# New Jersey — Workers' compensation waiting periods and retroactive thresholds by US state

For New Jersey, waiting period (days) is 7 days; retroactive trigger (days) is 7 days (paid once total disability extends beyond 7 days); how days are counted is The day the employee is unable to continue at work by reason of the accident counts as one whole day of the waiting period. Days of disability need not be consecutive; statute or rule citation is N.J. Stat. § 34:15-14, recorded from its source on 2026-08-17.

- **State:** New Jersey _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Waiting period (days):** 7 days _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Retroactive trigger (days):** 7 days (paid once total disability extends beyond 7 days) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **How days are counted:** The day the employee is unable to continue at work by reason of the accident counts as one whole day of the waiting period. Days of disability need not be consecutive. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statute or rule citation:** N.J. Stat. § 34:15-14 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> no compensation other than medical aid shall accrue and be payable until the employee has been disabled 7 days, whether the days of disability immediately follow the accident, or whether they be consecutive or not. These days shall be termed the waiting period. The day that the employee is unable to continue at work by reason of his accident, whether it be the day of the accident or later, shall count as one whole day of the waiting period. Should the total period of disability extend beyond 7 days, additional compensation shall at once become payable covering the above prescribed waiting period.

## Source

- https://nj.gov/labor/workerscompensation/assets/PDFs/Forms/wc_law.pdf

Last verified: 2026-08-17. Review by: 2027-08-17.
Part of [Workers' compensation waiting periods and retroactive thresholds by US state](https://referencesource.org/wc-waiting-periods-by-state/).