Skip to main content
  • Find a dentist
  • Find a vision provider
  • Find a financial professional
  • Forms and claims
  • Contact us
Guardian Life Logo
login
Guardian Life Logo
      • Life insurance
      • Disability insurance
      • Dental insurance
      • Vision insurance
      • Accident insurance
      • Critical illness insurance
      • Hospital indemnity insurance
      • Group benefits
      • Absence management
      • Paid family & medical leave
      • Benefits technology
      • Enrollment
      • Mental wellness
    • Retirement
    • Annuities
    • Investment accounts
    • Find a financial professional
      • Learning Center
      • Forms and claims
      • Find a dentist
      • Find a vision provider
      • Find a financial professional
      • Retirement calculator
      • Life insurance quote
      • Disability insurance quote
      • Dental insurance quote
      • Vision insurance quote
      • Accident insurance quote
      • Research and insights
      • Reports
      • Webinars
      • Join as a broker
      • Find a sales office
    • About Guardian
    • Careers
    • Newsroom
    • Contact us
    • Social responsibility
    • Our diverse and inclusive culture
    • an individual or family
    • an employer
    • a broker
    • a dental provider
    • a financial professional
userLog in

Need help? Call us:

(888) 482-7342

Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave

Minnesota has enacted a Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Insurance Program, with an effective date of January 1, 2026, for both the collection of contributions for covered individuals and benefit payments.  

Guardian will be offering a fully-insured private plan. Details regarding the private plan application process will be forthcoming. 

Learn more here
Father holding his daughter outside

Considering a private plan?

The MN PFML program allows employers to meet their compliance obligations by either choosing to provide coverage through the state plan or a private plan. The private plan may be either self-funded or fully insured through a state-approved insurance carrier. State approval is required.

Considering a private plan? Learn more here.

Helpful resources as you decide

  • On-demand webinar

    Watch this webinar for details on MN's private plan application and timeline, as well as Guardian's implementation, billing, claims handling, and more.

    Watch now

  • Top MN PFML questions, answered

    Read this article for answers to your top MN PFML questions, like if you still need STD insurance, if intermittent leave is permitted, and more.

    Read now

What is Guardian doing?

Guardian has developed a fully insured, state-approved private plan to help employers meet Minnesota PFML requirements. Our solution offers:

  • Competitive pricing and simplified administration with digital tools for claims, billing, and reporting

  • Support for filing private plan exemptions

  • Guidance on aligning STD and LTD plans with PFML

  • A single contact for disability and paid leave inquiries

  • Expert claims management and return-to-work support

  • Ongoing updates to help you stay compliant

Guardian can help you manage it all

Guardian simplifies employee leave management to help you stay compliant and avoid costly fines. With over a decade of experience in statutory disability plans, we offer consultative support for PFML implementation — no matter the complexity.

Our plans are backed by digital tools that ease administration. For companies with 50+ employees, our integrated absence management solutions coordinate STD, LTD, and various leave types — including ADA and PWFA support — to help reduce the administrative burden and enhance compliance.

Information provided on this blog is intended for general educational use. It is not intended to provide legal advice. Guardian does not provide legal services. Consult an attorney for legal advice on this or any other topic. 

Links to external sites are provided for your convenience in locating related information and services.  

Guardian, its subsidiaries, agents, and employees expressly disclaim any responsibility for and do not maintain, control, recommend, or endorse third-party sites, organizations, products, or services and make no representation as to the completeness, suitability, or quality thereof.   

Group insurance products are underwritten and issued by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY. Products are not available in all states. 

Guardian Absence Solutions℠ is a service mark of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. 

Unless otherwise noted, all information is sourced from https://paidleave.mn.gov/.

 

Guardian Life Logo

Customer service

  • Contact Us
  • 1-888-Guardian (1-888-482-7342)
  • Submit a Claim

Resources

  • Forms & Claims
  • Find a dental or vision provider
  • Find a financial professional
  • Careers

Industry Professionals

  • Find a Guardian benefits sales office
  • Living Balance Sheet
  • facebook squareopens in a new window
  • instagram squareopens in a new window
  • linkedinopens in a new window
  • twitter squareopens in a new window
  • youtube squareopens in a new window

Legal Information

  • Terms & conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Disclosures
  • Individual products benefit disclosures
  • Cybersecurity
  • Accessibility
  • Language assistance
  • Telehealth
  • NY Reg. 200
  • Confidentiality for domestic violence victims
  • SEC Rule 606
  • Amendments to broker agreement
  • State disaster updates
  • IL consumer information
  • MDG TX notice to providers
  • TX consumer information
  • Artificial intelligence statement
  • Agreement to conduct business electronically
  • Report suspected fraud
  • Do not sell or share my personal information
Guardian® is a registered trademark of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY.

