New Jersey WARN Act and Layoff Notice Requirements
New Jersey has its own layoff-notice law in addition to federal WARN. Here's who's covered, how much notice is required, the penalties, where to find official notices, and what employees should do.
New Jersey has its own layoff-notice law in addition to federal WARN. The state rule may cover smaller employers, smaller layoffs, longer notice, additional recipients, or different penalties. Whether it applies depends on the employer, worksite, number of affected employees, event type, and timing.
For New Jersey: Employers with 100 or more employees (part-time employees are counted). Covered events generally require 90 days' written notice — 30 days more than federal warn.
At a glance
Federal WARN vs New Jersey
The federal WARN Act is the nationwide baseline: it generally requires 60 days' written notice for a covered plant closing or mass layoff at employers with 100+ employees, with remedies of back pay and benefits enforced through the courts. New Jersey's state law can be broader — for example, New Jersey WARN Act (Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act) (N.J.S.A. 34:21-1 et seq.). The details below reflect the state rule.
Recent change: 2023 amendments (effective April 10, 2023) extended notice to 90 days, made part-time employees count, and made severance mandatory.
Covered employers, events & thresholds
Covered employer: Employers with 100 or more employees (part-time employees are counted).
mass layoff
A termination or transfer of operations or mass layoff affecting 50 or more employees at an establishment.
plant closing
A transfer or termination of operations affecting 50 or more employees.
Notice period: 90 days' written notice — 30 days more than federal WARN.
Who must receive notice
Employees
- Affected employees (and their representative, if any)
Government
- New Jersey Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development
- The chief elected official of the municipality where the establishment is located
- Any other applicable recipients under the Act
Find official New Jersey WARN notices
NJDOL maintains WARN Notice archives by year (for example, 2024, 2025, 2026) as downloadable lists showing company, city, month posted, effective date, and workforce affected. Open the WARN page and check the current year's archive.
Open the official NJ WARN noticesYou can also track recent filings in the LayoffNext WARN Radar — then confirm details against the official NJ source above.
Penalties & employee remedies
New Jersey uniquely makes severance mandatory: employers must pay one week of severance per year of service to affected employees, with an additional four weeks if less than 90 days' notice is given. NJDOL administers the notice process and Rapid Response.
Back pay
Mandatory severance of one week's pay per full year of service.
Civil penalty
If less than 90 days' notice is given, an additional four weeks of severance is owed to each affected employee.
How to raise it
Contact NJDOL about a suspected WARN violation or unpaid mandatory severance.
Major exceptions & special cases
- The Act recognizes limited exceptions — confirm the specific application with NJDOL for your facts.
Remote workers
Coverage follows the New Jersey establishment; remote-worker treatment can be fact-specific — verify with NJDOL.
Temporary layoffs
Whether a temporary layoff or furlough triggers notice can depend on its expected length and the specific rule — verify with the agency for your situation.
What an employee should do in New Jersey
- 1Check NJDOL's WARN Notice archive for your employer and the effective date.
- 2If you got fewer than 90 days' notice, note the dates — you may be owed additional severance under the Act.
- 3Contact NJDOL if you believe required notice or mandatory severance was not provided.
New Jersey scenarios
Short notice triggers extra severance
Facts: A New Jersey employer with 300 workers lays off 60 at a site with only 30 days' notice.
New Jersey requires 90 days' notice and mandatory severance of one week per year of service. Because notice was under 90 days, each affected employee may be owed an extra four weeks of severance on top of the per-year amount. Confirm your years of service and notice dates.
Part-time employees count
Facts: A company isn't sure it hits the 100-employee threshold.
Since the 2023 amendments, New Jersey counts part-time employees toward coverage and protections, so an employer that looked under the threshold using only full-timers may still be covered. Confirm the full headcount when evaluating whether NJ WARN applied.
New Jersey WARN Act FAQ
Does New Jersey require 90 days' WARN notice?+
Is severance mandatory under New Jersey WARN?+
How much severance do I get under New Jersey WARN?+
Where does New Jersey publish WARN notices?+
Do part-time employees count under New Jersey WARN?+
What can a New Jersey employee do about a WARN violation?+
Related
Sources & methodology
This page summarizes New Jersey's layoff-notice rules from official government sources and links to each. Coverage and outcomes depend on the employer, worksite, headcount, event, and timing, and rules can change. Where a specific figure wasn't confirmable this pass, the text says “verify.” Confirm the current rule with the agency and, where rights are at stake, an attorney.
- New Jersey WARN Act (2023 law) — New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce DevelopmentThe state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
- Layoffs — WARN (notices & Rapid Response) — New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce DevelopmentWhere official WARN notices are published. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
- Important Updates to Employee Rights under New Jersey WARN Law — Business.NJ.govOfficial agency guidance. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (federal) — U.S. Department of LaborOfficial agency guidance. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
Important disclaimer
This page is educational only and is not legal advice or representation, and LayoffNext is not a law firm. Whether WARN applies, and any remedies, depend on the employer, worksite, headcount, event type, timing, and the current law, which can change. Nothing here is a conclusion that an employer did or did not comply. Verify details with the official sources above and consult a qualified attorney about your situation. See our full disclaimer.
Deepak Middha is the founder of LayoffNext and a Chartered Accountant (ICAI, India). A U.S. immigrant with nearly 20 years of experience — and 17 years in hedge fund and private equity administration, including as Vice President of Fund Accounting at NAV Fund Administration Group and Associate Director of Private Equity and Real Estate at SS&C Technologies — he builds free, plain-language layoff tools and guides for employees, H-1B workers, and immigrant families.