The state is now accepting equivalent plan applications for private stand-alone options. If you want your plan to be in place when the program launches on January 1, 2026, you should submit your request by November 10, 2025.

PFML is a new state-run program launching on January 1, 2026, that provides paid time off for employees facing serious health situations or family care needs. It includes:

• Medical leave for the employee’s own serious health condition

• Family leave to care for a loved one or bond with a new child

• Leave for active duty events or personal safety concerns

The program includes nearly all employers in Minnesota with one or more employees, with a few exceptions like federal workers, tribal nations, self-employed individuals and independent contractors.

Small employers of 30 or fewer employees may qualify for reduced premiums or grants. Starting in January 2026, funding will be available to support small businesses during an employee’s absence.

In one benefit year, eligible employees can receive:

• Up to 12 weeks of medical or family-related leave

• Maximum of 20 weeks combined for both medical and family leave

Yes! Employers may apply for an exemption and offer a private plan if it meets or exceeds state requirements.

PFML from private carriers will be billed quarterly based on previous quarter payroll.

Short Term Disability (STD) plans typically provide benefits when an employee has a non-occupational illness or injury that meets the definition of disability, including pregnancy/childbirth

Paid Family and Medical Leave plans provide benefits when an employee experiences their own medical condition; however, they are not required to meet the definition of disability

While benefits may be paid by both programs if an employee has a qualifying condition, PFML is not a replacement for STD and STD is not a replacement for PFML

Consider the following:

• Employees may exhaust PFML benefits to care for a family member and be left without coverage if they experience their own medical condition later in the year

• An employee experiencing multiple conditions (e.g., pregnancy and out-patient surgery) may only have access to leave for one reason, when STD provides benefits for each event

When STD and PFML are both applicable, employers will need to review how their plans coordinate to determine if STD or PFML will pay first, if STD can “top-up” PFML benefits, or if STD needs to be exhausted before PFML is payable

By January 1st, 2026, employers will need to hang a workplace poster that notifies employees about their rights and benefits under Paid Leave. The poster must be hung in a conspicuous place in the workplace. The poster must be hung in English and any language spoken by five or more employees or independent contractors. Paid Leave will provide this poster in English and other languages in the coming months. Employers will be able to download the file to print themselves, or they can order copies free of charge from the Department of Labor and Industry.

In addition, employers need to notify individual employees about their rights and benefits under Paid Leave within 30 days of being hired, or 30 days before premium collection begins. That means all Minnesota employers need to notify their employees by December 1, 2025, before the program launches on January 1, 2026.