   

• Who qualifies as a family member for family leave under the Minnesota Paid Leave Program?

  Under Minnesota’s Paid Leave program, a family member can include:

  • Spouse or Domestic Partner
  • Child (including biological, adopted, step, or foster children, or a child you raise even if you are not legally related)
  • Parent or person who raised you
  • Sibling
  • Grandchild
  • Grandparent
  • In-laws (including son, daughter, father, or mother)
  • Anyone close to you who depends on you like family, even if not blood related

  When you apply for the paid leave, you will be required to provide information on your relationship to the person you’ll care for on family leave.

• How will the Paid Leave Program be funded?

  The program will be funded through a required payroll tax beginning January 1, 2026. The total premium rate for 2026 is set at 0.88% of gross wages split between employers and employees. 

• Is there a way to estimate the cost of this new state tax?

  Yes, the Department of Employment and Economics Development (DEED) created an online calculator for individuals to use to estimate their premiums. It is important to remember that this calculator provides an unofficial estimate of premium amounts. Actual premiums are based on exact wage detail reported to Minnesota Paid Leave and not on estimates generated from this calculator.

• When will required payroll deductions begin for the new Minnesota Paid Leave Program?

  You will see the required payroll deduction starting on your first check in 2026. For bi-weekly paid employees, this will be reflected on your January 2, 2026 paycheck.

• How is Minnesota Paid Leave and Minnesota Earned Safe and Sick Time different?

  Minnesota Paid Leave is intended for more serious medical or family-related events, while Earned Sick and Safe Time covers general health and safety needs that typically last for shorter durations.

• How do I find how much I have earned at Macalester in a given year?

  Start at 1600grand and navigate to Employee Dashboard and then Money Matters on the left hand navigation. Then click on the most recent Pay Stub and go to the Earnings section and select YTD column. This will show you how much you have earned for the year and will be broken down by job. At the bottom of the earnings section is a Total line which add up all of the YTD earnings from each job code.