New hiring laws in Minnesota for 2027: Paid Leave, breaks, wage floors and what employers do next

As of October 2026, Minnesota made four hiring-related changes in 2026 beyond its annual wage increase: Minnesota Paid Leave began on January 1, 2026 with a written notice due within 30 days of each hire, minimum meal and rest breaks became fixed lengths on the same date, a law effective August 1, 2026 makes failure to engage in the disability accommodation process a possible unfair discriminatory practice, and nursing home minimum wages took effect September 10, 2026. On January 1, 2027 the statewide minimum wage rises to $11.87 an hour and the nursing home wage floors step up again.

Everything below is an enacted statute or an adopted rule with a confirmed date, linked to the Revisor of Statutes or the agency that runs it. The standing Minnesota checklist (registration, pay ranges at 30 employees, the signed wage notice, criminal history timing) is in our Minnesota hiring hub; this page covers what is new.

Which Minnesota hiring laws changed in 2026, and what changes in 2027?

What does Minnesota Paid Leave require at hire?

A written notice within 30 days, and an acknowledgment. Chapter 268B's benefit and premium sections took effect January 1, 2026 (the Revisor's notes on those sections say so), and DEED reports that Minnesota Paid Leave is "now fully funded by premiums." Under Minn. Stat. 268B.26(b), each employer must give each employee, "not more than 30 days from the beginning date of the employee's employment," the Department's written information in the employee's primary language: the benefits and reinstatement rights, the premium deductions, the employer's premium obligations, its name, address and Paid Leave ID, and how to file a claim. "Delivery is made when an employee provides written or electronic acknowledgment of receipt," so keep the signed or clicked acknowledgment with the hire's file. Employers must also post the workplace notice.

One notice moves earlier in the process. Under 268B.26(f), an employer that "employs or intends to employ seasonal employees" must give each one a notice that the employee is not eligible for Paid Leave benefits while so employed, and "the notice must be provided at the time an employment offer is made." Penalties for missing notices run $50 per employee for a first violation and $300 per employee after that.

What is the Minnesota Paid Leave premium in 2026 and 2027?

0.88% of covered wages in both years. DEED's July 31, 2026 announcement says the rate "will remain steady at 0.88% of covered wages in Minnesota for 2027," that "employers can continue to collect up to 0.44% from employees in 2027," and that "small employers pay a smaller share – as little as 0.22%." Offer letters that quote take-home pay or benefits should reflect the deduction you choose to pass on.

What changed for meal and rest breaks?

Both now have minimum lengths, from January 1, 2026. The 2025 jobs and labor law, Laws 2025, First Special Session, chapter 6 (SF 17), rewrote Minn. Stat. 177.253 to require "a rest break of at least 15 minutes or enough time to utilize the nearest convenient restroom, whichever is longer, within each four consecutive hours of work," and 177.254 to require "a meal break of at least 30 minutes" for each employee "working for six or more consecutive hours," instead of eight. An employer that does not allow the breaks owes the break time at the regular rate plus an equal amount as liquidated damages. Shift schedules you describe in job ads and offers, especially for warehouse, retail and light industrial temp roles, should build these in.

What does the 2026 accommodation law change in hiring?

It makes the conversation itself a legal duty. Laws 2026, chapter 99 (SF 3210), signed May 18, 2026, adds to the Human Rights Act's policy section, Minn. Stat. 363A.02, that "failure to engage in the process to determine if a reasonable accommodation exists that would allow people with disabilities ... to participate fully in employment ... may be an unfair discriminatory practice." The act states no effective date, so it took effect August 1, 2026 under Minn. Stat. 645.02. For recruiters, the practical change is to answer every accommodation request from an applicant (for an interview format, an assessment or a start date), record the back-and-forth and never simply decline. Our guide to accommodations in interviews has a workable process.

What are the new nursing home minimum wages?

The Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board's rules, Minn. R. 5200.2080 to 5200.2090, could only take effect 30 days after federal approval of the related Medicaid rate change. DLI reports that approval came August 11, 2026, so "the effective date for the minimum wages is Sept. 10, 2026." DLI's wage table lists:

• Nursing home worker (general): $19.00 from September 10, 2026; $20.50 from January 1, 2027.
• Certified nursing assistant: $22.50; then $24.00.
• Trained medication aide: $23.50; then $25.00.
• Licensed practical nurse: $27.00; then $28.50.

Healthcare staffing agencies quoting bill rates for Minnesota nursing homes, and nursing homes posting pay ranges, should use these floors; the Board's holiday pay rules (time and a half on 11 listed holidays) have applied since January 1, 2025.

What will Minnesota's minimum wage be in 2027?

$11.87 an hour for all employers from January 1, 2027, up from $11.41, with the 90-day training wage for workers under 20 rising from $9.31 to $9.68, per DLI's minimum wage page. Minnesota allows no tip credit. Minneapolis and Saint Paul set higher city rates under their own ordinances, so check the work location before you post a range under the Minnesota pay transparency law.

What was already in force before 2026?

• Pay ranges in postings for employers with 30 or more Minnesota employees, since January 1, 2025, under Minn. Stat. 181.173.
• No employee non-competes signed on or after July 1, 2023, under Minn. Stat. 181.988; see Minnesota non-compete law.
• No no-hire clauses between staffing firms and clients, under Minn. Stat. 181.9881; see Minnesota staffing agency rules.
• Applicant cannabis testing limits under Minn. Stat. 181.951; see Minnesota drug testing laws.

What is proposed but not law?

Minnesota has no AI hiring statute. Bills introduced in the 2026 session, including HF 4537 on artificial intelligence in employment procedures, did not pass before the session ended. The Human Rights Act applies to a hiring decision whether a person or software makes it; see AI hiring laws by state.

What should Minnesota employers do before January 1, 2027?

1. Audit Paid Leave notices. Confirm every 2026 hire received the DEED notice within 30 days and that you hold an acknowledgment; build the step into onboarding.
2. Add the seasonal notice to offers. If you hire seasonal employees, attach the Paid Leave seasonal notice to the offer itself.
3. Reprice for $11.87. Update hourly offers and posted ranges that run into 2027, and check Minneapolis and Saint Paul rates for city work sites.
4. Fix shift templates. Schedule a 15-minute rest break per four hours and a 30-minute meal break from six hours.
5. Write down the accommodation process. Give recruiters a script and a log for applicant requests.
6. Healthcare employers and agencies: load the January 1, 2027 nursing home wage step into rate cards now.

What does this mean for staffing agencies in Minnesota?

Where the agency is the employer of record for a temporary placement, the Paid Leave notice, premium withholding and break rules are the agency's to handle, so agree in the client contract who schedules breaks. Build the 30-day notice and acknowledgment into the same onboarding packet as the signed wage notice required by Minn. Stat. 181.032, and price January 1, 2027 bill rates from the new wage floors. Healthcare agencies placing aides and LPNs in nursing homes must pay at least the Board's rates.