Minnesota has enacted legislation (Senate File 17), which clarifies and amends aspects of the state’s paid sick leave law. Most amendment provisions took effect on July 1, 2025 with one exception, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026 as indicated below.
The Details
Effective July 1, 2025
When an employee uses paid sick leave for more than two consecutive scheduled workdays, an employer may require reasonable documentation that the leave is covered by the law. Prior to the change, the employee was required to be absent for more than three consecutive scheduled workdays.
If the need for paid sick leave is unforeseeable, an employer may require an employee to give notice of the need for leave as soon as reasonably required by the employer. Prior to the change, an employer could require notice for unforeseeable leave “as soon as practical.”
Under existing law, an employer may not require, as a condition of an employee using paid sick leave, that the employee seek or find a replacement. Senate File 17 makes clear that an employee isn’t prohibited from voluntarily seeking or trading shifts with a replacementworker to cover the hours the employee uses paid sick leave.
Effective Jan. 1, 2026
Existing law states that employers aren’t prohibited from advancing paid sick leave to an employee before accrual by the employee.
Senate File 17 amends the law to add that an employer is permitted to advance paid sick leave to an employee based on the number of hours the employer anticipates the employee will work for the remainder of the accrual year. If the employee works more hours than anticipated, the employer must provide additional paid sick leave to make up the difference between what was advanced and what should have been accrued based on actual hours worked.
Next steps
Minnesota employers should:
- Review policies and procedures to determine if changes should be made.
- Train supervisors on the amended law.
- Comply with the law by the applicable date.