Minnesota Paid Family Leave: Bonding Leave for Babies Born in 2025
Beginning January 1, 2026, Minnesota’s new Paid Family Leave program will allow eligible employees to take paid bonding leave to spend time with a newly born, adopted, or placed in foster care child. This is especially important for dealership employees because the law permits employees to take bonding leave in 2026 for a child born, adopted, or placed in foster care in 2025, as long as the leave is taken within 12 months of the child’s birth, adoption, or placement. Bonding leave is an individual entitlement, meaning each eligible parent may take bonding leave for the same child.
For Example:
If a dealership employee had a child in June 2025, the employee may take up to 12 weeks of paid bonding leave between January 1, 2026, and June 2026.
If a child was born, adopted, or placed in foster care in March 2025, the employee may take bonding leave beginning January 1, 2026, but can only use leave through March 2026, which may reduce the total bonding leave available under the program.
In short, the earlier in 2025 the birth, adoption, or placement occurred, the shorter the window will be in 2026 to use bonding leave under the new program.
Bonding Leave Is Available to Both Parents
Minnesota Paid Family Leave provides separate bonding-leave entitlements to each eligible parent. As a result, two parents who are both eligible for Paid Family Leave may each take up to 12 weeks of paid bonding leave for the same child. Parents may take leave at the same time or at different times, as long as each parent’s bonding leave occurs within 12 months of the child’s birth, adoption, or placement in foster care.
This entitlement applies regardless of gender, marital status, or whether both parents work for the same dealership.
Interaction with Employer-Provided Leave
Employees who used employer-provided parental leave, PTO, or unpaid leave in 2025 remain eligible to take Paid Family Leave bonding leave in 2026 for the same child. Leave taken in 2025 does not reduce or eliminate an employee’s Paid Family Leave entitlement once the state program begins.
Dealerships should be prepared for employees to request bonding leave months after a child’s birth, adoption, or placement in foster care, even if the employee already took time off in 2025.
