Paid Leave Updates - January 2024

Hello!

You’re receiving this message because you expressed interest in receiving updates on the Paid Leave program. As we continue to ramp up this program that launches in January 2026, we look forward to sharing monthly updates on our progress. Below are some of the highlights – and you can invite others to sign up for Paid Leave email updates here.

A Look Ahead in 2024 - Employer Wage Submissions

One of the first actions of the program is for employers to begin submitting their employees’ wages to the Paid Leave program in late 2024. We’ve been getting questions about what that process will look like.

Across many conversations with employers and other stakeholders around the state, we have heard that employers across the state want simplicity and predictability, and to minimize the administrative complexity of compliance as much as possible. To that end, we are planning to build the Paid Leave employer wage submission system in alignment with the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance program’s system.

By building off the Unemployment Insurance program’s wage detail system, employers can expect a very similar experience to one that they are already very familiar with. The look and feel will be very similar, and we expect to be able to keep requests for duplicate information to the minimum needed by law.

For most employers in the state, this approach means that they will not need to create a new account specifically for Paid Leave. It also means that employers and their agents will only have to report employees’ wages once per quarter using the current UI Wage Detail reporting process.

Having employers enter information into one system rather than two reduces the load on employers substantially. It also means that all employers who are currently entering wage detail for UI will comply on day one without having to change their current behavior.

We’ll have more details on exactly what this will look like in next few months. But we wanted to share this as an early example of how we’re building a program that draws on what already works – whether leveraging Minnesota systems that employers know, or using the best of what we learn from other states.

Public Engagement 

In November and December, our team met with over twenty stakeholder groups – across employers, advocates, third-party payroll administrators, insurers, chambers of commerce, agencies, medical providers, and applicants.

One of our top priorities in setting up the program is learning from experiences across the state. We’d love to hear from you, whether you’re a future applicant, an employer, or someone else who will work with the program. You can reach out to us here: https://paidleave.mn.gov/deed/programs-services/paid-family/information/index.jsp.

Top Questions We're Hearing:

1. If I have a child in 2025, will I be able to take leave in 2026?

Under the program, an individual is eligible to take bonding leave within 52 weeks from the date of welcoming a new child into their family through birth, adoption, or foster care. Parents that welcome children in 2025 will be eligible to take leave to bond with their child in 2026 as long as the leave is complete within that first year.

2. If I work in Minnesota, but live in a different state - will I be covered?

Eligibility for employees that work and live in different states depends on where their work is localized. If work is performed entirely within the state of Minnesota, those individuals are covered. In scenarios where an employee performs services in multiple states, it depends on where most of the work is completed.

3. If I work for an employer that doesn't participate in the unemployment insurance program, will I be covered under the Paid Leave program?

The Paid Leave program is a new program distinct from the Unemployment Insurance program. The Paid Leave law does not exclude the same entities that are excluded for the purposes of Unemployment Insurance. This means that agricultural businesses, religious organizations, and other entities that are not required to participate in the unemployment insurance program are required to participate in the Paid Leave program.

For More Information

You can find FAQs for employers, individuals, and families on our webpage here.

Still Have Questions?

If you have a Paid Leave question that isn’t yet answered on our website, please submit your question here.