Northland SBDC offers free Paid Leave workshops for Lake County employers

Small employers in Lake County are most likely to get tripped up by Minnesota Paid Leave if they treat it as a paperwork update instead of a payroll and staffing issue. The new law reaches employee policies, payroll systems, required notices and compliance planning, which is why Northland Small Business Development Center is rolling out free, one-hour workshops for the resorts, lodges, restaurants, food trucks and concession stands that depend on seasonal labor.

The first session will be a webinar May 7 at 10 a.m., followed by an in-person group training May 14 at 10 a.m. at Cook County Higher Education, 300 W. 3rd St. in Grand Marais. Cook County Higher Education serves as a local access and training site on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and Northland SBDC says its service area stretches across Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis counties.

The workshops are designed to help employers sort out who is covered under Minnesota Paid Leave and who is not, how seasonal designations work, and how to move through a compliance checklist without missing the basics. That matters now because Minnesota Paid Leave launched Jan. 1, 2026, after lawmakers enacted the law in 2023 and state agencies built out the program and rules.

State guidance says the program provides four leave types: Medical, Bonding, Caring and Safety leave. Workers can take up to 12 weeks of Medical Leave and up to 12 weeks of Family Leave, with a combined cap of 20 weeks in one benefit year if both are used. The 2026 premium rate is 0.88 percent of wages up to the Social Security withholding limit, and employers can deduct up to 0.44 percent from employees’ wages for their share. Small employers with 30 or fewer employees and average wages below 150 percent of the statewide average annual wage may qualify for a lower 0.66 percent rate.

The compliance risk is especially sharp for seasonal employers. State materials say most seasonal workers and hospitality workers are covered, although hospitality employers can request a special seasonal designation if they meet state criteria. Job protections generally begin after 90 calendar days from the date of hire, and employees returning from leave must be restored to the same or an equivalent position with the same pay, status, benefits, length of service and seniority. Health insurance coverage also continues while a worker is on leave. With Minnesota now one of 13 states with a statewide paid leave program, the issue has shifted from policy debate to day-to-day business management for Lake County employers.