New Jersey Releases 2021 Disability and Family Leave Amounts

New Jersey has announced the 2021 contribution rates and benefit level parameters for the Temporary Disability Insurance ("TDI") and Family Leave Insurance ("FLI") programs as follows:

Temporary Disability Insurance 2021

Temporary Disability Insurance provides benefits to eligible New Jersey workers for non-job-related illness, injury, or other disability that prevents them from working or due to certain public health emergency reasons. To be eligible for TDI, employees must have worked 20 weeks earning at least $220 per week ("Base Week Amount") or have earned a combined total of $11,000 ("Alternative Earnings Test") in the four quarters ("base year") prior to taking leave. Following a 7-day waiting period (except for certain public health emergencies), the weekly TDI benefit is 85% of an employee’s average weekly wage but no greater than $903. TDI may be payable for up to 26 weeks in a 52-week period.

Employees and employers contribute to TDI. Employees contribute 0.47% of wages up to the 2021 Taxable Wage Base (Employee) of $138,200 equal to $649.54.

Employers contribute based on TDI experience anywhere from 0.10% and 0.75% of an employee’s wages up to the 2021 Taxable Wage Base (Employer) of $36,200. The maximum annual contribution will range between $36.20 and $271.50.

Family Leave Insurance 2021

Family Leave Insurance provides benefits to eligible New Jersey workers for (i) the first 12 months following the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child, or (ii) to care for a seriously ill family member. Similar to TDI, to be eligible for FLI employees must have worked 20 weeks earning at least $220 per week ("Base Week Amount") or have earned a combined total of $11,000 ("Alternative Earnings Test") in the four quarters ("base year") prior to taking leave. The weekly FLI benefit is 85% of an employee’s average weekly wage but no greater than $903. FLI may be payable for 12 consecutive weeks in a 12-month period, or up to 8 weeks (56 individual days) in a 12-month period, if taking leave intermittently.

Employees contribute 0.28% of wages up to the 2021 Taxable Wage Base (Employee) of $138,200 equal to $386.96.

Comparison to 2020