New Jersey Expands Family Leave Act
On January 17th, 2026, soon-to-be-leaving New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed A3451/S2950 into law. The law officially expands New Jersey’s Family Leave Act. At Poulos LoPiccolo PC, we want to make sure that you know your rights and your responsibilities. Here, our New Jersey family leave attorney provides a more comprehensive overview of the new law.
Big Change to Paid Family Leave in New Jersey: Expanded Employer Coverage Requirements
Under the prior rules, the NJFLA applied only to employers with 30 or more employees. More employers will be covered after the reform bill officially takes effect later this year. Indeed, the new law lowers the coverage amount to 15 or more employees working at any time during 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or previous year. Notably, employers must count all employees regardless of whether they are based in New Jersey or another state, so long as there are employees in New Jersey or who routinely work there. The change significantly expands the universe of covered employers. Many mid-sized and smaller employers will now also be covered by the law. That means that a lot more workers will have coverage as well.
New Jersey is Also Expanding What Qualifies for Family Leave Benefits
It is not just about more employers being covered. The expansion of the reform package is more comprehensive than that. The amended NJFLA also redefines who qualifies for job-protected family leave. Previously, an employee had to have worked for the employer for 12 months and logged 1,000 hours in the prior 12 months. Under the new law, eligibility now requires only three months of employment and 250 hours worked in the preceding 12-month period. The reduction removes a major barrier for part-time workers, recent hires, and employees with irregular schedules, substantially increasing the number of workers entitled to leave. The Office of the Governor estimates that this part of the expansion alone will extend job-protected leave rights to over 400,000 additional New Jersey employees who were previously ineligible.
Core Leave Protections and Job Restoration
The NJFLA continues to entitle eligible employees to up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in a 24-month period for qualifying reasons, including caring for a family member with a serious health condition and bonding with a new child. The new law strengthens job restoration requirements by mandating that employees who take family leave must be returned to the same or equivalent position with equivalent pay, benefits, seniority, and status when they return from leave.
A Note On Timing: The expanded family leave law in New Jersey will officially take effect on July 17th, 2026. That is six months after the date of the signing of the bill.
Call Our New Jersey Family Leave Act Lawyer Today
At Poulos LoPiccolo PC, our New Jersey employment attorney has the knowledge, skills, and experience to handle family leave act cases. If you have any questions about Family Leave Act cases, please do not hesitate to contact us today for a completely confidential case review. Our firm provides employment law representation statewide in New Jersey.
Source:
njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/A3451
