New Jersey State Tax Updates

Our Dash of SALT Blog provides the most recent developments and changes in state and local tax regulations. Here are the latest updates for New Jersey.

December 17, 2024

Authored by: Breea Boylan, MSA, CPA and Courtney Easterday, MSA

The New Jersey Division of Taxation has issued Technical Bulletin TB-21(R) announcing the interest rate on outstanding tax balances for January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, has been lowered to 10.75%. The prior rate for January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 was 11.5%.

If you have questions about state interest rates on under and overpayments, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

December 3, 2024

Authored by: Kiana McGowan, CPA, MBA

The NJ MVP Phase 3 aims to support New Jersey manufacturers by providing reimbursement grants for purchasing equipment that enhances efficiency, productivity, and profitability. The program has a total allocation of $10 million, with awards covering 30% to 50% of eligible equipment costs, capped at $250,000 per company. The program targets priority sectors such as but not limited to life sciences, clean energy, offshore wind, advanced transportation, and logistics, with additional bonuses for small businesses, certified women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses, and those purchasing from New Jersey manufacturers.

To ensure equitable access, Phase 3 prioritizes new applicants who have not received grants in previous phases during the initial two-week application period. Eligible projects must have a minimum total cost of $25,000 and involve the purchase and installation of new or used manufacturing equipment in New Jersey. The equipment must be used in the manufacturing process and meet advanced manufacturing definitions, including technologies like robotics, additive manufacturing, and advanced sensor systems.

The application process involves submitting an online application with a $1,000 non-refundable fee. Approved applicants must order the specified equipment within 30 days of the effective date of the Closing Voucher Agreement. The program aims to support the growth and modernization of New Jersey’s manufacturing sector by facilitating access to advanced manufacturing technologies.

The Phase 3 application is set to open in Q1 of 2025. It is critical to stay on top of the application opening, as in prior phases, applications are filled within 2-3 days after opening. You can opt-in for email alerts from the NJ EDA on this program by filling out the application form here.

To apply for the NJ MVP Phase 3, applicants need to prepare and submit the following documents:

Questions can be submitted ahead of the application to the MVP program team at [email protected].

For more detailed information on program details and eligibility, you can visit the NJEDA NJ MVP Phase 3 page.

If you have any questions about this update, please contact the Withum SALT Team.

November 4, 2024

Authored by: Emilia Jarrin and Katie Nguyen, CPA

On June 28, 2024, New Jersey Gov. Murphy signed A4702 which phases out the sales tax exemption on zero emission vehicles and eliminates the sales tax holiday on school supplies and sporting equipment effective October 1, 2024. Starting October 1, 2024, zero emissions vehicles are subject to a 3.125% sales tax. Starting July 1, 2025, zero emission vehicles will be subject to the regular sales tax of 6.625%.

Furthermore, the sales tax holiday on school supplies and sporting goods that previously occurred from August 24 to September 2, 2024, will be the Garden State’s last pursuant to A4702.

If you have questions about state sales tax exemptions and sales tax holidays, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

November 4, 2024

Authored by: Breea Boylan, CPA and Courtney Easterday, MSA

The New Jersey Division of Taxation follows federal guidelines provided by the IRS for special tax relief for taxpayers in the Presidential Disaster Relief Areas. Affected taxpayers include businesses and individuals located in the affected areas, those whose tax records are in the affected areas, and relief workers. Businesses affected by an event designated as a Presidential Disaster and received a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the division, should respond by requesting tax relief and indicating that you are in a “Presidential Disaster Relief Area” and state the disaster. The New Jersey Division of Taxation reminds taxpayers of their policy to follow IRS guidelines for taxpayers in Presidential Disaster Relief Areas following the recent Hurricanes.

If you have questions about state disaster relief provisions, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

October 11, 2024

Authored by: Katerine Velasquez and Penny Sweeting, CPA

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (“NJEDA”) administers a tax credit intended to encourage investment in New Jersey in the AI and AI-related industries. To obtain the tax credit, an eligible business must pre-qualify with the NJEDA and pay an application fee. The criteria for qualification include:

If you have questions about whether your business may qualify for New Jersey’s AI Investment Tax Credit, please contact a member of the Withum SALT Team.

August 23, 2024

Authored by: Courtney Easterday, MSA and Ryan Schupp

On August 19, 2024, the New Jersey Division of Taxation enacted Reg. Sec. 18:35-5.3 addressing the sourcing of stock option income for nonresidents working in New Jersey. Pursuant to the regulation, the nonresident does not recognize state source income until there is a federal recognition event. When there is a federal recognition event (i.e., the options are exercised), the stock option income is sourced to New Jersey based on the ratio of New Jersey workdays to everywhere workdays between the grant and exercise dates. New Jersey has also clarified that days worked by a nonresident in New York will not be considered New Jersey workdays under the Garden State’s retaliatory office of convenience rule.

Because this rule requires a multi-year apportionment analysis, taxpayers may need to retain records on their New Jersey and everywhere workdays long after the statute of limitations expires.

Please note New Jersey’s new regulation is similar to New York’s longstanding rule on nonresidents’ sourcing of stock option income.

If you have questions about nonresident income sourcing, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

August 8, 2024

Authored by: Kiana McGowan, CPA, MBA and Penny Sweeting, CPA

On July 25, 2024, Governor Murphy of New Jersey signed into law S3432/A4558, establishing the “Next New Jersey Program.” This initiative aims to draw investment into the state’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector. Like many of the other NJ tax credits, the NJEDA will administer the tax credit program to eligible businesses engaged in various AI activities such as the creation of AI-powered software and hardware, the development of AI chatbots and creation of new algorithms such as machine learning.

Outlined below are the available credits and primary program requirements applicable during the application period and, upon approval, throughout the tax credit period.

