Human Resources

Minnesota Paid Leave is an insurance program that provides payments and job protections when people need to care for themselves or their loved ones. Much like private insurance, the program is funded through premiums that are split between employers and employees. You can apply for leave when you have a qualifying life event, like a serious medical condition or welcoming a new child. If your application is approved, the city will pay you a portion of your usual wages during your leave and your job will be protected while you are away from work.

Paid Leave benefits will be available starting January 1, 2026.

Paid Leave payments are made by the City, directly to you. You will be able to receive payments through direct deposit.

All City of Duluth employees in “covered employment” under Minnesota law are eligible, including full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees who meet the state’s wage threshold (currently $3,900 in the base period). There is no waiting period once eligibility is met.

You can take Paid Leave to:

• Care for your own serious health condition
• Bond with a child
• Care for a loved one who has a serious health condition
• Support a family member called to active duty
• Respond to certain personal safety issues

All Paid Leave applications will require certification, which is a document from a healthcare provider or a service provider that supports your need for leave.

To qualify for Paid Leave payments, you must meet all of the following:

1. You have a qualifying event. This means something has happened that makes you unable to work, such as:
   • Your own serious health condition
   • Welcoming a child
   • Caring for a loved one
   • Supporting a family member's active duty
   • Responding to safety concerns like domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking 
2. You have earned enough in the past year. You must have earned at least $3,900 (or 5.3% of the state's average annual wage) during the last 12 months.
3. A healthcare or service provider confirms the need for leave. They must fill out a form confirming your qualifying event.
4. You haven't already used up your leave for the year (12 weeks of Medical Leave, 12 weeks of Family Leave, or a combined maximum of 20 weeks total for both types of leave).

Yes, Paid Leave offers job protections after 90 calendar days from the date of hire. This means that if you qualify, your employer must return you to your same job (or an equivalent one with the same pay, benefits, and work conditions) after your leave ends. You do not lose seniority.

Paid Leave will be available starting January 1, 2026.

The process for applying for Paid Leave will begin with a conversation between you and your employer. Notify your supervisor and HR at least 30 days in advance if the leave is foreseeable. The conversation can include discussing options available to you including other benefits you may be eligible for during your leave and how you plan to use leave.

If your leave is not planned in advance, you can still apply for leave as soon as you know you need it. If you are applying after your needed leave has already begun, your application can be backdated.
After notifying your employer, you will be able to apply for Paid Leave online through the City of Duluth Paid Leave portal online. 

Form Coming Soon!

 You will need to share:

• Information about yourself and your job
• The reason and the type of leave you are applying for
• The expected length of leave
• Certification from a healthcare or service provider or other supporting documentation about the reason for your leave.

All leaves under the program require certification – which means a healthcare or service provider needs to provide documentation that the leave is necessary.

• For Medical Leave, a healthcare provider will need to certify your serious health condition prevents you from performing your regular job and the amount of time needed.
• For Caring Leave, to care for a family member, your family member's healthcare provider will need to complete a certification form that demonstrates that your care is medically necessary, and the amount of time needed.
• For Bonding Leave, to welcome a child into your home, you will need documentation completed by a healthcare professional, adoption agency, or foster care agency that demonstrates the child has arrived or been placed in your home.
• For Military Family Leave, you will need copy of the active-duty orders or other official military document that shows your family member is about to be deployed for duty.
• For Safety Leave, you will need documentation that includes proof of the need for leave. This could include a letter from a qualified professional (such as a domestic violence advocate, counselor, or attorney), a police report, or a restraining order or other court order. This document does not require detailed information about what happened, only that safety leave is required.

No, there is no waiting period for Paid Leave payments. Minnesota Paid Leave is designed to pay you from the start of your leave. Once your leave is approved, you will be paid each week you are on leave.

Yes, part-time employees are covered under Paid Leave.

Yes, you can take leave from one or more employers at one time. Your weekly benefit will be calculated based on the total wages you earn from the employer(s) from whom you are taking leave.

The City does not allow supplemental benefits to “top off” MN Paid Leave payments with accrued leave. 

Employees are not eligible to receive overtime during periods in which they are using Minnesota Paid Leave (MNPL). MN Paid Leave hours are considered protected leave time and do not count as hours worked for the purpose of calculating overtime.

Overtime may only be earned based on actual hours worked in accordance with federal and state wage and hour laws. Because MN Paid Leave does not constitute time worked, it cannot be used to meet or exceed the threshold required for overtime pay.

Yes. The City will continue your health, dental, and life insurance during leave.  You must continue paying your share of premiums. 

