Minnesota Bonus Pay Program Signed Into Law

May 18, 2022 - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently signed a bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature that will provide bonus pay for eligible COVID -19 frontline workers. While program details are still being finalized, potential applicants are encouraged to visit http://frontlinepay.mn.gov/ to sign up for updates and view an information sheet about the Frontline Worker Pay program. 

According to the details on the website as of this posting, to be eligible for Frontline Worker Pay, the applicant:

• must have been employed at least 120 hours in Minnesota in one or more frontline sectors between March 15, 2020, and June 30, 2021.
• for the hours worked during this time period the applicant –
  • was not able to telework due to the nature of the individual's work and
  • worked in close proximity to people outside of the individual's household;
• must meet the income requirements for at least one year between Dec. 31, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2022 –
  • workers with direct COVID-19 patient care responsibilities must have had an adjusted gross income of less than $350,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly, or less than $175,000 for other filers and
  • for workers in occupations without direct COVID-19 patient care responsibilities, the adjusted gross income limit is $185,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly, or $85,000 for other filers; and
• must not have received an unemployment insurance benefit payment for more than 20 weeks on a cumulative basis for weeks between March 15, 2020, and June 26, 2021 (Minnesota Statutes, section 268.085, subdivision 1, clause 6).

A summary of the sectors that qualify for frontline worker pay include, but are not limited to:

• retail
• foodservice
• manufacturing
• long-term care and home care
• health care
• emergency responders
• schools
• child care

A full list of sectors and more information about the program can be found at http://frontlinepay.mn.gov/.