What Is Considered to Be Full Time Employment in New Jersey?

From New Jersey State Division of Labor Employer Verification form, a Full-Time Employee means an employee who works a normal work week of 25 or more hours. In 2017, the form goes on to say, "Work must be at the Policyholder's regular place of business or at another place to which an employee must travel to perform his or her regular duties for his or her full and normal work hours." In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic made the travel requirement untenable.

When the Federal Government passed the Affordable Care Act, the IRS defined a full time employee for purposes of the employer shared responsibility provisions: a full-time employee is, for a calendar month, an employee employed on average at least 30 hours of service per week, or 130 hours of service per month. Unfortunately, this simple definition has some additional criteria. For further information pertaining to the affordable care act, visit the federal government's Questions and Answers on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Under the Affordable Care Act.

The State of New Jersey does not have a firm guideline to determine full-time employment status. Typically, the only time that the state becomes involved in employment status is when determining if loss of hours qualifies you for partial unemployment benefits.

According to the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development when seeking partial unemployment benefits, less than full-time means that you are not working more than 80% of the usual hours for your occupation (for example, if a 40 hour work week is common in your occupation, you may be able to receive benefits, if you work 32 hours or less).

To calculate your New Jersey unemployment benefit, visit the state's benefit calculator. In 2021, the maximum weekly unemployment benefit in New Jersey is $731. The benefit is calculated as 60% of the average weekly wage you earned during the base year, up to $731. Your average weekly wage comes from your employer's report to the state.