New Jersey Department of Labor requires weekly certification through myUnemployment at myunemployment.nj.gov. New Jersey certifies weekly — not bi-weekly like Michigan — which means you report your activity and earnings every seven days. Because New Jersey has no waiting week, even your first certification week is payable. Missing a weekly certification permanently forfeits that week's payment, and with 26 weeks of potential benefits at up to $905/week, each missed week costs up to $905.
- Certify every week through myUnemployment at myunemployment.nj.gov. New Jersey does not use bi-weekly certification.
- No waiting week — week one of your claim is payable if you certify. Delaying costs money.
- Report all earnings, work search contacts, job offers, and availability changes accurately each week.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on the New Jersey Department of Labor's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
What myUnemployment Asks Each Week
New Jersey's weekly certification through myUnemployment asks: Did you work or earn wages this week? Were you available for full-time work? Did you refuse any job offers? Did you make 3 work search contacts? The certification window opens Saturday and closes Friday. NJDOL cross-matches your certification answers against employer quarterly wage reports — discrepancies generate overpayment notices. Accurate certification is essential.
Earnings During Your Benefit Period
Report gross earnings — before taxes — for work performed in each certification week. New Jersey allows a 20% earnings disregard: the first 20% of your weekly benefit is exempt from reduction. Earnings above the disregard reduce your benefit dollar-for-dollar. Even if earnings bring your weekly benefit to zero, continue certifying — you preserve your remaining weeks for future use.
Work Search Confirmation
Confirm your 3 work search contacts during each weekly certification. New Jersey monitors work search compliance and audits records. Log contacts as you make them — date, employer, position, method, result. Do not reconstruct your log at certification time; contemporaneous records are more accurate and more defensible during an audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I missed a weekly certification in New Jersey. Can I certify late?
- New Jersey generally does not allow retroactive certification for a missed week — that week's payment is forfeited. If you missed a week due to circumstances beyond your control — documented medical emergency, hospitalization, a verified myUnemployment system outage — contact NJDOL through myunemployment.nj.gov immediately with documentation. NJDOL evaluates late certification requests case-by-case; approval is uncommon but possible for genuine emergencies. Given New Jersey's $905 maximum, each missed certification costs up to $905. Set a weekly calendar alert — many New Jersey claimants certify on Sundays when the new window opens to eliminate deadline risk.
- I'm working part-time consulting in New Jersey while on UI. Do I need to report 1099 income during certification?
- Yes — report all earnings regardless of whether they are W-2 or 1099. New Jersey's myUnemployment certification asks for gross earnings including self-employment and contract work. Apply New Jersey's 20% disregard: the first 20% of your weekly benefit is exempt; amounts above reduce your benefit dollar-for-dollar. 1099 consulting income is still "earnings" under New Jersey UI law even if no taxes are withheld at the source. Omitting consulting income that later appears in your tax records is a common cause of New Jersey UI overpayment claims.
- I am in New Jersey and have a job interview scheduled across the country on Monday. Do I need to disclose the travel during certification?
- You should certify accurately about your availability. Traveling for a job interview does not make you unavailable for work in New Jersey's system — you are actively seeking work during the travel. Report that you were available for work and conducted work search contacts. The travel to an interview is a work search activity, not a personal vacation. However, if you combined job search travel with a personal vacation, the days you were on personal vacation (not conducting job search activity) create an availability question. Certify for the specific days and circumstances accurately — being out of state for an interview is very different from being on vacation.
- New Jersey myUnemployment shows "pending" for my weekly certification. What does that mean?
- A "pending" status after certification means NJDOL is reviewing your claim before processing payment. Common causes: an open issue from your initial claim (separation dispute, wage verification needed), a flag from a weekly question you answered (work search contact details need review, earnings discrepancy), or an employer-initiated investigation. "Pending" does not mean denial — it means NJDOL needs to complete a review step before releasing payment. Log in to myUnemployment to check for any messages or document requests from NJDOL. Respond to any requests promptly. If pending status extends beyond 3 weeks without any communication, call NJDOL directly through the number listed at myunemployment.nj.gov.
- I received severance from my New Jersey employer. When do I start certifying?
- It depends on whether NJDOL treated your severance as wage continuation. If your severance was classified as continuation of wages for a set number of weeks, you are not eligible for UI during those weeks — do not certify for weeks covered by wage continuation severance. Your eligibility begins the week after the severance period ends. File your initial claim through myUnemployment and NJDOL will issue a determination specifying when your benefit year begins. If your severance was a lump sum not designated as wage continuation, your benefit year typically begins from your first week of unemployment. Start certifying from that determined date, not before — certifying during a wage continuation period is an overpayment.