 Paid Leave Updates – October 2024
Implementation Update
Minnesota will be the 13th state to launch a statewide Paid Leave program. We’re committed to collaborating with stakeholders to build an intuitive and accessible Paid Leave program that works for businesses, individuals, healthcare providers, and all Minnesotans.
Learn about your employer account and responsibilities under Paid Leave
To make things easier for employers, Paid Leave has partnered with Unemployment Insurance (UI) to use its online portal for collecting wage detail reports starting this month and premium payments in April 2026.
The first important step for employers to prepare for Paid Leave is to review your UI employer account, if you have one, and create a Paid Leave Only account if you need one.
This month, Paid Leave and UI hosted two webinars with Minnesota employers. We appreciate the more than 2,500 employers who engaged in these two sessions and asked great questions about their roles and responsibilities under Paid Leave.
If you missed the webinars or want to revisit them, we have made a recording and the presentation slides available. These resources, and others to help employers make Paid Leave work, can be found in the Paid Leave employer toolkit:
Greater Minnesota Roadshow: Over 3,000 miles, 1,000 attendees, and 500 questions
In early August, Minnesota Paid Leave hit the road in Greater Minnesota to share updates and answer questions about employer roles and responsibilities under the new state program. After two months travelling the state, we wrapped up our current swing earlier this month with a great meeting in Owatonna.
 Paid Leave Director Greg Norfleet at the last Greater Minnesota Roadshow meeting in Owatonna earlier this month.
We are grateful to the Minnesota Chamber Foundation and our local chamber partners for hosting us for these meetings with hundreds of local business owners. Here’s a quick breakdown of the roadshow by the numbers:
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Weeks on the road: 10
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Miles driven: 3,627
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Employer meetings joined: 18
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Attendees: 1,206
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Questions asked: 550
As Paid Leave Director Greg Norfleet would say in these meetings, those 550 questions we received from employers are like gold. Not only are we able to bring answers directly to Minnesota employers, but also to bring questions and input back with us as we continue to build Paid Leave with, not for, Minnesotans. Your engagement helps make Paid Leave work better for employers, your employees, and all Minnesotans.
We will continue to schedule public events as we build out Paid Leave. Keep an eye on the Paid Leave Public Events page for a list of upcoming events.
Public events / Minnesota Paid Leave (mn.gov)
Hiring Spotlight
The Minnesota Paid Leave team is growing fast. We are a start-up in state government and are actively hiring for leaders to deliver on the promises of the legislation.
Consider joining our team! You can always find our latest open roles on our website.
Top Questions We're Hearing
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What is a UI employer account and why is it important to Paid Leave?
To make things easier for employers, Paid Leave has partnered with Unemployment Insurance (UI) to use its online portal. After benefits begin in 2026, this information will determine the premiums paid by employers and employees, and the eligibility and benefit amount for individuals under Paid Leave. The first important step to prepare for Paid Leave is to review your UI employer account, if you have one, and create a Paid Leave Only account if you need one. Visit the UI website to get started: Unemployment Insurance Minnesota (uimn.org)
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What do religious organizations need to do today under Paid Leave?
Most religious organizations are not covered by UI but are covered by Paid Leave. These employers will need to set up a Paid Leave Only account through the UI online system. Employers can register for a Paid Leave Only account here: Unemployment Insurance Minnesota (uimn.org).
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What do local governments need to do today under Paid Leave?
Most local governments have some, but not all, of their employees covered under UI. Examples of local government employees exempt from UI but covered by Paid Leave include election judges and elected officials. For employees already covered by UI, employers will continue to submit wage detail reports as they already do through their existing account, which has been converted to a Joint UI/Paid Leave account.
For employees not covered by UI, local government employers will also need to create a Paid Leave Only account. We are committed to helping employers get registered for these new accounts and in compliance over the coming months. For more information, visit the UI website: Unemployment Insurance Minnesota (uimn.org)
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What do self-employed individuals need to do today under Paid Leave?
Self-employed individuals and independent contractors are not covered by Paid Leave and have no obligations under the program today, but can choose to opt in beginning in 2025.
Under Paid Leave, self-employed individuals are people who take at least 5.3 percent of the state's average annual wage ($3,684 in 2023) from the profits of their business, even if they are also paid a salary or wages from that business.
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Does someone have to live and work in Minnesota to be covered by Paid Leave?
In general, Minnesota Paid Leave covers people who do the majority of their work while physically located in Minnesota. If someone does not work a majority of the time in any one state – for example, a salesperson who splits their time equally between three states – then they would be covered by Paid Leave if they live in Minnesota.
For More Information
You can find more information for employers, individuals, and families on our webpage here.
For more information on UI and Paid Leave accounts, visit the Unemployment Insurance website.
Still Have Questions?
If you have a Paid Leave question that isn’t yet answered on our website, please submit your question here.
If you need help with your Paid Leave Only or Joint UI/Paid Leave account, contact the Unemployment Insurance employer helpline.
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