Key Points

• NJFLA amendments take effect July 17, 2026, expanding family leave eligibility and employee protections in New Jersey.
• Coverage expands to smaller employers and extends protections to more employees through reduced employer-size, tenure and hours-worked thresholds.
• Employers should update leave policies and practices to address new TDI/FLI reinstatement issues and earned sick leave integration.

Amendments to the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) are effective July 17, 2026, significantly expanding leave eligibility and protections.

Among the key changes are:

• Employer size threshold is reduced from 30 to 15 employees
• Employee tenure requirement drops from 12 months to 3 months
• Hours-worked standard is reduced from 1,000 to 250 base hours in the preceding 12-month period

The amendments also appear to create reinstatement rights tied to employees’ use of Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Family Leave Insurance (FLI), although the text simultaneously disclaims modifying reinstatement rights under the NJFLA, generating substantial ambiguity about what these provisions are intended to do.

The Amendments further integrate New Jersey’s Earned Sick Leave law with TDI and FLI, allowing employees to select the order in which leave entitlements are taken.

In light of these changes, employers should begin implementation now, including:

• Updating written policies
• Training HR and managers on reinstatement and anti-retaliation obligations
• Reconfiguring timekeeping systems to calculate base hours

Employers should also adopt a conservative approach to treating TDI/FLI-related absences as job-protected until further guidance is issued.

Please refer to our prior alert, New Jersey Significantly Expands Family Leave Eligibility and Protections for a more detailed discussion of these changes and practical takeaways.

This information is intended to inform firm clients and friends about legal developments, including the decisions of courts and administrative bodies. Nothing in this alert should be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Readers should not act upon the information contained in this alert without seeking the advice of legal counsel. Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily this law firm or its clients.