Copyright© 2025 The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. All rights reserved.

Starting on January 1, 2026, MN PFML will allow paid time off for the following leaves: 

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

  • Bonding with a new child  

  • Family care 

    • Care for a family member with a serious health condition 

    • Care for a family member in the military 

  • Qualifying military exigency 

  • Safety leave to address issues of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking against the employee or a covered family member 

Job protection: MN PFML coverage is job-protected once the employee has worked 90 days for their employer.  

Employees may take leave to care for the following covered family members: 

  • Spouse or domestic partner 

  • Child, including biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, or a child to whom the covered individual stands in loco parentis, is a legal guardian, or is a de facto parent 

  • Parent or legal guardian of the covered individual  

  • Sibling, grandchild, grandparent, or spouse’s grandparent 

  • An individual who has a relationship with the covered individual that creates an expectation and reliance that the covered individual care for the individual, whether or not the covered individual and the individual reside together 

For all leaves other than bonding, benefits are based on one qualifying event of at least 7 calendar days. Benefits must be paid retroactively back to day 1 once the employee meets the 7-day requirement. 

In one benefit year, eligible individuals will be entitled to a maximum of: 

  • 12 weeks of medical leave 

  • 12 weeks for any combination of bonding leave, safety leave, family care, or qualifying military exigency  

The total combined amount of paid leave an employee can take in one benefit year is 20 weeks. 

The paid leave program covers most Minnesota employers with one or more employees, with the following exceptions: employees of the federal government and self-employed individuals who choose to provide their own coverage for themselves. 

Employees are eligible if they’ve earned at least 5.3% of the state average annual wage, rounded down to the next lower $100, in the base period.   
 
Note: Seasonal employees — individuals employed for no more than 150 days during any consecutive 52-week period in the hospitality industry — are not eligible for paid leave. 

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

  • Bonding with a new child 

  • Family care 

    • Care for a family member with a serious health condition 

    • Care for a family member in the military 

  • Qualifying military exigency 

  • Safety leave to address issues of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking against the employee or a covered family member 

In one benefit year, eligible individuals will be entitled to a maximum of: 

  • 12 weeks of medical leave 

  • 12 weeks for any combination of bonding leave, safety leave, family care, or qualifying military exigency.  

The total combined amount of paid leave an employee can take in one benefit year is 20 weeks. 

Covered individuals will receive a weekly benefit that varies depending on their income, including all of the following:  

  • 90% of the employee's average weekly wage that does not exceed 50% of the state average weekly wage (SAWW) 

  • 66% of the employee's average weekly wage that exceeds 50% of the SAWW but not 100%

  • 55% of the employee’s average weekly wage that exceeds 100% of the SAWW

The maximum weekly benefit is 100% of the SAWW. 

MN PFML may be funded by employee and employer contributions. Payroll deductions may start on January 1, 2026. 

Contributions can be split 50/50 between the employee and the employer through payroll deduction, or the employer can choose to fund on behalf of their employees.  

  • Paid Family and Medical Leave – 0.88% of wages 

  • Paid Medical Leave only – 0.61% of wages 

  • All leaves other than Paid Medical Leave – 0.27% of wages 

Wages are capped at the Social Security Wage Base. 

Under the state plan, a reduced rate may apply for some employers with fewer than 30 employees.  

Minnesota Paid Leave, a division of DEED, is working with the Minnesota Department of Commerce on a process to allow approved private plans. The benefits for covered employees must be equivalent to or greater than the benefits provided by the MN PFML program. 

By December 2025, employers must inform their employees about their rights and benefits under this new program. Minnesota Paid Leave will provide written materials, workplace notice posters, and other informational materials that employers can use to meet their requirements. 

MN Paid Leave

Payments & Time off Calculator