Your New Jersey Paycheck Changed. Here's Where the Money Went.
New Jersey workers have five separate withholding lines on every paycheck — and most workers can't name all of them. State income tax. TDI. FLI. SUI/WFD. FICA. Three of those are payroll taxes most other states don't charge employees at all. Any one of them can shift every year when New Jersey adjusts its rates. You need to see every line.
This Is What "What Changed?" Actually Looks Like
Newark worker, $70K salary, biweekly. Picked up 8 hours of overtime this period. Here's what happened to every line:
| Line Item | Last Paycheck | This Paycheck | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,692.31 | $3,096.16 | +$403.85 |
| Federal withholding | $248.00 | $316.00 | +$68.00 |
| NJ state tax | $91.00 | $113.00 | +$22.00 |
| NJ TDI (0.19%) | $5.00 | $6.00 | +$1.00 |
| NJ FLI (0.23%) | $6.00 | $7.00 | +$1.00 |
| NJ SUI/WFD (0.425%) | $11.00 | $13.00 | +$2.00 |
| Social Security | $167.00 | $192.00 | +$25.00 |
| Medicare | $39.00 | $45.00 | +$6.00 |
| Take-home pay | $2,125.31 | $2,404.16 | +$278.85 |
$403.85 earned in overtime. $125.00 taken by seven tax lines. $278.85 kept. That's 31% gone — and TDI, FLI, and SUI are three lines most NJ workers have never looked up. They're on your stub every period.
TakeHome IQ builds this comparison automatically, every pay period.
New Jersey Has Five Tax Lines. Three of Them Change Every Year.
Most states charge workers two or three lines. New Jersey charges five — and the three payroll taxes (TDI, FLI, SUI) have rates that New Jersey adjusts annually.
- NJ state income tax — 7 progressive brackets from 1.4% to 10.75%. The rate on your next dollar depends on where you are in the bracket stack — which means overtime and bonuses can push your annualized estimate into a higher bracket.
- TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance) — 0.19% on wages up to $171,100. Funds short-term disability benefits. The rate and wage base are set annually by New Jersey — they can change any January.
- FLI (Family Leave Insurance) — 0.23% on wages up to $171,100. Funds paid family leave. Same rate-adjustment mechanism as TDI — and both rates changed in recent years as the benefit expanded.
- SUI/WFD (Unemployment / Workforce Development) — 0.425% on wages up to $44,800. Unlike most states, New Jersey passes part of the unemployment insurance cost to employees. This line stops once you cross the wage base — your paycheck gets a small bump mid-year.
No local income taxes in New Jersey — your take-home is the same whether you work in Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, or Cherry Hill. The state-level complexity is enough.
"I Worked Overtime and Barely Saw the Difference"
8 overtime hours at time-and-a-half ($33.65 base → $50.48 OT). Extra gross: $403.85.
| Where It Goes | Amount |
|---|---|
| Federal | $68.00 |
| NJ state | $22.00 |
| TDI + FLI + SUI | $7.00 |
| FICA | $31.00 |
| You keep | $275.85 of $403.85 |
Five lines took a cut. 32% gone. The TDI, FLI, and SUI lines are small individually — but they stack. And their rates change annually, so this year's split is different from last year's.
"$3,000 Bonus — I Got $1,920"
| Tax | Withheld |
|---|---|
| Federal (22% flat) | $660.00 |
| NJ state | $165.75 |
| NJ TDI | $5.70 |
| NJ FLI | $6.90 |
| NJ SUI/WFD | $12.75 |
| FICA | $229.50 |
| You keep | $1,919.40 |
36% gone on payday — and that's before any SUI wage-base math. New Jersey doesn't have a flat supplemental rate; it uses the marginal bracket rate, adding the bonus to your annualized pay and taxing the increment. The TDI/FLI/SUI lines apply to bonuses the same as regular pay, up to their respective wage bases.
"Nothing Changed, But My Pay Dropped"
New Jersey has more reasons for this than most states:
- TDI or FLI rate changed — New Jersey adjusts these rates annually. A rate increase hits every paycheck simultaneously, with no individual notice to workers.
- SUI wage base hit last year — now it's back — once your YTD earnings cross $44,800, SUI withholding stops for the year. That's a mid-year bump. Then January resets the wage base and SUI is back.
- January SS reset — Social Security un-capped. If you hit the $184,500 wage base last year, SS withholding is back on your first January paycheck.
- NJ bracket threshold crossed — a high-earning period pushed your annualized estimate into the next NJ bracket. Higher state withholding per period until the year corrects.
New Jersey has more moving lines than almost any other state. A side-by-side comparison shows you which one moved. TakeHome IQ shows you exactly what changed.
Every New Jersey Paycheck Calculator Online Gets This Wrong
They calculate income tax and FICA. They often miss the payroll taxes entirely.
That gives you the wrong number, because:
- They ignore TDI, FLI, and SUI — or use outdated rates
- They don't model the SUI wage base — so they over-withhold after you hit $44,800
- They can't track what changed when rates adjust annually
- They run once — your paycheck changes every period
New Jersey workers don't need a calculator. You need a tool that knows all five lines, tracks the annual rate changes, and shows you what moved. That's TakeHome IQ.
Your Next Payday Is Coming
Know the number before it hits your account. Enter your pay details, your deductions, any overtime — and see your real New Jersey take-home. All five lines. Your paycheck, line by line.
Then next pay period, do it again — and see exactly what changed.