Frequently asked questions for individuals and families

Minnesotans will be able to take leave under the program starting on January 1, 2026.

Paid Leave benefits will vary based on your weekly pay. As we get closer to the program launch date, we'll update this website to include a calculator so you can estimate your benefit.

Paid Leave benefits are paid by the State of Minnesota.

Paid Leave benefits are financed through payroll deductions on wages. Employers are required to pay at least half of the premium and may choose to pay more.

Employers can begin payroll deductions on January 1, 2026.

Starting on January 1, 2026, there will be two types of leave available under the program: family leave and medical leave.

In one benefit year, eligible individuals will be entitled to maximum 12 weeks of family leave or maximum 12 weeks of medical leave. If an employee uses both medical and family leave within a single benefit year, they can only take 20 weeks of leave in total. The benefit year is the 12-month period that starts when Paid Leave is first taken by an individual.

No, you do not need to take leave all at once. Under the program, depending on the qualifying condition, an employee may take leave in a single block of time (called continuous leave) or in smaller increments of time (called intermittent leave). You can also have multiple leaves take place within a year, as long as you haven’t already used the maximum amount for that benefit year.

Yes. An employee who returns from family or medical leave must be restored to the same position or an equivalent position with the same pay, status, benefits, length of service, and seniority. The law prohibits retaliation.

Under the program, a person is eligible to take bonding leave within a year of welcoming a new child into their family through birth, adoption, or foster care. Parents who have welcomed children in 2025 will be eligible to take leave to bond with their child in 2026, as long as the leave is complete within the first 12 months of welcoming the child.

The Paid Leave law defines family member as the following:

• a spouse or domestic partner
• a 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
• a parent or legal guardian of the applicant
• a sibling
• a grandchild (a child of the applicant's child)
• a grandparent or spouse's grandparent (a parent of the applicant's parent)
• a son-in-law or daughter-in-law
• an individual who has a relationship with the applicant that creates an expectation and reliance that the applicant cares for the individual, whether or not the applicant and the individual reside together.

No. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal program administered by the US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. FMLA entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage. The leaves may be taken concurrently, but the requirements for FMLA and Paid Leave are different.

Paid Leave is a state program administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Paid Leave requires most employers in Minnesota to offer job protected leave for qualifying events to eligible employees. The Paid Leave program also offers partial wage replacement for employees during their absence if they have earned 5.3% of the state’s average annual wage in the previous 52 weeks.

No. These are two different programs:

The Earned Sick and Safe Time program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and began January 1, 2024. Sick and safe time is paid time off employers must provide to employees in Minnesota that can be used for certain reasons, including when an employee is sick, to care for a sick family member or to seek assistance if an employee or their family member has experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.

The Minnesota Paid Leave program begins January 1, 2026, and is overseen by the Department of Employment and Economic Development. Under Paid Leave, the state of Minnesota, not the employer, provides partial wage replacement and job protection to Minnesota workers who need time away from work to take care of their own serious health condition; care for a family member's serious health condition; bond with a new child; support a family member who has been called to active military duty; or seek help for themselves or a family member due to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.

Here is a more detailed breakdown between the two programs.