New Jersey legislation · 2026-2027 Regular Session
New Jersey A1516: Unemployment compensation-exempt poll worker wages from affecting
Status: Signed into law, July 22, 2026
Exempts poll workers wages from affecting unemployment compensation.
What the bill says
An Act concerning unemployment benefits and amending R.S.43:21-19. Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. R.S.43:21-19 is amended to read as follows: 43:21-19. Definitions. As used in this chapter (R.S.43:21-1 et seq.), unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (a) (1) "Annual payroll" means the total amount of wages paid during a calendar year (regardless of when earned) by an employer for employment. (2) "Average annual payroll" means the average of the annual payrolls of any employer for the last three or five preceding calendar years, whichever average is higher, except that any year.
From the chaptered text, July 22, 2026:
An Act concerning unemployment benefits and amending R.S.43:21-19. Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. R.S.43:21-19 is amended to read as follows: 43:21-19. Definitions. As used in this chapter (R.S.43:21-1 et seq.), unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (a) (1) "Annual payroll" means the total amount of wages paid during a calendar year (regardless of when earned) by an employer for employment. (2) "Average annual payroll" means the average of the annual payrolls of any employer for the last three or five preceding calendar years, whichever average is higher, except that any year or years throughout which an employer has had no "annual payroll" because of military service shall be deleted from the reckoning; the "average annual payroll" in such case is to be determined on the basis of the prior three or five calendar years in each of which the employer had an "annual payroll" in the operation of his business, if the employer resumes his business within 12 months after separation, discharge or release from such service, under conditions other than dishonorable, and makes application to have his "average annual payroll" determined on the basis of such deletion within 12 months after he resumes his business; provided, however, that "average annual payroll" solely for the purposes of paragraph (3) of subsection (e) of R.S.43:21-7 means the average …