October 30, 2025

New Jersey Disability & Family Leave Insurance Rate Updates for 2026

Employee Benefits

4 min read

New Jersey Disability & Family Leave Insurance Rate Updates for 2026

Summary: New Jersey recently announced its Temporary Disability Insurance (NJ TDI) and Family Leave Insurance (NJ FLI) program rates for 2026.

The employee contribution rate for both NJ TDI and FLI will decrease in 2026, while the employer contribution for NJ TDI remains the same as prior years. As a reminder, employers do not contribute to NJ FLI.

Read on for more information.

NJ TDI & NJ FLI Rates for 2026

NJ TDI

See below for a NJ TDI reference chart with the 2026 information, along with recent historical information:

Year	Maximum Benefit Amount	Employer Contribution Rate	Employee Contribution Rate	Maximum Employee Contribution	Maximum Taxable Wage Base (Employers)	Maximum Taxable Wage Base (Employees)
2026	$1,199	0.5%	0.19%	$325.09	$44,800	$171,100
2025	$1,081	0.5%	0.23%	$380.42	$43,300	$165,400
2024	$1,055	0.5%	0%	$0.00	$42,300	$161,400
2023	$1,025	0.5%	0%	$0.00	$41,100	$156,800

NJ FLI

See below for a NJ FLI reference chart with the 2026 information, along with recent historical information:

Year	Maximum Benefit Amount	Employer Contribution Rate	Employee Contribution Rate	Maximum Employee Contribution	Maximum Taxable Wage Base (Employers)	Maximum Taxable Wage Base (Employees)
2026	$1,199	0%	0.23%	$393.53	Not applicable	$171,100
2025	$1,081	0%	0.33%	$545.82	Not applicable	$165,400
2024	$1,055	0%	0.09%	$145.26	Not applicable	$161,400
2023	$1,025	0%	0.06%	$94.08	Not applicable	$156,800

NJ TDI & NJ FLI Refresher

NJ TDI

NJ TDI provides income replacement cash benefits for up to 26 weeks to employees who cannot work due to pregnancy, childbirth recovery, or a serious physical or mental health condition or other disability unrelated to their job.

NJ FLI

NJ FLI provides income replacement cash benefits for workers for up to 12 weeks to bond with a new child (including adopted and foster children), care for a family member with a serious physical or mental health condition, or to handle certain matters related to domestic or sexual violence.

NJ FLI Family Member Definition

The definition of “family member” under NJ FLI is defined broadly and includes the following individuals:

parents,
spouse and domestic partner,
children of any age,
parents-in-law,
siblings,
grandparents,
grandchildren,
chosen family,
any other individuals related by blood, and
any other individuals who an employee considers to be family.

NJ FLI can be taken continuously or intermittently. Intermittent NJ FLI benefits may be received for up to 56 individual days (8 weeks) in a 12-month period.

NJ FLI is funded completely by employee payroll deductions.

NJ TDI and NJ FLI claimants are paid 85% of their average weekly wage, up to the maximum weekly benefit rate set for that calendar year, which is $1,199 for 2026.

Job Protection & Retaliation

Both NJ TDI and NJ FLI do not provide job protection to employees. However, employees may be protected under other federal and state laws, including the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and/or the New Jersey Family Leave Act.

Additionally, if employers retaliate against an employee for taking, or seeking to take, NJ TDI and NJ FLI benefits, the employee has the right to take private legal action.

Private Plans

Employers may participate in the NJ TDI and NJ FLI state plan or choose a private plan offered by an insurance company. All private plans must be approved by the NJ Division of Temporary Disability Insurance, Private Plan Compliance Section, and must offer at least the same benefit amounts, eligibility requirements, and duration of payments as the state plan.

Private plans offered through an insurance carrier for NJ TDI and NJ FLI can provide employers with flexibility and ease for claims administration as well as seamless integration with existing short-term disability and long-term disability policies.

Employer Next Steps

Employers with New Jersey-based employees are advised to take the following steps in advance of January 1, 2026:

Confirm their payroll systems are set up to reflect the NJ TDI and NJ FLI contribution rates and maximum taxable wage base amounts, as outlined above.
Monitor the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development NJ TDI/FLI webpage here for helpful employer resources, including an employer FAQs page.
For those employers who wish to explore their options under a NJ TDI/NJ FLI private plan, Risk Strategies' Absence Management team is here to help. Contact them directly here.

The contents of this article are for general informational purposes only and Risk Strategies Company makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of any information contained herein. Any recommendations contained herein are intended to provide insight based on currently available information for consideration and should be vetted against applicable legal and business needs before application to a specific client.

See all posts