Covered Leaves and Durations
| Leave Type | Maximum Leave Duration |
|---|---|
| Medical Leave | 12 weeks |
| Family Leave | 12 weeks |
| Combined Leave | 20 weeks |
Weekly Benefit Amount
Benefit Calculation:
- 90% of wages that do not exceed 50% of the state's average weekly wage, or SAWW; plus
- 66% of wages that exceed 50%, but are less than 100% of the SAWW; plus
- 55% of wages that exceed 100% of the SAWW.
Maximum Weekly Benefit: Equal to the SAWW
Minimum Weekly Benefit: No minimum
SAWW: $1,423
Waiting Period
Except for bonding leave, any claim for benefits must be based on a single qualifying event of at least 7 consecutive calendar days. The 7 days do not need to be consecutive for an intermittent leave. This first 7 days will be paid retroactively once the employee has met the 7-day qualifying requirement.
Intermittent Leaves
Intermittent leave is permitted in increments consistent with an employer's established policy, with a maximum required increment of one calendar day. Intermittent leave may be restricted by employers to 480 hours in any 12-month period.
Covered Employers
- Minnesota PFML benefits generally will be available to an employee who has earned at least 5.3% of the State Average Annual Wage rounded down to the nearest $100 in the employee’s base period.
- Self-employed and independent contractors can opt into the program.
- Some seasonal employees may be excluded.
Family Members
Covered employees may take family leave to care for a:
- Spouse or domestic partner
- Child, including a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, or a child to whom the applicant stands in loco parentis, is a legal guardian, or is a de facto parent
- Parent or legal guardian of the applicant
- Sibling
- Grandchild
- Grandparent or spouse’s grandparent
- Son-in-law or daughter-in-law;
Any individual who has a relationship with the applicant that creates an expectation and reliance that the applicant care for the individual, whether or not the applicant and the individual reside together
Plan Options
Employers may select coverage under the state plan, or they may elect coverage under a fully insured or self-insured private plan. A private plan must confer the same rights, protections, and benefits to employees as those provided within the state plan. Additional rules and regulations are under development.
Funding
| Contribution Type | Percent of Covered Wages (Up to the Social Security Wage Cap) |
|---|---|
| Employee | 0.44% |
| Employer | 0.44% |
| Total | 0.88% |
Minnesota rounds the Social Security Wage Cap to the nearest $1,000 for contribution calculations. In 2026, the Social Security Wage Cap of $184,500 is rounded to $185,000.
Small employers with fewer than 30 employees may calculate a smaller employer-contribution amount. However employees of small employers may not be charged more than 50% of 0.88%.
Additional Information Employers Need to Know
MN PFML provides job protection once an employee has worked 90 days for their employer. Health insurance benefits must be maintained while an employee is on leave, however, employees may be required to continue to pay the employee share of the cost for such benefits.
More Information
For more details, visit the Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave site.
If you'd like to see how we can help you comply with leave laws, check out our leave management services. We offer both absence management and benefits administration so you can focus your time where you need it most.
Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) confirmed today that the new paid leave program will launch with a 0.88% payroll tax, which is 25% higher than what was originally proposed (.7%) two years ago when the Legislature passed the law. DEED will do rate adjustments each year after receiving an annual actuarial analysis to investigate the solvency of the program. Employees will pay up to half of the payroll tax — 0.44% of their taxable wages in the first year — but an employer can choose to assume some of the employee cost.
More information on Minnesota’s premium rate and contributions are located at Premium rate and contributions / Minnesota Paid Leave.
Minnesota has enacted a Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) bill, which will provide employees up to 20 weeks of PFML per year. The program is launching for Minnesotans in 2026. It provides paid time off when a serious health condition prevents an eligible employee from working, when they need time to care for a family member or a new child, for certain military-related events or for certain personal safety issues
Paid Medical and Family Leave (bill HF 2) was signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on May 25th, 2023.
- Contributions begin January 1, 2026.
- Benefits go into effect January 1, 2026.
Because it will take some time to set up the program and for premiums to collect enough to cover benefits, Governor Walz and the DFL legislative leaders agreed to draw $668 million from MN’s surplus budget to front-load the program. Premiums will start being collected, and benefits will start being paid, on January 1, 2026.
- Private plans (fully insured or self-funded) that exceed the benefits of the state plan permitted.
- 12 weeks paid leave for employee’s own serious health condition, including pregnancy, care for a family member, including bonding with a new child, related to a family member’s military deployment and instances of domestic abuse of sexual assault. 20 week cap for medical and family leave combined.
- Replacement wages would range from 55% to 90%.
- Funded by 0.7% payroll tax. Employers could charge 50% of the expense to employees. The rate could go up but not until January 2027 and not above a maximum of 1.2 percent.
- Job protected leave and retaliation prohibited.
All information on this page is subject to change as state requirements change.
