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New Jersey Family Leave Insurance (FLI)

New Jersey's Family Leave Insurance program provides wage replacement benefits to workers who need time off to bond with a new child or care for a family member with a serious health condition. One of the earliest state paid family leave programs in the nation, funded entirely through employee payroll deductions.

Up to 12 consecutive weeks (or 56 intermittent days) of wage replacement benefits per year. Pays 85% of the worker's average weekly wage, up to a maximum of $1,119 per week in 2026. Benefits are funded entirely by employee payroll deductions. Note: FLI provides wage replacement only — it does not provide job protection (use NJ Family Leave Act or FMLA for that).

Eligibility

  • Care recipient must have a qualifying disability
  • Care recipient age: under 19
  • Must have worked 20+ hours
  • Relationship: child, spouse, parent, other relative

Questions to ask the program

These are questions to ask the program, not a verdict on your eligibility. Confirm the current rules directly with the program.

  • Does the person receiving care live in New Jersey? — Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
  • Does your relationship to the person — child, spouse, parent, or other relative — count for this program?
  • Is the person receiving care in the covered age range (up to 19)?
  • What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
  • Do the work hours meet the minimum (our record lists 20 hours)?
  • Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name. — Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.
  • What documents do you need from us to start an application?
  • Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?

Services

Up to 12 consecutive weeks (or 56 intermittent days) of wage replacement benefits per year. Pays 85% of the worker's average weekly wage, up to a maximum of $1,119 per week in 2026. Benefits are funded entirely by employee payroll deductions. Note: FLI provides wage replacement only — it does not provide job protection (use NJ Family Leave Act or FMLA for that).

How to apply

  • Apply online at secure.dol.state.nj.us (create an account, start the FL1 application, print instruction forms for the care recipient's healthcare provider to complete their part, verify identity with ID.me if asked, await decision, receive debit card), or download and mail/fax paper form FL-1 to Division of Temporary Disability & Family Leave Insurance, P.O. Box 387, Trenton, NJ 08625-0387, fax 609-984-4138

Use the official program page for application details: official program page.

  • fmla (companion): FMLA provides job protection; NJ FLI provides wage replacement — they can run concurrently