NJ expands family leave

New Jersey will expand job-protected family leave on July 17, 2026, pulling smaller employers and shorter-tenure workers into the law. (njoag.gov) The amended New Jersey Family Leave Act will cover private employers with 15 or more employees, down from 30. State and local government agencies of any size will remain covered. (njoag.gov) Employee eligibility will also change sharply. On July 17, 2026, the work-history test drops from 12 months and 1,000 hours in the prior year to 3 months and 250 hours. (njoag.gov) The law still provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 24-month period for bonding with a child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, and certain public-health emergency situations. Workers can take the leave in one block or intermittently. (njoag.gov) This is separate from New Jersey’s cash-benefit programs. Family Leave Insurance and Temporary Disability Insurance replace part of a worker’s pay, while the Family Leave Act governs whether the worker has a right to get the job back. (nj.gov; njoag.gov) For 2026, the maximum weekly benefit for state-plan Temporary Disability Insurance and Family Leave Insurance is $1,119. To qualify for those benefits in 2026, a worker must earn at least $310 a week for 20 base weeks or $15,500 in the base year. (nj.gov) The legislation also ties stronger reinstatement rights to those paid-benefit programs. The bill text says workers at smaller employers will gain a right to reinstatement after taking family temporary disability benefits or unpaid family leave, with protections phased in for employers below the old 30-worker threshold. (njleg.state.nj.us) The bill moved through Trenton as A3451 and S2950 and was approved on January 17, 2026, as P.L.2025, c.279. The Legislature’s bill page describes it as revising family leave law by reducing the employer threshold from 30 employees to 15. (njleg.state.nj.us) The state’s civil-rights office says updated guidance will be posted closer to the effective date. Until then, the headline for workers is simple: more New Jersey employees will be able to take family leave without losing their jobs. (njoag.gov)