Is FMLA Paid in MN and What Employees Need to Know

In Minnesota, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for certain family and medical reasons.

To be eligible for FMLA in Minnesota, employees must have worked for their employer for at least 12 months and completed at least 1,250 hours of service in the 12 months preceding the start of leave.

Employees who are eligible for FMLA in Minnesota can use their leave for a variety of reasons, including the birth or adoption of a child, a serious health condition, or the care of a family member with a serious health condition.

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Minnesota's Paid Family and Medical Leave law grants employees up to 20 weeks of paid leave annually. This entitlement applies to all Minnesota employers, regardless of company size or employee count.

Employees have the right to take paid leave for serious health conditions or other qualifying reasons such as bonding, safety, family care, or exigency situations. The law outlines specific criteria for each category, ensuring employees receive necessary support during critical life events.

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Under Minnesota's Paid FMLA, eligible employees receive benefits based on a formula with a weekly cap equal to the state's average weekly wage. For 2023, this cap is $1,287.

The benefits payable will be based on the employee's average weekly pay, calculated as follows:

To be eligible for benefits, an applicant must have earned enough money through covered employment in the prior four completed quarters to establish a benefit account, currently set at $3,500. Benefits will only be paid for a single qualifying event of at least seven days' duration, except for bonding leave.

If you're an employer in Minnesota, it's essential to understand the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law and prepare your organization accordingly. MCN recommends discussing these changes with your organization's board and preparing accordingly.

To get started, you can access a variety of employer resources, including an employer resource toolkit, a calculator tool to estimate employee premium costs, and a list of frequently asked questions about PFML.

Employers must determine participation in the public plan or seek private plan approval, review and update company policies, and adjust infrastructure for payroll tax changes. This includes preparing for compliance with the PFML law, which requires employers to provide up to 20 weeks of paid family or medical leave annually.

You can find more information on the DEED website, including a list of resources and a calculator to estimate employee premium costs.

Here are some key employer resources to consider:

Employers must also understand their roles and responsibilities under the PFML law, including determining participation in the public plan or seeking private plan approval, reviewing and updating company policies, and adjusting infrastructure for payroll tax changes.

To be eligible for Minnesota's Paid Family Medical Leave Act, you must be unable to work due to a serious health condition or other qualifying reasons. You'll need to have earned at least $3,500 through covered employment in the prior four completed quarters to establish a benefit account.

An applicant must submit certification from a healthcare provider, or in some cases, their own certification, to support their request for benefits. This certification is required for leaves other than safety or exigency leave.

Benefits will only be paid for a single qualifying event of at least seven consecutive days, except for bonding leave, which can be intermittent. This means you can take leave for any day or portion of a day you need, but you'll only be paid for the days you take.

All employers in Minnesota, regardless of size or location, are covered by the Paid Family Medical Leave Act. This means every employee, full-time or part-time, is eligible for the program, even if they don't work full-time in Minnesota.

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In Minnesota, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is administered by the Minnesota Department of Economic Security.

To be eligible for FMLA in Minnesota, an employee must have worked for their employer for at least 12 months and completed at least 1,250 hours of service in the 12 months preceding the start of the FMLA leave.

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Minnesota employers with 21 or more employees must provide FMLA leave, while employers with fewer than 21 employees are not required to provide FMLA leave, but may choose to do so voluntarily.

The FMLA leave period in Minnesota is up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period, or up to 26 weeks for military caregivers.

During FMLA leave, an employee's group health insurance coverage must be maintained by their employer, and the employee must continue to pay their share of the premium.

FMLA leave is usually taken intermittently, and an employee may take a block of time off for a single reason or take leave on an as-needed basis for a recurring reason.

FMLA leave can be taken for a variety of reasons, including the birth or adoption of a child, the employee's own serious health condition, or the serious health condition of a family member.

Minnesota law requires employers to provide written notice to employees of their FMLA rights and responsibilities, and to provide a certification from the employee's healthcare provider for certain FMLA leave reasons.

Employers in Minnesota must also post a notice of FMLA rights in a conspicuous place, and provide a copy of the notice to new employees.

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