Minnesota employers: Prepare for new leave earnings statements

The new Minnesota earned sick and safe leave, effective January 1, 2024, comes with a number of new requirements. One major change for Minnesota employers is that they must provide earnings statements with certain required information to all employees at the end of each pay period.

Earnings statements must include at least the following information:

• The name of the employee;
• The total hours worked by the employee in the pay period, unless the worker is considered exempt under the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act;
• The rate or rates of pay, including whether the employee is paid by the hour, shift, day, week, salary, piece, commission, or other method;
• Any allowances claimed for meals or lodging under Minnesota Rules 5200;
• The gross pay earned by the employee in the pay period;
• The net pay after all deductions are made;
• A list of all deductions (taxes, insurance, union dues, other) made from the employee's pay;
• The date the pay period ended;
• The employer's legal and operating name;
• The employer's telephone number; and
• The physical address of the employer's main office or principal place of business and a mailing address, if different.

Employers must also include the following additional information on earnings statements:

• The total number of sick and safe time hours available for use by the employee; and
• The total number of sick and safe time hours used by the employee in the pay period.

Electronic or paper?

Employers may provide earnings statements electronically, but to do so, they must provide access to an employer-owned computer during an employee's regular working hours for the employee to review and/or print earnings statements.

If an employee requests to receive future earnings statements in writing rather than electronically, and provides at least 24 hours' notice, employers must honor that request going forward.

Key to Remember: The new Minnesota earned sick and safe leave, effective January 1, 2024, comes with a number of new employer requirements.