Minnesota Paystub Generator

Minnesota Payroll Numbers That Moved for 2026

• Paid Leave premiums started January 1, 2026: 0.88% of wages for most employers and 0.66% for qualifying small employers. Employees can be charged up to 0.44% in either case.
• Brackets indexed, rates unchanged: the 5.35%, 6.80%, 7.85% and 9.85% rates stay put. The single 6.80% bracket now starts above $33,310, up from $32,570 in 2025.
• Larger W-4MN allowance: each allowance is worth $5,300 a year in the 2026 withholding formula, up from $5,200.
• Minimum wage of $11.41: one statewide rate for every employer size since January 1, 2026, rising to $11.87 on January 1, 2027.

How W-4MN Sets the Minnesota Tax Line

Minnesota does not read allowances from the federal W-4. Every employee who fills out a federal W-4 also needs Form W-4MN. When no W-4MN is on file the employer must withhold as single with zero allowances. The Department of Revenue computer formula for 2026 works like this:

1. Multiply the wages for the period by the number of pay periods in the year (26 for biweekly).
2. Subtract $5,300 for each W-4MN allowance.
3. Apply the annual withholding chart. For a single employee: no tax up to $4,700, then 5.35% up to $38,010, 6.80% up to $114,130, 7.85% up to $207,850 and 9.85% above that.
4. Divide by the number of pay periods.

Bonuses, commissions and other supplemental pay paid separately can be withheld at a flat 6.25%. Minnesota cities and counties do not add a local income tax, so the state line is the only one besides federal.

Twelve Items Section 181.032 Puts on Every Statement

At the end of each pay period the employer must provide an earnings statement on paper or electronically. Under Minn. Stat. 181.032 a Minnesota pay stub has to show:

1. The employee's name
2. The rate or rates of pay and the basis (hour, shift, day, week, salary, piece, commission or other method)
3. Any allowances claimed for permitted meals and lodging
4. Total hours worked, unless the employee is exempt from chapter 177
5. Gross pay for the period
6. A list of deductions
7. The Paid Leave amount deducted from the employee and the amount the employer paid on the employee's wages
8. Net pay after all deductions
9. The date the pay period ends
10. The employer's legal name, plus its operating name if different
11. The physical address of the main office, plus a mailing address if different
12. The employer's telephone number

An employee who gives 24 hours' notice can insist on paper statements from then on. New hires must also get a signed written notice covering pay rates, deductions, paid time off, the payday schedule and the employer's contact details. If you are unsure how these items look in practice, what a pay stub looks like walks through a typical layout.

Showing Paid Leave Premiums on the Statement

Minnesota Paid Leave is funded by a premium on wages up to the Social Security wage base, which is $184,500 for 2026. The employer must pay at least half, so the employee share is capped at 0.44% of wages.

Section 181.032 treats the premium differently from any other deduction: a Minnesota pay stub must show both the employee's deduction and what the employer paid on that employee's wages. An employer may also choose to pay the whole premium, in which case the employee amount is zero but the employer amount still belongs on the statement.

Sample Minnesota Output: Biweekly Pay in Minneapolis

Below is a real preview from the Minnesota paystub generator for a dental office employee. The Minnesota state tax line is highlighted.

Scenario: hourly employee of North Star Dental Group LLC, 3300 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408, paid biweekly. Pay period Sep 14 to Sep 27, 2026, pay date Sep 29, 2026. $28.00 an hour for 80 hours, single, W-4MN with zero allowances. This is the 20th paycheck of the year.

The state line follows the 2026 formula. Annual wages are $2,240 × 26 = $58,240 with nothing subtracted for zero allowances. The first bracket gives ($38,010 − $4,700) × 5.35% = $1,782.09 and the next gives ($58,240 − $38,010) × 6.80% = $1,375.64. That is $3,157.73 a year and $121.45 per check. The year-to-date column is simply 20 identical checks added together.

This preview shows wages and taxes only; the generator cannot add a Paid Leave line yet. For this check a Paid Leave line would read up to $9.86 for the employee (0.44% of $2,240) against a total premium of $19.71 (0.88%). If the employer passed on the full share, net pay would drop by $9.86. Section 181.032 wants both figures on the employee's statement, so when Paid Leave applies treat this preview as the wages and taxes part of a Minnesota pay stub and show the premium amounts on the statement you hand over.

Sick and Safe Time Balances Each Pay Period

Earned sick and safe time accrues at one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours a year. The carried-over balance can be capped at 80 hours. At the end of every pay period the employer must report the hours available and the hours used that period.

That report does not have to sit on the Minnesota check stub itself. The law allows it on or attached to the earnings statement or in an electronic system employees can reach. The employee in the sample above would accrue about 2.67 hours on 80 hours of work.

Minimum Wage, Tips and the 48-Hour Overtime Rule

Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act still owe overtime after 40 hours, so most stubs show overtime from hour 41. Minneapolis and St. Paul have city ordinances that may require a higher rate. The Department of Labor and Industry keeps the current Minnesota minimum wage rates.

Paydays and Final Wages Under Minnesota Law

• Pay frequency: wages at least once every 31 days on a regular payday; commissions at least every three months (181.101).
• Discharged employees: earned wages are due within 24 hours of a written demand (181.13).
• Employees who quit: paid by the next regular payday. If that payday is less than five days away it can wait for the second one, but no longer than 20 calendar days (181.14).

A final Minnesota payroll stub still needs all 12 required items plus the sick time report.

Three Steps to a Compliant Minnesota Statement

1. Enter the employer's legal name, physical address and phone number, then choose Minnesota as the work state.
2. Add the pay rate, hours worked and pay frequency.
3. Preview the Minnesota paystub, compare each line with payroll and download the PDF.

New to the format? Start with what a paystub is. Employer-only taxes such as FUTA never appear as employee deductions, so leave them off the Minnesota paycheck stub.

Using Minnesota Pay Stubs Honestly

A pay stub documents wages that were actually earned and paid. Use it for real payroll, to replace a lost Minnesota pay stub or to back up income with a landlord alongside bank deposits and a W-2. Creating or altering income documents to mislead a lender, landlord or agency is fraud under Minnesota and federal law.