MN Paid Leave: 20 weeks combined PFML, launched January 1, 2026.
Minnesota Paid Leave (Minnesota Statutes Chapter 268B) launched January 1, 2026 — making Minnesota the latest state to roll out a paid family and medical leave program. Workers can take up to 12 weeks of medical leave, 12 weeks of family leave, or 20 weeks combined per benefit year. Wage replacement runs 55-90% of average weekly wage (sliding scale by income, weighted toward lower-earning workers), capped at $1,423/week in 2026. Funded by 0.88% combined employer-employee contribution rate. Most operators must comply; private plans approved by DEED can substitute for the state program.
Minnesota Paid Leave Coordination
Withholds combined 0.88% PFML contribution. Coordinates Paid Leave claims with ESST, federal FMLA, and Minnesota Pregnancy and Parental Leave Act. Tracks 12/12/20 leave bucket usage per worker.
What those rules do at payroll, leave request, and during leave.
The hero card configuration: Block on missing contribution, Critical on notice compliance, Flag on coordination.
When a payroll run is exported without the combined 0.88% PFML contribution, the export fails. Premium remitted to DEED quarterly.
By December 1, 2025, all Minnesota employers had to inform workers about the new MN Paid Leave law via posted notice and individual notification. Notice required in worker's primary language with worker acknowledgment. Late or missing notices carry administrative penalties.
Workers may use ESST, MN Paid Leave, federal FMLA, and the MN Pregnancy and Parental Leave Act for overlapping events. PFML and FMLA can run concurrently when both apply. ESST may be elected by the worker to top off PFML benefits during partial-replacement leave.
Deploy Minnesota Paid Leave in your Teambridge.
Tell us about your Minnesota workforce. We'll spin up 0.88% contribution withholding, 12/12/20 leave bucket tracking, ESST/PFML/FMLA/PPLA coordination, December 1 notice management, and 21 other Minnesota policies in a sandbox tenant.
12 medical, 12 family, 20 combined — sliding-scale wage replacement.
Minnesota Paid Leave is the most operationally significant 2026 employer change in the state. Multi-state operators with MN workers are now coordinating PFML alongside ESST, FMLA, and the existing MN Pregnancy and Parental Leave Act.
Coverage and eligibility
Almost all Minnesota employers are covered by MN Paid Leave; very few exceptions. Workers eligible: must have earned at least $3,900 in the four completed quarters before the leave (approximately 5.3% of the statewide average income). Workers can be full-time, part-time, seasonal, or temporary. Independent contractors are excluded.
Leave duration: 12/12/20
Workers can take up to 12 weeks of medical leave for their own serious health condition; 12 weeks of family leave for caring for a family member or bonding with a new child; or up to 20 weeks combined per benefit year. The combined cap is the binding constraint when workers use multiple leave types in the same year. Family member is broadly defined: spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, and other relationships of close affinity.
Teambridge runs PFML contributions, manages leave coordination, and tracks the 12/12/20 buckets.
MN Paid Leave is operationally the most significant 2026 change for Minnesota employers — and the coordination with ESST, FMLA, and PPLA is the durable challenge.
Employer + employee split applied.
Every payroll run withholds the combined 0.88% PFML contribution: 0.44% employee max, employer share varies by employee count. Premiums remitted to DEED quarterly.
Per-worker per-benefit-year accumulation.
Each worker's medical leave, family leave, and combined usage tracked against 12-week and 20-week caps. Bucket usage shown in real time for HR and the worker.
Concurrent runtime managed.
Multi-program coordination: PFML can run concurrently with FMLA; ESST cannot run concurrently with PFML for same event; PPLA runs alongside PFML for pregnancy/bonding. The system enforces concurrent runtime rules.
Acknowledgments preserved.
Worker acknowledgments of the MN Paid Leave notice are preserved as audit evidence. New hires receive notice and acknowledge before payroll begins.
Still evaluating? Get a free Minnesota compliance audit.
Send us your existing Minnesota scheduling and pay configuration. Our compliance team returns a written audit within 5 business days — every Minnesota-specific exposure ranked by risk and back-pay liability.