Minnesota Paid Leave Calculator: Minnesota Paid Leave Benefits (2026)

How much does Minnesota Paid Leave pay in Minnesota?

Minnesota Paid Leave pays 90 percent of your average weekly wage up to half the state average weekly wage ($711.50), plus 66 percent of the part between $711.50 and $1,423, plus 55 percent of anything above $1,423, capped at the state average weekly wage of $1,423. A worker on $1,500 a week receives about $1,152.29, 77 percent of pay. Benefits run for up to 12 weeks for your own health condition, 12 weeks for family leave, and 20 weeks combined. Waiting period: none, but the qualifying condition must last at least 7 days and benefits are paid in arrears. To qualify you need about $3,900 in Minnesota wages during the base period, with no minimum tenure. The program is funded by a 0.88 percent premium, of which up to 0.44 percent may be deducted from employees. The bands and the cap reset for leaves that start on or after the last Sunday in October. Figures effective January 1, 2026, checked September 15, 2026.

How is the Minnesota weekly benefit calculated?

Minnesota Paid Leave pays 90 percent of your average weekly wage up to half the state average weekly wage ($711.50), plus 66 percent of the part between $711.50 and $1,423, plus 55 percent of anything above $1,423, capped at the state average weekly wage of $1,423. The state works out your average weekly wage from the wages your employers reported for the base period, not from your current pay stub, so a recent raise or a change of hours may not be reflected yet.

Three examples with the current figures. A Minnesota worker earning $800 a week receives about $698.76, which is 87 percent of pay. At $1,500 a week the benefit is $1,152.29, or 77 percent. At $3,000 a week it is $1,423, because the $1,423 weekly maximum applies, or 47 percent. Anyone earning about $2,000 a week or more in Minnesota receives the maximum, so the share of pay replaced keeps falling as wages rise above that. There is no weekly minimum.

What is the maximum weekly benefit in Minnesota in 2026?

$1,423 a week, for claims beginning on or after January 1, 2026. That is the ceiling for Minnesota Paid Leave, whatever you earn: a worker on $3,000 a week and a worker on twice that receive the same amount.

The state average weekly wage that sets all three bands and the cap is republished each autumn and applies to leaves that start on or after the last Sunday in October (October 25, 2026 for the next update); a leave already running keeps its figures. The premium side is settled further ahead: on July 31, 2026 DEED confirmed that the 0.88 percent rate (0.66 percent for qualifying small employers) stays unchanged for 2027. Rates and maximums published for an earlier year do not apply to a claim that begins now, and a claim that is already running keeps the figure that was in force on the day it started. These amounts were checked on September 15, 2026 against Minnesota Paid Leave (Department of Employment and Economic Development).

How many weeks does Minnesota Paid Leave pay?

Up to 12 weeks of medical leave and up to 12 weeks of family leave (bonding, caregiving, safety, military exigency) in a benefit year, with a combined cap of 20 weeks. The calculator caps the weeks you enter at the limit for the leave type you choose and shows the total, so you can see at a glance what 20 weeks would be worth at your wage.

Waiting period: None, but the qualifying condition must last at least 7 days and benefits are paid in arrears. Where a program has an unpaid first week, most employers let you cover it with sick leave or PTO, and several states require them to allow it if you ask.

Does Minnesota Paid Leave cover maternity leave?

There is no separate maternity benefit in Minnesota: pregnancy and recovery from childbirth are medical leave under Minnesota Paid Leave, and bonding with a new child is family leave under the same program. Both pay at the rate in the table above. A birth parent typically takes the medical weeks a provider certifies, usually six to eight, and then the bonding weeks, within the maximum of 20 weeks.

Neither the benefit nor the weeks depend on your employer's own parental leave policy. If your employer also offers paid parental leave, the two usually coordinate rather than stack, and many employers top the state benefit up to full pay for a defined number of weeks. Employees with at least 90 consecutive days of service before the leave must be reinstated to the same or an equivalent position; anti-retaliation protection applies from day one.

Who qualifies for Minnesota Paid Leave?

At least 5.3 percent of the state average annual wage in Minnesota wages during the base period (about $3,900 in 2026). No minimum tenure for benefits; job reinstatement requires 90 consecutive days with the employer.

Who pays for it: 0.88 percent of wages up to the Social Security wage base for most employers, of which up to 0.44 percent may be deducted from employees; employers with 30 or fewer employees and below-average wages pay 0.66 percent. The benefit itself comes from the state fund or an approved private plan, not from your employer's payroll, which is why it continues if you change jobs during the base period and why it is separate from any company parental or sick leave you also have.

Is your job protected while you receive Minnesota Paid Leave?

Employees with at least 90 consecutive days of service before the leave must be reinstated to the same or an equivalent position; anti-retaliation protection applies from day one.

The state job-protection law that applies in Minnesota: Pregnancy and Parenting Leave: 12 weeks, all employers (Minn. Stat. 181.941). Minnesota Paid Leave carries job protection after 90 days. The federal FMLA adds 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for employees with 12 months of service and 1,250 hours at an employer with 50 or more employees, and where both apply the paid benefit and the FMLA run at the same time rather than back to back.

When do the Minnesota figures change?

The state average weekly wage that sets all three bands and the cap is republished each autumn and applies to leaves that start on or after the last Sunday in October (October 25, 2026 for the next update); a leave already running keeps its figures. The premium side is settled further ahead: on July 31, 2026 DEED confirmed that the 0.88 percent rate (0.66 percent for qualifying small employers) stays unchanged for 2027. The figures on this page took effect on January 1, 2026 and were checked on September 15, 2026 against the amounts published by Minnesota Paid Leave (Department of Employment and Economic Development). Statute: Minn. Stat. Chapter 268B.