Minnesota program
Paid hours for appointments (earned sick and safe time)
Paid sick hours build up as you work and can be used to care for an ill child.
What it is
Paid sick hours build up as you work and can be used to care for an ill child.
Earned sick and safe time can help with appointments or shorter absences. The hours come from your available balance. Minnesota’s rule reaches employers with at least one employee, and a stronger city rule can give more.
Who can qualify
- Minnesota employees expected to work at least 80 hours in a year can qualify, subject to statutory exclusions. Payroll or Minnesota Labor and Industry can check your employment category.
- Employers with one or more employees are covered.
What you get
- Paid hours for your child’s care from an eligible worker’s available balance.
- Under the accrual method, at least one hour per 30 worked, up to 48 a year.
What the help includes
- The hours can be used to care for an ill child. An employer must track and pay the earned time.
- Under the accrual method, unused hours carry over to a balance of up to 80. Lawful frontloading alternatives and more generous employer or local rules can apply.
If you decide to apply
- Ask your social worker to help you check your sick-time balance and the steps for using it with payroll.
- Explain the appointment or caregiving dates and ask how the hours fit with other leave.
Your employer’s payroll office. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry explains the state rules. · Official page ↗
After you ask
- Payroll confirms the available balance and records the absence under the employer’s process.
- Earned hours are available as soon as they accrue. Minnesota Labor and Industry handles complaints about an employer’s refusal.
Good to know
These are earned hours, so the balance matters. A city rule or employer policy may be more generous.
Other details
- Where a city rule gives greater protection, the better rule applies.
- Minneapolis and St. Paul have city rules that may give stronger protection. Pay stubs or leave statements help show the hours available.
- Separation does not create an automatic cash payout. Returning to the same employer within 180 days generally restores unused hours unless they were already paid out. A leave of absence is different from separation.
“How many paid sick hours could I use for our child’s care? What are the tradeoffs with longer leave, and could you help me understand the employer’s process?”
Why I’m asking: I want to know whether shorter absences can be covered by hours I have already earned.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Ask for the balance and use the hours for appointments.
Your social worker
The employer has to track and pay the hours.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The employer, under state law.
- Ask HR
- “How many earned sick and safe time hours do I have, and can I use them for my child's appointments?”
How to apply
First step: Ask the employer in writing for your current balance.
- Ask the employer in writing for your current balance.
- Use these hours for clinic days before unpaid time.
- In Minneapolis or St. Paul, ask which rule gives you more.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Ask the employer for your balance of earned sick and safe time and use it for appointments.
What to gather
- Your pay stubs or leave statement
How long: Available as soon as they are earned.
What a yes looks like
Paid hours on the pay stub for the days you were at the clinic.
What a no looks like, and the next move
If the employer refuses, the state labour department takes complaints.
Watch out
- These are hours you already earned; ask for them before taking unpaid time.
- The city rules can be better than the state one, and the better rule applies.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Eligible workers can accrue at least one paid hour per 30 worked, up to 48 yearly, with carryover to 80; lawful frontloading and better employer or local rules can apply.
- $30 — Hours worked per hour earned
- $48/year — Hours that build up in a year unless the employer offers more
Covers: Paid time to care for an ill child
Legal protection: Applies to employers with one or more employees
What it costs the family: None.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Employment
- anticipated to work at least 80 hours in Minnesota in a year
- Employer size
- one or more employees
The trap: These are hours you already earned: ask for them by name rather than taking unpaid time. Minneapolis and St. Paul have their own ordinances, and whichever rule is better for you applies.
Where I read this
- Minnesota earned sick and safe time — Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, read September 10, 2026