To apply for NJ Family Leave Insurance, file online through the state’s MyLeaveBenefits portal at myleavebenefits.nj.gov, or submit a paper application by mail or fax to the Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance in Trenton. You have 30 days from your first day of leave to get the application in.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance One thing to understand before you start: FLI pays you cash while you’re off work. It does not hold your job open. Those protections come from separate laws.
Check That You Qualify First
For claims starting in 2026, you must have earned at least $310 per week during 20 or more base weeks in your base year, or earned a combined total of at least $15,500 during that period.2Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance – Employer Information Your base year is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the claim starts. The state pulls wage records directly, so you don’t need to prove earnings, but if you recently changed employers or worked for more than one, it’s worth confirming your wages were reported before you file.
FLI covers two situations. The first is bonding with a newborn, newly adopted child, or newly placed foster child, which you can use anytime within one year of the birth or placement.3Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Expanded Maternity and Bonding Benefits Are Here The second is caring for a family member with a serious health condition. New Jersey’s definition of family member is broad and includes spouse, domestic partner, civil union partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, any blood relative, and anyone with a relationship equivalent to family.4Justia. New Jersey Code 43-21-27 – Definitions
Most New Jersey workers are covered under the state plan, but some employers use an approved private carrier for FLI. Ask your employer which applies to you before you file, because the process differs.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance
What to Gather Before You Start
Have these ready before you open the application:
- Your Social Security number, which the state uses to pull your wage history.
- Your employer’s legal business name, worksite address, and New Jersey Employer Identification Number. Your pay stub or W-2 usually shows these.
- The exact start date and anticipated end date of your leave. For intermittent leave, you can update the schedule as you go.
Then, depending on your reason for leave, one more piece of documentation.
If You’re Caring for a Family Member
You need a medical statement from the family member’s healthcare provider, submitted on the state’s Form M-01. This form is separate from your application itself.5Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Medical Certifications The provider fills in the diagnosis and explains why the patient needs care. This is usually the slowest piece of the application, so request it as early as you can. You’ll also identify the person you’re caring for and state your relationship to them.
If You’re Bonding With a New Child
You submit proof of the child’s arrival: a birth certificate, adoption papers, or foster placement documents showing the date of birth or placement. The state uses these to confirm you’re filing within the one-year window.3Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Expanded Maternity and Bonding Benefits Are Here If you gave birth and were already receiving Temporary Disability Insurance benefits for pregnancy, your FLI bonding claim can begin as soon as the TDI claim ends, with no gap between them.
Deadlines and Employer Notice
You have 30 days from your first day of leave to submit the application. Miss that window and you risk losing benefits for the days already past.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance Filing before leave starts is allowed and generally smarter, because it gives the state more time to process the claim before you actually need the money.
You also owe your employer notice. For continuous leave to care for a family member, give reasonable notice unless it’s an emergency. For intermittent caregiving leave, the rule is at least 15 days’ notice. If you fail to provide adequate notice, the state can reduce your benefit by 14 days.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance
How to Submit the Application
Online Through MyLeaveBenefits
The portal at myleavebenefits.nj.gov is the fastest route. You create an account, verify your identity through the state’s authentication system, and enter your personal, employment, and leave information. You can upload the medical certification, birth certificate, or other supporting documents directly. When you submit, the system generates a confirmation number you can use to track the claim.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance
By Mail or Fax
To file on paper, send your completed application and supporting documents to:
Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance
PO Box 387
Trenton, NJ 08625-03876Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Contact Us
Use a delivery method with tracking so you can prove the state received it. Fax is also accepted; keep the transmission report as proof of the filing date. Paper submissions take longer to process than online filings because someone has to manually enter the information.
What Happens After You File
Your application enters a queue and waits for the next available claims reviewer. Applications are processed oldest to newest, and wait times vary with claim volume. Several weeks is typical.7Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. What Happens After I Apply During the review, the state notifies your employer that a claim was filed. Your employer can provide payroll information but cannot block a claim that meets the eligibility rules. Medical details stay confidential.
If your claim is approved, the state mails you a Money Network/My Banking Direct prepaid Visa debit card in a plain envelope with an Omaha, Nebraska return address.8Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. How You’ll Get Your Money Watch for it. People occasionally throw it away because the envelope doesn’t look official. Additional payments load onto the same card biweekly as long as you remain eligible. Your weekly benefit is 85% of your average weekly wage, capped at $1,119 in 2026.2Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance – Employer Information
You can receive up to 12 consecutive weeks (84 days) of continuous leave, or up to 56 individual days (8 weeks) of intermittent leave across a 12-month period.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance For intermittent leave, you’ll get a Continued Claim Certification form (FL-3) to report the specific days you didn’t work during each period.
The best thing you can do to shorten the wait is submit a complete application with all supporting documents attached the first time. Discrepancies in reported dates, wages, or medical documentation can extend processing significantly.
FLI Does Not Protect Your Job
This is where people get tripped up. Family Leave Insurance is a cash benefit. It does not guarantee your employer holds your position. Job protection comes from separate laws: the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), each with its own eligibility rules and employer size thresholds.1Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Family Leave Insurance
New Jersey law does prohibit your employer from retaliating against you for filing an FLI claim. Retaliation covers firing, demotion, negative performance reviews, salary changes, or any adverse action tied to your use of leave benefits.9New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Retaliation Protections If you think your employer retaliated, you can file a complaint with the state. Before your leave starts, use the Job Protection Coverage Checker on the MyLeaveBenefits site to see whether NJFLA or FMLA covers your position.
Taxes on Your Benefits
FLI benefits are subject to federal income tax. The state issues a 1099-G that you can download from your MyLeaveBenefits account. Benefits are taxable in the year the payments are issued, which may not match the year your leave actually occurred.10Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Do You Need to Download a 1099-G If your leave spans December and January, some payments will fall in one tax year and some in the next. The state does not automatically withhold federal tax from your benefit payments, so plan for the bill at filing time.
If Your Claim Is Denied
You have 21 calendar days from the mailing date of the denial to file an appeal. You can appeal online through the Division’s portal, or send a written statement by mail or fax that includes your name, Social Security number, address, and signature.11Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Appealing a Decision The appeals fax is 609-984-4138, and the mailing address is the same PO Box 387 in Trenton.
If you miss the 21-day deadline, you can still submit an appeal with an explanation of why it’s late, and an examiner reviews it case by case. If your appeal moves forward, the state schedules an administrative telephone hearing. You must register no later than 3 p.m. on the business day before the hearing, or you forfeit the chance to be heard.11Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance. Appealing a Decision Denials most often come from incomplete medical documentation or earnings that fall short of the eligibility threshold, so check those first before deciding whether to appeal.