Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave

As of January 1, 2026, Minnesota’s Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) provides paid medical leave for Minnesota employees to attend to their own serious health conditions, as well as those of their family members. Here are some key points:

1. What employers are required to provide the benefit? PFML applies to all Minnesota employers, regardless of size.
2. What employees are covered? Both part-time and full-time employees are covered, so long as they earn at least 5.3% of Minnesota’s average annual wage (currently $3900) and work at least 50% of their time within the state borders.
3. When is an employee eligible to use PMFL? Immediately.
4. What family members are covered? The statute provides a broad definition of “family,” including spouses and domestic partners, children (biological, adopted, foster, step, and those in loco parentis), parents (biological, adopted, foster, and step) and legal guardians, siblings; grandchildren/grandparents and a spouse’s grandchildren/grandparents; sons-in-law/daughters-in-law, or any individual who has a relationship with the employee that creates an expectation of reliance. This is a broader definition of “family” than what is used under FMLA.
5. How long is the leave? Covered employees are entitled to two 12-week “buckets” of leave. One 12-week bucket is for their own serious health condition, including care related to pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery. The other 12-week bucket is for leave necessitated by child bonding (after birth, adoption, or foster placement), safety leave, family care, or a military member’s active-duty service, or impending call to duty. However, if an employee pulls from both buckets in one calendar year, the total amount of leave is capped at 20 weeks. In other words, if an employee takes 12 weeks of leave to care for their own serious health condition, the employee can only use 8 weeks of the second bucket to care for family.
6. Must the leave run concurrently with other types of leave? Yes and no.
   1. Employers cannot require employees to exhaust their accrued sick, vacation, or personal time off before taking PFML, so using PFML does not automatically reduce the number of accrued ESST hours. However, employees may choose to use their ESST to supplement the partial wage replacement provided by PFML, in which case the total benefit received cannot exceed what the employee would normally earn. If an overpayment occurs, the employee must refund the excess.
   2. PFMLA and FMLA can run concurrently if employee is eligible for both and the two types of leave are being used for the same purpose;
   3. PFMLA and unpaid Parenting Leave can run concurrently if used for the same purpose.
   4. Disability benefits may be offset by PFML.
7. Can leave be used intermittently? Yes, in increments of at least 1 day, provided employee has already used 8 hours of paid leave, or unless more than 30 calendar days have elapsed since the initial leave.
8. Does PFML include job protection? Yes, if employee has been employed for at least 90 days before using the leave. Job protection does not necessarily mean a return to the same job, but one that is the same or the equivalent in terms of benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions.
9. Can my employer retaliate against me for using PFML? No.
10. Will my health insurance continue during my use of PFML? Yes, but employees will typically remain responsible for their share of health insurance premiums, as if they were not out on leave.
11. What kind of medical proof does an employee need to provide? Employees will need to provide medical certification from a doctor that the employee or their family member has a serious health condition, but the certification does not need to provide detailed information about the medical condition.
12. What is the financial benefit? The benefit is a partial wage replacement. The actual benefit is determined based on how the employee’s average weekly wage compares to the state average. If the employee earns 50% or less of the state average, their benefit is 90% of their own weekly average. Employees earning more than 50% of the state average will get 66% of their own weekly average. Employees earning more than 100% of the state average, will receive 55% of the average weekly wage.
13. How is the benefit paid? PFML is funded via employer contributions to an account administered by Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), but employers may deduct up to 50% of the premiums from the employees’ wages, much like the deduction for unemployment insurance. Small employers may pay a reduced premium. The benefit is paid directly from the State to the employee, unless the employer opts to have a private plan.

State-prepared Notices are available here and must be posted and separately provided to employees by December 1, 2025.