You Probably Qualify For MN's New 'Earned Safe And Sick Time' Law

ST. PAUL, MN — Starting Jan. 1, almost every worker in Minnesota will be guaranteed earned sick and safe time.

Under the law passed by Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature last session, employers must, at a minimum, allow employees to earn one hour of paid safe and sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year.

Employees begin accruing as soon as their employment begins and can use it as soon as it's accrued.

The law applies to any employer with one or more employees, and it covers all employees, including part-time and temporary.

Employees qualify as long as they work at least 80 hours a year for an employer in Minnesota. However, independent contractors are not included in the law.

Earned safe and sick time can be used and the employee compensated at their regular hourly rate, in part, for:

• Mental or physical illness, treatment, or preventative care
• Care of a sick family member or a family member in need of preventative care or treatment
• An absence related to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking of the employee or a family member
• Closure of the employee’s workplace or a family member’s school or care facility due to weather or a public emergency
• Inability to telework due to an employer’s policy or while seeking a medical diagnosis or testing for a communicable disease related to a public emergency at the employer’s request or after the employee’s exposure
• A determination by a health care provider that the employee or a family member is at risk of infecting others with a communicable disease

Employers must share information about the new law to current and future employees "in English and the primary language of the employee, as identified by the employee."

Employers are not required to pay out accrued time upon "employment separation."