Starting January 1, 2026, employees will be able to take up to 20 weeks of paid family and medical leave per year, funded by employers and employees through payroll deduction.
Here are some quick facts that any employer should know: ALL employers regardless of their size, and regardless of the number of employees located in Minnesota, are subject to the law.
- A new department within MN government will administer the law; employees will make a claim to the state for benefits under MN Paid Family Leave
- Coverage falls into two categories:
(1) leave for the employee’s own serious health condition; and
(2) other leave, including family care, bonding, safety, or qualifying exigency, defined as follows:- Bonding leave is time off for a biological, adoptive, or foster parent to spend time with a child in connection with the birth, adoption, or placement of that child. Employees must take bonding leave within 12 months of the birth, adoption, or placement of the child, except when the child must remain in the hospital longer than the birthing parent, in which case the leave must end within 12 months after the child leaves the hospital. In adoption situations, employees may use bonding leave for various issues connected with the adoption process.
- Family care leave is time off to care for a family member with a serious health condition or to care for a family member who is a military member.
- Safety leave is 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.
- Qualifying exigency leave is time off due to a military member’s active-duty service or notice of active duty, including caring for the family member’s child or dependent, making financial or legal arrangements, attending counseling, attending military events or ceremonies, spending time with the family member during a rest and recuperation leave or following return from deployment, or making arrangements after the death of a military member.
- The definition of family member includes a spouse or domestic partner; sibling; grandchild; grandparent or spouse’s grandparent; son- or daughter-in-law; child (including biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild, or 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 (including biological, adoptive, de factor, foster, or step-parent, or legal guardian or individual who stood in loco parentis to the applicant when the applicant was a child); and an 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.
- Employees will not receive their full wages for PFML. The state will apply a maximum weekly benefit amount computed by statute.
- Employers must pay quarterly premiums to the family and medical benefit insurance account on the taxable wages paid to each employee. Beginning January 1, 2026, the employer premium rates shall be:
- 0.7% for an employer participating in both family and medical benefit programs
- 0.4% for an employer participating in only medical benefit programs with an approved private plan for the family benefit program
- 0.3% for an employer participating in only the family benefit program with an approved private plan for the medical benefit program
- Employers must pay at least half of the annual premiums. Employees, through a wage deduction, must pay the remaining premium not paid by the employer. There is a small business exclusion where employers with fewer than 30 employees will pay a reduced amount, which the fund will absorb; employees at small employers will pay the same as those at larger employers.
