NJ Maternity Leave Calculator (TDI + FLI)

Estimate your New Jersey paid leave pay for having a baby: Temporary Disability Insurance for delivery recovery plus Family Leave Insurance bonding. Uses 2025 state rates.

2025 estimate using NJ DOL rates. Both TDI and FLI replace 85% of your average weekly wage, capped at the 2025 maximum of $1,081 per week. This is an estimate, not a benefit determination: the state sets your official average weekly wage from your earnings record, taxable status varies, and the first TDI week may be unpaid for short claims (the statutory 7-day waiting period). Confirm details with the NJ Department of Labor.

Your estimated NJ paid leave (2025)

Combined estimated paid leave $18,360

Estimated weekly benefit: $1,020
Total TDI benefit (recovery): $6,120
Total FLI benefit (bonding): $12,240
TDI weeks used: 6 weeks
Total paid weeks: 18 weeks

Estimate at the 2025 NJ rate of 85% of your average weekly wage, capped at $1,081 per week. The first TDI week may be unpaid for short claims, and your county tax and FMLA overlap are handled separately.

How to use this calculator

Enter your average weekly wage before tax. New Jersey replaces 85% of this amount, up to the 2025 weekly maximum of $1,081.
Pick your delivery type. Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) defaults to about 6 recovery weeks for a vaginal birth or 8 weeks for a cesarean.
Override the TDI weeks if you need to, and check the box to add up to 4 doctor-certified weeks before your due date.
Set your Family Leave Insurance (FLI) bonding weeks, up to 12 continuous weeks.
Read your estimate. The tool shows the weekly benefit, the TDI total, the FLI total, and the combined paid-leave amount.

How it works

New Jersey new parents can stack two state programs. TDI covers the birth parent’s medical recovery from pregnancy and childbirth, typically 6 weeks after a vaginal delivery or 8 weeks after a cesarean, plus up to 4 weeks before the due date if a doctor certifies that you cannot work. After recovery, FLI provides up to 12 weeks of bonding leave that either parent can use within the baby’s first year.

As of 2025, both programs pay 85% of your average weekly wage, capped at $1,081 per week, per the New Jersey Department of Labor. The calculator finds your weekly benefit with this formula: weekly benefit = the smaller of 85% of your average weekly wage or $1,081. It then multiplies that weekly benefit by your TDI weeks and your FLI weeks, and adds the two totals together.

These figures are a 2025 estimate, not a benefit decision. The state sets your official average weekly wage from your earnings record, and the weekly cap changes every January. TDI also has a 7-day waiting period, so the first TDI week may be unpaid for short claims; the first week is paid back only if your disability lasts three or more weeks in a row, per the NJ DOL TDI FAQ. The 85% rate and the $1,081 cap come from the NJ DOL TDI and FLI worker pages and the December 2024 benefit-rate notice.

Examples

If you earn $1,200 a week and have a vaginal delivery with 6 TDI weeks and 12 FLI weeks, the tool returns $1,020 a week. That is 85% of $1,200, which sits below the cap. Your TDI recovery total is $6,120, your FLI bonding total is $12,240, and your combined paid leave is $18,360 across 18 weeks.

If you earn $1,500 a week and have a cesarean with 8 TDI weeks and 12 FLI weeks, the tool returns $1,081 a week. That is the 2025 cap, since 85% of $1,500 would be $1,275. Your TDI total is $8,648, your FLI total is $12,972, and your combined paid leave is $21,620 across 20 weeks. The cap clips your benefit, so you receive the same weekly amount as anyone earning above about $1,272 a week.

If you are the non-birth parent and take FLI bonding only, with $900 a week and 0 TDI weeks, the tool returns $765 a week. That is 85% of $900. With 12 FLI weeks, your bonding total and combined paid leave both come to $9,180 across 12 weeks.

How TDI and FLI stack for a NJ birth parent

A typical New Jersey birth parent moves through three phases of paid leave. Here is the usual order.

