Family Leave Insurance - NJ

Family Leave Insurance - NJ

Parents of newborns who work in New Jersey may qualify for cash benefits for time off from work to bond with a baby during the infant’s first year. The applicant or his or her spouse, domestic partner, or civil union partner must be the biological parent of the child.Employees can get information on applying here: 


Link to application: 

As of 2019, employers are not required to complete an “employer portion” of the application.

Employers still must:

  • Display Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance posters in a workplace location clearly visible to employees
  • Provide written notice of Family Leave Insurance when an employee is hired, requests information, or notifies an employer of their need for leave
  • Report employee’s quarterly earnings to the state. We will use those reported earnings to qualify a claim and establish a weekly benefit amount. 
  • Closely monitor all benefits issued to your employees and notify the Division immediately if benefits are being issued incorrectly.

Employees who need leave from work in order to care for an ill family member or to bond with a new addition, should complete the first two sections of the application (Parts A & B.) They must include:

  • The last day they physically worked 
  • The first day their leave began
  • If they are taking their leave in one continuous period or intermittently up to 56 individual days
  • All employment from the past 18 months, with accurate dates and work locations
  • Dates of any paid time off or other benefits received after the last day they worked

Employer Responsibility

Employer receives form (D20) Notice of Eligible Determinations. This form notifies employer that employee’s Family Leave application has been approved. The front of the form has important information about the employee’s benefits. The back lists the payment schedule, taxes, and reasons benefits could be reduced.

Employer should check the time frame for issued benefits and compare it to the actual days employee reported to work or received paid time off. Any incorrect payments should be reported to the Division immediately by calling our customer service center at (609) 292-7060 or by faxing a corrected statement (along with the employee's Social Security number) to (609) 984-4138.


More details:

Minimum Gross Earning Requirement

The Base Year is the timeframe used to meet the minimum gross earnings requirement and to calculate the average weekly wage. The standard base year refers to the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the worker files a claim.

NJ considers the gross earnings reported for the 5 completed quarters prior to the week their leave began. The first 4 quarters of that time frame is the newly defined base year. 

To qualify in 2021, they must have worked 20 weeks earning at least $220 weekly, or have earned a combined total of $11,000 in those four quarters (the base year). 

To qualify in 2022, they must have worked 20 weeks earning at least $240 weekly, or have earned a combined total of $12,000 in those four quarters (the base year). 

If their claim is dated in:The claim is based on
reported earnings from:
January 2022
February 2022
March 2022		October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021
April 2022
May 2022
June 2022		January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021
July 2022
August 2022
September 2022		April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022
October 2022
November 2022
December 2022		July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022

For more details, see "How Benefits Are Calculated:" https://www.myleavebenefits.nj.gov/labor/myleavebenefits/employer/index.shtml


Bonding Claims

Individuals may be eligible for Family Leave Insurance benefits to bond with a child during the first 12 months after the child’s birth, adoption, or placement. To bond with a newborn, your employee must be the baby’s biological parent, or the biological parent’s domestic partner or civil union partner. Family Leave benefit days can be taken in one continuous period of 12 consecutive weeks or on a day to day basis up to eight weeks (56 individual days) to suit the employee's needs. They can claim Family Leave Insurance benefits to bond for as many or as few days at a time, up to the maximum days available. Medical documentation is not required for bonding claims.

Notice

If you are claiming Family Leave benefits in one continuous period, you must give your employer 30 days’ notice before starting your leave. If you are bonding in separate periods of leave, you must give your employer 15 days' notice before each period of leave.

If you do not give your employer adequate notice, your benefit entitlement may be reduced by 14 days. We encourage you to keep your employer informed. Having an open discussion with your employer about your need for leave will allow them to prepare for your absence and make adjustments to work schedules, if necessary. Your employer may also be able to provide insight on job protection and if you qualify for it through the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA). 




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