Minnesota paid family leave, break rules begin Jan. 1
Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave law took effect Jan. 1, 2026, allowing most workers statewide to claim up to 20 weeks of paid leave per year—12 weeks for their own medical needs and 12 for family or safety reasons—with wage replacement generally between 55% and 90% of normal pay, capped at about $1,423 per week. Eligibility requires at least $3,900 in prior‑year earnings and excludes certain groups such as federal and tribal employees, postal and railroad workers, seasonal hospitality workers, independent contractors and the self‑employed, while a separate new law now guarantees at least a 15‑minute rest break every four hours and a 30‑minute meal break every six hours for Minnesota employees. Employers can withhold up to 0.44% of wages to help fund the program, leave can be taken in blocks or intermittently, and most workers are entitled to return to the same or an equivalent job after 90 days on the job, with retaliation prohibited.
📌 Key Facts
- Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program started Jan. 1, 2026, providing up to 20 weeks of paid leave per worker per year, with each of medical and family leave capped at 12 weeks.
- Wage replacement during leave generally ranges from 55% to 90% of a worker’s regular pay, with a current weekly maximum of $1,423, and eligibility requires at least $3,900 of earnings in the prior year.
- Beginning Jan. 1, state law also requires employers to provide at least a 15‑minute rest break (or enough time to reach the nearest restroom, whichever is longer) within each four consecutive hours worked, plus a 30‑minute meal break for every six consecutive hours.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minnesota, White non-Hispanic mothers took a median of 10.6 weeks of maternity leave, nearly twice as long as the median for mothers from all other racial/ethnic groups combined, based on 2016-2020 data.
Access and Barriers to Paid and Unpaid Maternity Leave, Minnesota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2016–2020 — Minnesota Department of Health
In Minnesota, 60% of low-income mothers (0-199% Federal Poverty Level) used only unpaid maternity leave, compared to 34% of higher-income mothers (≥200% FPL), based on 2016-2020 data.
Access and Barriers to Paid and Unpaid Maternity Leave, Minnesota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2016–2020 — Minnesota Department of Health
In Minnesota, only 20% of workers in the lowest earnings quartile (less than $25,000 annually) have access to temporary disability insurance, compared to 40% overall, based on 2019 analysis.
PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE INSURANCE: Options for Designing a Paid Family and Medical Leave Program for Minnesota — Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Nationally, Black and Latinx workers are less likely than White workers to have access to paid parental, family caregiving, and medical leave, even after controlling for occupational and sociodemographic characteristics, based on 2017-2018 data.
Racial/Ethnic and Gender Inequities in the Sufficiency of Paid Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the Service Sector — American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Minnesota lawmakers allocated $668 million in initial funding for the paid leave account and $122 million for administrative costs in 2023, funded by an $18 billion budget surplus.
Minnesota Democrats make a big bet on paid leave — Minnesota Reformer
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