Optional pre-delivery TDI. If your doctor certifies that you cannot work before the birth, you can claim up to about 4 weeks of Temporary Disability Insurance before your due date (NJ DOL Maternity Coverage).
TDI recovery. After the birth, TDI covers your medical recovery: about 6 weeks for a vaginal delivery or 8 weeks for a cesarean. TDI carries a 7-day waiting period, and that first week is paid back only if your disability lasts three or more weeks in a row (NJ DOL TDI FAQ).
FLI bonding. Once recovery ends, Family Leave Insurance gives you up to 12 weeks of bonding leave, which you can use any time before the child’s first birthday (NJ DOL Maternity Coverage).

A non-birth parent skips the TDI phase, since TDI covers only the person who gave birth. That parent takes FLI bonding alone, up to the same 12 weeks (NJ DOL Maternity Coverage).

How the 85% benefit and $1,081 weekly cap are calculated

Your weekly benefit comes from three steps.

Find your average weekly wage. New Jersey divides your base-year earnings by your number of base weeks to set this figure (NJ DOL TDI).
Take 85% of it. The state replaces 85% of your average weekly wage (NJ DOL TDI).
Apply the cap. The result cannot go above the 2025 maximum weekly benefit of $1,081 (NJ DOL TDI).

Here is how the cap plays out. If you earn $1,200 a week, 85% is $1,020, which sits below the cap, so you receive $1,020. If you earn $1,500 a week, 85% would be $1,275, but the cap holds you to $1,081. Anyone earning above about $1,272 a week reaches the cap and receives the same $1,081.

The cap is not fixed for good. New Jersey recalculates it every January, and it rises to $1,119 for 2026 (NJ DOL New Benefit Rates for 2026). This calculator uses the 2025 figure, so a capped high earner would receive a little more under the 2026 rate.

Eligibility and how many weeks you can claim

A few terms decide whether you qualify and for how long. Here is what each one means.

Base year and base week

Your base year is the period the state reviews to check your earnings. A base week is a week in that period when you earned at least a set minimum (NJ DOL TDI).

2025 earnings test

To qualify in 2025, you generally need at least 20 base weeks earning $303 or more, or total base-year earnings of at least $15,200 (NJ DOL TDI).

Average weekly wage

This is your typical weekly pay during the base year. The state uses it as the starting figure for the 85% benefit (NJ DOL TDI).

7-day waiting week

TDI has a one-week waiting period. The first week is paid back only if your disability lasts three or more weeks in a row (NJ DOL TDI FAQ).

TDI duration

TDI can run up to 26 weeks in total. For childbirth, most parents use about 10 to 12 weeks (NJ DOL TDI).

FLI duration

FLI gives you up to 12 weeks of continuous bonding leave, or up to 8 weeks (56 days) taken intermittently, within the child’s first year (NJ DOL FLI).

Pay vs. job protection: TDI/FLI vs FMLA and the NJ Family Leave Act

It helps to split two questions that parents often blur together: who pays you while you are out, and who guarantees your job when you return.

TDI and FLI answer the first question. They replace part of your wages during recovery and bonding. On their own, though, they do not promise that your job will be waiting for you (NJ DOL Maternity Coverage).

Two laws answer the second question. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) each offer up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. They can run alongside or after your paid benefits, and together they can add up to 24 weeks of job protection (NJ DOL Maternity Coverage).

How these overlap depends on your employer and your situation, so confirm the details with your employer. This section is general information, not legal or HR advice; defer to the NJ Department of Labor for your case.

What the data says

Most people land here asking the same two things: is it really 85% of my pay, and how long until I actually get paid? It helps to know the size of the program you are filing into. New Jersey’s Family Leave Insurance paid out about $511.5 million in benefits for 2024 claims, up roughly 7% from the year before (NJ Department of Labor FLI/TDI Annual Report for 2024). And newborn bonding is the main use: about 83% of eligible FLI claims in 2024 were filed to bond with a new child, which is exactly the case this calculator serves (NJ Department of Labor FLI/TDI Annual Report for 2024).

The payouts have climbed each year, which gives you a sense of the scale (NJ Department of Labor FLI/TDI Annual Reports).

