Your paycheck, your sick time, your noncompete, your leave • Built from the statutes, not from summaries
Photo: Dave Madgett • DuluthMost people never find out what the law actually gives them, because the answer is buried in a statute nobody reads. These four tools do the reading. Every figure comes from the statute text or the agency that publishes the number, with the source shown. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; the math runs in your browser.
For an ordinary judgment (credit card, medical bill, old loan), Minnesota caps garnishment by a tier tied to the minimum wage, and never below 40 times the minimum wage in a week. Child-support judgments follow a different scale.
§ 571.922(a): "the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any pay period subjected to garnishment may not exceed the lesser of: (1) 25 percent of the debtor's disposable earnings, if the debtor's weekly income exceeds 80 times the greater of the hourly wage described in paragraph (b); (2) 15 percent ... if the debtor's weekly income exceeds 60 times, but is less than or equal to 80 times ...; or (3) ten percent ... if the debtor's weekly income exceeds 40 times, but is less than or equal to 60 times ..." (b): "The amount by which the debtor's disposable earnings exceed the greater of: (i) 40 times the hourly wage described in section 177.24 ...; or (ii) 40 times the federal minimum hourly wages ..."
Since January 1, 2024, nearly every Minnesota employee earns paid sick and safe time: one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours a year, with up to 80 hours banked.
§ 181.9446(a): "An employee accrues a minimum of one hour of earned sick and safe time for every 30 hours worked up to a maximum of 48 hours of earned sick and safe time in a year." (b)(1): "The total amount of accrued but unused earned sick and safe time for an employee must not exceed 80 hours at any time, unless an employer agrees to a higher amount." (c): exempt employees "are deemed to work 40 hours in each workweek."
Minnesota banned employment noncompetes for agreements signed on or after July 1, 2023, with two narrow exceptions. Answer three questions.
§ 181.988, subd. 2(a): "Any covenant not to compete contained in a contract or agreement is void and unenforceable." Subd. 1(c): "'Employee' as used in this section means any individual who performs services for an employer, including independent contractors." Effective date: "This section is effective July 1, 2023, and applies to contracts and agreements entered into on or after that date."
Benefits started January 1, 2026. The weekly amount is a sliding scale that favors lower wages, capped at the state's average weekly wage. Up to 12 weeks for your own serious health condition and 12 for family, bonding, or safety leave, 20 combined.
§ 268B.04, subd. 3(a): "an applicant's weekly benefit is calculated by adding ... (1) 90 percent of wages that do not exceed 50 percent of the state's average weekly wage; plus (2) 66 percent of wages that exceed 50 percent of the state's average weekly wage but not 100 percent; plus (3) 55 percent of wages that exceed 100 percent of the state's average weekly wage." (d): "The maximum weekly benefit amount is the state's average weekly wage."
These tools give general information from Minnesota statutes as published by the Revisor of Statutes on September 6, 2026, and from the agency pages cited. They are not legal advice, do not create an attorney-client relationship, and cannot account for every exception, court order, or federal overlay. Statutes change; if a number looks stale, the statute link is the authority. Corrections: campaign@madgettformn.com.