New Jersey Family Leave Insurance replaces part of your paycheck while you take time off to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or handle the aftermath of domestic or sexual violence. In 2026 it pays 85% of your average weekly wage, up to $1,119 per week, for as many as 12 weeks of continuous leave (or 56 days of intermittent leave) within a 12-month period. The program is funded entirely by employee payroll deductions and is administered by the state Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance.
One thing FLI is not: job protection. It sends you money. Whether your employer has to hold your position open is a separate question, answered by different laws.
Who Qualifies
Eligibility turns on your earnings during a “base year,” which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim. You need to meet one of two thresholds: work at least 20 weeks earning $310 or more per week, or earn a combined total of at least $15,500 across the entire base year.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Information for Employers If your recent work history is thin, the state also uses an alternative base year (the four most recent completed quarters), so workers with irregular schedules still have a path to qualify.
Most private-sector workers are covered as long as their employer participates in the state’s unemployment insurance system and the work is performed in New Jersey. Self-employed individuals are not automatically covered but can opt in. Government employees may be covered depending on whether their employer has elected to participate.
What Leave Counts
FLI covers three categories:
- Bonding with a new child after birth, adoption, or foster placement, as long as leave starts within 12 months of the child’s arrival.
- Caregiving for a family member with a serious health condition, certified by a healthcare provider.
- Safe Time, meaning leave you or a family caregiver takes because of domestic or sexual violence. Covered activities include seeking medical attention, obtaining counseling, attending court proceedings, safety planning, and relocating to escape abuse.2Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Safe Time Leave
The FLI definition of “family member” is unusually broad. It covers children of any age, parents, parents-in-law, spouses, domestic partners, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, anyone related to you by blood, and anyone you consider the equivalent of family.3Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance That last category, sometimes called “chosen family,” means you are not limited to traditional relatives.
How Much You Get and for How Long
Weekly benefits equal 85% of your average weekly wage, up to the 2026 maximum of $1,119 per week.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Information for Employers Higher earners hit the cap; lower earners come closer to the full 85%.
For continuous leave, you can collect up to 12 weeks of benefits within a 12-month period. For intermittent leave taken a day or a week at a time, you can collect up to 56 individual days in that same 12-month window. There is no waiting period. Benefits are issued for each day of family leave you claim, starting immediately after approval.4Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. FAQ: Family Leave Insurance
Payments arrive on a Money Network prepaid Visa debit card mailed to you after approval, and you can transfer the money to your personal bank account through the Money Network app.5State of New Jersey. How You’ll Get Your Money
FLI benefits are subject to federal income tax. The state does not withhold automatically, so setting aside a portion of each payment prevents a surprise at tax time.
What You Pay In
FLI is funded entirely by workers. In 2026, employees contribute 0.23% of the first $171,100 in covered wages, a maximum annual contribution of $393.53.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Information for Employers The deduction appears on your pay stub next to a separate deduction for Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI), which is a related but distinct program covering your own medical conditions. If neither deduction shows up, ask your employer whether they use the state plan or an approved private plan.
Notice You Owe Your Employer
How much notice you have to give depends on the type of leave and whether it is continuous or intermittent:
- Bonding, continuous: 30 days before your leave starts.
- Bonding, intermittent: 15 days before each period of leave.
- Caregiving, continuous: reasonable notice, unless an emergency makes that impossible.
- Caregiving, intermittent: 15 days before each period of leave.
Skipping the required notice can cost you. The state may reduce your benefit entitlement by 14 days.3Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance Safe Time leave for domestic or sexual violence generally excuses the normal notice requirements because of the emergency nature of those situations.
Job Protection Is a Separate Question
FLI is a wage-replacement program. On its own, it does not protect your job or require your employer to hold your position.4Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. FAQ: Family Leave Insurance Job protection comes from two separate laws, and you may be covered by one, both, or neither.
The New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 24-month period. Effective July 17, 2026, it applies to employers with 15 or more employees, down from the previous threshold of 30. You must have worked for the employer at least 3 months and logged at least 250 hours in the preceding 12 months.6New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. New Jersey Family Leave Act Frequently Asked Questions
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period. It applies to employers with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius, and you must have worked there at least 12 months and 1,250 hours. You request FMLA leave through your employer, not the state.
You can collect FLI whether or not your job is protected under NJFLA or FMLA. If your employer is covered by one of those laws, the leave periods typically run at the same time, so you receive FLI pay while also having a legal right to return.
Starting July 17, 2026, a new state amendment adds a reinstatement right tied directly to receiving FLI or TDI benefits. Under the change, an employer must restore a returning employee to the previous position or an equivalent role. That effectively creates job protection even for workers whose employers are not covered by NJFLA or FMLA. Employers who fail to reinstate a returning worker may face civil fines, an injunction, and liability for lost compensation and attorney’s fees.
Filing the Claim
The fastest way to file is through the state portal at myleavebenefits.nj.gov, which gives you immediate confirmation of receipt.7State of New Jersey. Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance – Print an Application If you prefer paper, you can download Form FL-1, print it, and mail it to the Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance at P.O. Box 387, Trenton, NJ 08625-0387, or fax it to 609-984-4138.4Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. FAQ: Family Leave Insurance
You have 30 days from your first day of leave to submit the application.3Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance Filing too early, before your leave has actually started, can lead to a rejected claim. Waiting past the 30-day window risks lost benefits. Aim to file in the first week or two.
Have these ready before you start:
- Your Social Security number.
- Contact information for every employer you worked for in the six months before your leave began.8New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. New Jersey Family Leave Benefits Application
- For bonding, a birth certificate, adoption decree, or foster placement documentation.
- For caregiving, a medical certification completed by a healthcare provider describing the family member’s condition and why your care is needed.
If Your Claim Is Denied
You have 21 calendar days from the mailing date of the denial notice to appeal. Appeals can be filed online through the Division’s website or by mailing or faxing a written statement that includes your name, Social Security number, address, and signature.9My Leave Benefits. Appealing a Decision If you miss the deadline, you can still file, but you will need to explain the delay, and an appeals examiner decides whether to accept the late filing. Cases that cannot be resolved on paper move to an administrative telephone hearing before the appeal tribunal.
If Your Employer Uses a Private Plan
New Jersey allows employers to provide FLI coverage through an approved private insurance plan instead of the state fund, as long as the plan meets or exceeds state benefit requirements.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Information for Employers If your employer uses a private plan, file with that plan’s administrator rather than with the state. Your pay stub or HR department can tell you which plan covers you.