2026 Minnesota Labor Law Roundup
The following changes to Minnesota employment law take effect on January 1, 2026, and apply to employers of all sizes, unless otherwise noted:
State Sick and Safe Time
Employers will be allowed to require documentation from employees to support their use of earned sick and safe time (ESST) when leave is used for more than two consecutive scheduled workdays (currently, it's more than three consecutive workdays).
Meal and Rest Break Rules
The meal and rest break laws, which apply to nonexempt employees, will be expanded as follows:
For meal breaks, employers need to provide a 30-minute meal period to employees who work six or more consecutive hours (currently, it's required after eight consecutive hours).
For rest breaks, employees need to be given 15 minutes, or enough time to use the nearest convenient restroom, whichever is longer.
Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time
Beginning December 31, 2025, Minneapolis's sick and safe time ordinance will better align with the state's ESST law. These updates shouldn't require significant changes to your current administration of sick and safe time since you were (hopefully) already following any state law provisions that were more generous to employees. One notable change to the Minneapolis ordinance is that, like the state ESST law, employers will be able to require documentation if an employee is absent for more than two consecutive scheduled workdays instead of three.
Minimum Wage Increases
Statewide: The minimum wage will increase to $11.41 per hour.
Minneapolis: The minimum wage will be $16.37 per hour.
St. Paul: The minimum wage for employers with 101+ employees will be $16.37 per hour.
Paid Family and Medical Leave
Minnesota's paid Family and Medical Benefit Insurance Program (Paid Leave), which applies to employers of all sizes, will provide job-protected leave for employees beginning January 1, 2026. The program will be funded through employee and employer payroll contributions. Employers should begin deducting the employee share of the premium on January 1, 2026. The first premiums must be paid to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) by April 30, 2026.
The Paid Leave law allows covered employees to take up to 12 weeks of medical leave for their own serious health condition or up to 12 weeks of family leave per benefit year. Family leave can be taken to bond with a new child, care for a sick family member, support a family member called to active military duty, or to respond to safety-related issues such as domestic violence. If an employee needs both medical leave and family leave during a benefit year, the total combined leave is limited to 20 weeks per benefit year.
Employer Notice
By December 1, 2025, employers must provide all employees with written notice about their rights and benefits under the law in their primary language. The same notice needs to be provided to new hires within 30 days of hire or 30 days before premium collection begins, whichever is later. Employers need to get written or electronic acknowledgment from each employee that they received this notice. If an employer only provides this notice electronically, they need to make an employer-owned computer available during the employee's regular working hours so they can view and print the information. The DEED has provided a sample notice in English and will provide sample notices in additional languages on its site.
Posting
Additionally, by December 1, 2025, employers must display the poster issued by the DEED in a conspicuous place at each worksite. It needs to be posted in English and—if a translation is made available by the DEED—in any language that's the primary language of five or more workers at that worksite. Sample posters in additional languages can be found here.
More Information
The state has a website with FAQs, an overview of the program, and other resources for employers.
Action Items:
If your policy currently says you can require documentation after three days, and you'd rather use the new minimum of more than two days, update your policy.
Adjust your meal and rest break policies to reflect these changes as needed.
Update your leave policy as needed.
Provide individual notice to current employees by December 1, 2025, and incorporate the notice into your new hire paperwork or onboarding materials.
Display a poster at each worksite by December 1, 2025.
Create a policy in your Staff Handbook that addresses this benefit entitlement.