by Jewelie Grape at J. Grape Law
Minnesota Paid Leave goes into effect January 1, 2026. Please be sure you are ready!!
NOW:
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Create a Minnesota Paid Leave administrator account (to review leave applications and view paid leave determinations)
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Identify covered employees (independent contractors and self-employed individuals are not covered by Minnesota Paid Leave, but can set up their own account and opt in if they wish)
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Determine if employees will share in premium payments, and if so, how much they will pay (maximum of .44% of wages)
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Understand how Minnesota Paid Leave will interact with your other paid leaves (PTO, sick pay, vacation pay, short-term disability, parental/bonding leave, etc.).
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Decide if other paid leave policies need to be revised because of Minnesota Paid Leave
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Establish a clear notification process for employees to follow when applying for Minnesota Paid Leave
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Decide whether to allow an employee to use other paid leaves (PTO/sick pay/vacation pay) to supplement or “top off” state partial wage replacement payments, resulting in employees receiving 100% of their pay
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Communicate leave policy(s) to employees so they understand how Minnesota Paid Leave interacts with other paid leaves and how leave may be taken intermittently
BY DECEMBER 1, 2025:
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Post workplace poster https://mn.gov/deed/assets/paid-leave-mandatory-employer-poster-acc_tcm1045-700342.pdf
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Notify individual employees (in their primary language) and collect acknowledgements. Sample notice: https://pl.mn.gov/tookits/employer-resource-toolkit#section-281-required-posters-and-notices
BY JANUARY 1, 2026:
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Begin deducting employee premiums from pay (if applicable)
BY APRIL 30, 2026:
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Remit first quarterly Minnesota Paid Leave premium payment (if applicable)
Employer resource toolkit: https://pl.mn.gov/tookits/employer-resource-toolkit
Minnesota Paid Leave common questions and answers: https://pl.mn.gov/common-questions