Year	FLI gross benefits paid
2021	$334.8M
2022	$417.1M
2023	$476.5M
2024	$511.5M

For all that, the program stays under the radar. As of a 2021 Rutgers study, only about 53% of New Jerseyans knew Family Leave Insurance existed, even though it had been on the books since 2009 (Rutgers Center for Women and Work study, via Insider NJ). That awareness gap is why a clear estimate matters: money you do not know about is money you may never claim.

When New Jersey signed its expanded leave law, the governor framed the 85% wage replacement this tool estimates as a deliberate choice.

“No one should ever be forced to choose between caring for a family member and earning a paycheck.”

Phil Murphy, Governor of New Jersey, in Patch.

New parents tend to trip over the same few things when they file:

A common mistake is treating TDI and FLI as one benefit. People often ask whether they qualify for both, whether the periods overlap, and how the weeks add up. The recovery weeks and the bonding weeks are separate periods.
People often worry the first payment will take weeks to arrive, right when the baby is here and the paycheck has stopped.
People sometimes assume filing with an employer’s private disability plan is the same as filing with the state, and they are unsure who actually pays.
People often fear that a gap between the due date on their paperwork and the actual delivery date, say a scheduled C-section a few days off, will look like an error or an extra claimed week.

This section is general information about the program, not legal, tax, or HR advice. For your own claim, the NJ Department of Labor has the final word.

What this tool does that others don’t

New Jersey’s official timeline tool shows the order of your leave but never gives a dollar figure, so you cannot see how much you will receive. This calculator outputs the money.

It also combines TDI recovery and FLI bonding into one total, which the state pages keep separate. It shows how the cap clips high earners: someone earning $1,500 a week still gets $1,081, not 85% of pay. The vaginal versus cesarean difference, 6 weeks against 8, is wired into the result instead of buried in text. And it dates the rate as a 2025 snapshot and warns that the cap resets each January.

Frequently asked questions

How much does NJ maternity leave pay in 2025?

Both TDI and FLI pay 85% of your average weekly wage, up to a 2025 maximum of $1,081 per week, per the NJ Department of Labor. A worker earning $1,200 a week receives about $1,020 a week. A higher earner is capped at $1,081, even if 85% of their pay would be more.

How many total weeks of paid leave can a birth parent get in NJ?

A birth parent can combine about 6 weeks of TDI for a vaginal delivery, or 8 weeks for a cesarean, with up to 12 weeks of FLI bonding. That is roughly 18 to 20 weeks of partial pay. A doctor can certify up to 4 more TDI weeks before delivery, per the NJ DOL maternity page.

What is the difference between TDI and FLI?

TDI, or Temporary Disability Insurance, covers the birth parent’s own medical recovery from pregnancy and childbirth. FLI, or Family Leave Insurance, is for bonding with a new child. Either parent can use FLI within the baby’s first year, while TDI applies only to the person who gave birth.

Can both parents take Family Leave Insurance?

Yes. Each eligible parent can claim up to 12 weeks of FLI bonding leave for the same child, as long as each one meets the work and earnings rules. Parents can take the leave at the same time or separately within the first year, per the NJ DOL FLI page.

Who is eligible for NJ TDI and FLI?

You generally need to have worked at least 20 base weeks earning $303 or more per week, or to have earned at least $15,200 in your base year, with NJ TDI and FLI payroll contributions. Self-employed workers must opt in separately. The NJ DOL confirms eligibility from your earnings record.

Is NJ paid leave money taxable?

FLI benefits are subject to federal income tax, and you can ask for withholding. New Jersey does not tax TDI or FLI benefits at the state level. This tool gives a general estimate, so confirm your own tax details with a tax professional.

Can I start TDI before my baby is born?

Yes. If your doctor certifies that you cannot work, you can usually begin TDI up to about 4 weeks before your due date, per the NJ DOL maternity page. This calculator can add that pre-delivery period to your TDI estimate when you check the box.

Does NJ paid leave count as my FMLA time?

TDI and FLI replace wages, while the federal FMLA and the NJ Family Leave Act protect your job. They often run at the same time. Check with your employer about how the leaves overlap and what job protection applies to you.