In a single benefit year, you can take:

• Up to 12 weeks of Medical Leave for your own serious health condition, including care related to pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery; or
• Up to 12 weeks of Family Leave
  • Bonding Leave – to care for and bond with a new child welcomed through birth, adoption, or foster placement
  • Caring Leave – to care for a family member with a serious health condition
  • Military Family Leave – to support a family member called to active duty
  • Safety Leave – to respond to issues related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking for yourself or a family member 

If you need both Family and Medical Leave during the same benefit year, you can take up to 20 weeks of total combined leave.  Generally, conditions must last more than seven days and be certified by a healthcare provider or other professional.
A benefit year is a 52-week period beginning the first day the employee takes Minnesota Paid Leave. 

No.  You may choose to use accrued leave or sick time instead of MN Paid Leave, but not in combination with MN Paid Leave.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal program.  FMLA entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons.  Minnesota Paid Leave and FMLA leave may be taken for the same reason, but the requirements are different.
The City requires that leave taken under Minnesota Paid Leave run concurrently with leave taken for the same purpose under FMLA.

In general, ESST is intended to cover short-term situations such as a brief illness or when an employee needs to care for a sick child who cannot attend daycare, etc. ESST is administered by the employer and does not require MN Paid leave approval or, in many cases, a medical professional — particularly for absences less than two consecutive scheduled business days. Employees may use ESST in place of, or in addition to, Minnesota Paid Leave, depending on the circumstances.

In contrast, the Minnesota Paid Leave program is designed for longer-term or extended absences and requires approval from the City of Duluth paid leave program based on eligibility and necessity. It is intended to cover more serious situations such as major illnesses or injuries, maternity/paternity leave, qualified exigency leave, safety leave, or care of a family member.

No. You can take leave in a single block of time (continuous leave) or in a smaller block of time (intermittent leave). This flexibility is built into Paid Leave to fit different needs.

For example,

• If you have a surgery and need to be completely out of work for 6 weeks, that is a continuous leave.
• If you have a chronic condition or a family member who needs transportation to recurring treatments, you might only need to take a day off each week. That is intermittent leave.

You should discuss what leave schedule you might need with your healthcare or service provider certifying your leave.

Yes.  You may take up to the equivalent of 12 weeks of intermittent leave per benefit year in full-day increments.  Additional intermittent leave may be allowed at the City’s discretion or may be required to be taken as continuous leave. 

Yes, you can take leave for more than one qualifying reason in the same year. For example, you could take 8 weeks of Medical Leave to recover from surgery, and then later take 12 weeks of Family Leave to welcome a child.

Remember, you cannot exceed 12 weeks for either Medical or Family Leave, or more than 20 weeks combined in a benefit year.

Yes, you can take Pregnancy-related Medical Leave or Bonding Leave in 2026, as long as the leave is completed within 12 months of the child's birth, adoption, or foster placement. This means that parents who welcome a child in 2025 may each take up to 12 weeks of Bonding Leave in 2026, and birthing parents may take up to 12 weeks of Pregnancy-related Medical Leave.

For example, parents who welcome a child on June 1, 2025, would have between January 1, 2026 and June 1, 2026 to take up to 12 weeks each of bonding leave. Parents who welcome a child on March 1, 2025 would need to take their leave between January 1, 2026 and March 1, 2026. This means they would have time to take up to 8 weeks of Bonding Leave each.

Yes, Minnesota Paid Leave does not require the family member you are caring for to live with you, near you, or within Minnesota. Certification will come from the family member's healthcare or service provider and specify that you are taking leave to care for them.

Under Paid Leave, a family member can include:

• Spouse or partner
• Child (including biological, adopted, step, or foster children, or a child you raise even if you are not legally related)
• Parent or person who raised you
• Sibling
• Grandchild or grandparent
• In-laws (including son, daughter, father, or mother)
• Anyone close to you who depends on you like family without the expectation of compensation for caring for them, even if not related by blood

In your application, you will provide information on your relationship to the person you will care for while on leave.

Paid Leave is funded through a 0.88% payroll premium, split equally:

• 0.44% paid by the City
• 0.44% paid by employees via payroll deduction

Employers can begin to deduct your share of the premium on January 1, 2026, when benefits become available.

You can estimate how much will be deducted from your paycheck for Paid Leave with the Paid Leave Calculator located here:  https://pl.mn.gov/resources/calculators/premium-rate-and-contributions

No. Duluth MN Paid Leave is not considered eligible salary for PERA purposes.  You may contact PERA to explore buyback options.

No. If you work in covered employment in Minnesota, you are automatically enrolled. You cannot opt out. It is your choice whether to apply for and take Paid Leave if you experience a qualifying event.