Minnesota

Be in the Know: New Rules on Leave

Minnesota has recently passed legislation requiring paid medical leave (PML) and paid family leave (PFL) income replacement benefits for eligible workers who need time off from work for qualifying reasons.

Coverage and cost

Learn more about your state rules and eligibility.

Covered employers

All employers regardless of their size or number of employees located in Minnesota.

Coverage options

Employers may use the state or a private state-approved plan.

Cost

The cost of the program will be 0.88% of an employee’s taxable wages. An employer may not deduct more than a maximum of 50% (0.44%) of this premium to their employees through wage deduction.

Employee eligibility

Employee must have earned at least 5.3% of the state average weekly wage in the individuals base period or self-employed individuals who elect coverage under the plan. Some Seasonal Workers are excluded.

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Leave Reasons

Caring for a family member, bonding, medical, safe leave, qualifying exigency.

Job protection

Requires continuation of benefits, and right to reinstatement after 90 days tenure.

Benefits

Employees receive up to 90% of their average weekly wage on a sliding scale. The maximum benefit is 100% of the state average weekly wage.

  • 12 weeks medical leave, 12 weeks family leave, 20 weeks combined max.
  • 7 consecutive calendar day elimination period for continuous leave retroactive to day 1 after met (does not apply to bonding or intermittent leaves).

Helpful information

Timeline and key dates

Contributions for the program begin January 01, 2026

Benefits begin January 01, 2026

Need more information?

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How Unum can help

Unum will offer our clients both fully insured and self-insured solutions. We will also offer STD products to provide supplemental coverage that integrates seamlessly with our private plan or the state-run program.

Still looking for more information?

Check out our latest in leave content, and explore the State PFML Guide and our Leave Toolkit.

Have questions?

Reach out to our sales team to learn more about state PFML and absence management solutions from Unum.

The information provided is not legal advice and should not be relied upon or construed as legal advice. This is intended for general information purposes only and does not purport to be complete or cover every situation. Please consult your own legal advisors to determine how these laws affect you. This information is based on current laws and regulations that are subject to change.