NJ · payroll profile

New Jersey

Everything an out-of-state employer needs before running a New Jersey payroll: what to withhold, which form the employee signs, whether reciprocity applies, and who to register with.

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Personal income tax
Graduated to 10.75%
Reciprocal agreements
1 states
SUI wage base 2026
$44,800
Local income taxes
Yes

Income tax withholding

Imposes wage income tax Yes
Rate structure Graduated, top marginal rate 10.75%
Withholding certificate NJ-W4
Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate
Accepts federal Form W-4 No
Convenience-of-the-employer rule Yes
Remote days worked outside New Jersey for a New Jersey employer can still be sourced to New Jersey unless the arrangement is an employer necessity.
Nonresident withholding threshold From the first dollar
Withholding required from the first dollar of New Jersey-source wages. New Jersey applies a RETALIATORY convenience-of-the-employer rule (P.L.2023 c.125, enacted 7/21/2023, retroactive to 1/1/2023): it sources a nonresident's remote workdays to New Jersey only where the nonresident's HOME state imposes its own convenience rule -- currently Delaware, Nebraska and New York residents. It does NOT apply to Pennsylvania residents (reciprocity) or to Connecticut residents.
Local income taxes Yes
Newark imposes a 1% payroll tax, but it is an EMPLOYER-paid tax on wages, not withheld from employees. New Jersey also has substantial employee-paid state programs withheld through payroll: Unemployment Insurance, Workforce Development, Temporary Disability Insurance and Family Leave Insurance.

Reciprocity

New Jersey exempts residents of 1 state from New Jersey withholding, provided the employee files NJ-165 with the employer.

The PA/NJ Reciprocal Income Tax Agreement is LIVE -- New Jersey's 2016 attempt to terminate it was rescinded and the agreement remains in force. A Pennsylvania resident working in New Jersey files Form NJ-165 with the NJ employer; a New Jersey resident working in Pennsylvania files Form REV-419 with the PA employer. Covers compensation only. IMPORTANT: the agreement does NOT cover the Philadelphia Wage Tax -- New Jersey residents working in Philadelphia are still subject to it (with a NJ credit available).

States that exempt New Jersey residents

A New Jersey resident working in these states files that state's certificate and is taxed only by New Jersey.

Unemployment insurance and paid leave

Taxable wage base 2026 $44,800
2025 base was $43,300.
New employer rate 2.6825%
New Jersey employer UI rates run on a July 1-June 30 fiscal year. The new-employer UI rate is 2.8% for FY 2025-26 and 2.6825% for FY July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 (the figure shown). Employees also pay UI/workforce and disability/family leave contributions.
Experience rate range 0.5% – 5.8%
Experience-rating method reserve ratio
Employee UI contribution Yes
New Jersey withholds employee UI-related contributions for calendar year 2026: 0.3825% for UI plus 0.0425% for the Workforce Development/Supplemental Workforce Funds = 0.425% total, on wages up to $44,800. Employees separately pay 0.19% for Temporary Disability and 0.23% for Family Leave Insurance on wages up to $171,100.
Paid family / medical leave Yes
New Jersey runs two employee-funded programs: Temporary Disability Insurance at 0.19% and Family Leave Insurance at 0.23% for 2026 (0.42% combined), on employee wages up to $171,100. Employers also pay a TDI contribution (0.10%-0.75% on the $44,800 employer base); employers do not contribute to FLI.

Employer registration

Tax agency
New Jersey Division of Taxation
UI agency
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Sources

nj.gov · nj.gov · nj.gov · oui.doleta.gov · oui.doleta.gov · oui.doleta.gov · nj.gov · nj.gov

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This is a determination aid, not advice. StateSide encodes published state rules and applies them mechanically to the facts you enter. It does not know your entity structure, your nexus history, your equity compensation, or the dozens of exceptions that turn a clean rule into a judgement call. Every determination cites the state source it came from — verify against that source, and take anything consequential to a payroll tax professional before you act on it.