Applications for the tax credit must be submitted by March 1, 2029. The exact date for the opening of applications has not yet been announced and taxpayers can expect to apply through the NJEDA website.

For additional details, please refer to the news release here.

If you have questions about state credits and incentives, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

July 9, 2024

On June 28, the governor of New Jersey signed into law a new Corporate Transit Fee, which increases the NJ corporate tax rate from 9% to 11.5%. This fee will be imposed on businesses that have New Jersey taxable income of $10 million or more for tax years beginning January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2028. The additional revenue will be used to fund the state’s public transportation system. With the passing of this new tax, NJ will have the highest corporate tax rate in the US.

If you have questions about whether your business is subject to the additional 2.5% surtax, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

June 7, 2024

Authored by: Katie Nguyen, CPA and Kiana McGowan, CPA, MBA

Marita Sciarrotta, the Acting Director at the New Jersey Department of Treasury, stressed the importance of businesses not overlooking questionnaires sent by the Department of Taxation, considering the potential repercussions. The 2019 legislation changes made it a requirement that related entities file returns on a unitary basis. The Department has recently initiated an audit project to ensure that entities, particularly those included in 2019 combined returns and who hadn’t filed returns in previous years, do not have unpaid taxes in prior years.

The Department is currently examining the first round of questionnaires from their audit. Therefore, taxpayers who might match the profile should anticipate receiving one of the questionnaires in the subsequent rounds of the Department’s investigation if they have not already. Taxpayers need to be aware of the New Jersey footprints in previous years for all entities within their combined returns and ensure full compliance. Even if a business entity might not have had any nexus with the state in the years requested by the nexus questionnaire, it’s crucial to respond to these questionnaires promptly and accurately. Failure to do so could result in hefty assessments and requests for submitting overdue tax returns.

If you have questions about responding to state nexus questionnaires, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

May 8, 2024

Authored by: Brandon Spinella and Katie Nguyen, CPA

The Tax Court of New Jersey issued an opinion related to a New Jersey-based company and its method for sourcing receipts for apportionment purposes. The company involved in the case was headquartered in New Jersey and the court ruled that they were allowed to use market-based sourcing for services to calculate its Corporate Business Tax apportionment for 2011 and 2012 tax years. However, until the 2019 tax year, New Jersey’s guidance for sourcing sales was based on cost of performance. After review, the court agreed that market-based was a more applicable method of sourcing rather than the cost of performance, as it was “more reflective of the economic realities of its business” since 99% of the company’s customers were located outside of New Jersey.

See the guidance provided by the state here.

If you have questions about alternative apportionment requests, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

April 29, 2024

Authored by: Brandon Mejia and Courtney Easterday, MSA

In response to the TCJA, several states proposed enacting charitable contribution funds where taxpayers could make a charitable contribution to the state and receive a tax credit in return. In response, the IRS released guidance stating that there is only a charitable contribution to the extent the contribution exceeded the credit received. New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut ultimately sued the IRS, arguing that the IRS’ ruling violated the Administrative Procedures Act. The U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York determined the IRS’ limitations on charitable contribution workarounds for the SALT cap were reasonable. Furthermore, the Court held that the states did not have standing to sue as none of the litigants established charitable contribution workarounds, and therefore, none could show any injury.

April 29, 2024

Authored by: Brandon Mejia and Courtney Easterday, MSA

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy proposed a 2.5% tax surcharge on the state’s large businesses to be allocated towards the development of the NJ Transit system. The 2.5% surcharge would be applicable to businesses with net income greater than $10 million. The 2.50% surcharge is in addition to the 9% standard corporate business tax rate for a total corporate tax rate of 11.5%.

If you have questions about your New Jersey business tax obligations, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

April 12, 2024

Authored by: Emilia Jarrin and Penny Sweeting, CPA

The New Jersey Division of Taxation announced the upcoming launch of a new taxpayer portal expected to be available mid – to late 2024. Although the official release date has not yet been determined, the first phase of the modernization process will start with New Jersey’s indirect taxes, specifically sales and use tax filing. The portal aims to provide quicker access to accounts, simplified filling processes, and increased self-service options. The Division will expand the portal’s capabilities to offer a variety of tax filing services over the next few years. Taxpayers are advised to watch for forthcoming details on the new portal. All the information on the Phase 1 rollout of the new software and the tax reporting that will be included can be found on the New Jersey Division of Taxation Website.

If you have questions about state e-filing processes, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

March 20, 2024

Authored by: Jessie Racioppi and Penny Sweeting, CPA

New Jersey municipalities initiated a class action lawsuit against Netflix and Hulu under the claim that the companies owed franchise fees under the New Jersey Cable Television Act (“CTA”). The CTA requires cable companies to pay an annual franchise fee of up to 2% of gross revenue to each municipality in which they provide cable services. The U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, held that municipalities do not have the authority to sue for unpaid franchise tax – only the Board of Public Utilities has such authority. As such, the Court dismissed the case Borough of Longport, Township of Irvington, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Appellants v. NETFLIX, INC.; Hulu, LLC.

If you have questions about state taxation of digital goods and services, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

March 1, 2024

Authored by: Brandon Spinella and Courtney Easterday, MSA

Governor Murphy has proposed a transit fee on New Jersey businesses that have a net income equal to or greater than $10 million. The “Corporate Transit Fee” is part of the $55.9 billion budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. If enacted, businesses subject to the proposed transit fee will pay a 2.5% surcharge on top of the 9% corporate tax rate. This would bring New Jersey’s top marginal rate on affected corporations to 11.5%. This fee would make NJ’s effective Corporate Tax rate the highest in the country.

If you have questions about state corporate income taxes, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

February 20, 2024

Authored by: Katie Nguyen, CPA and Leroy Solis, MBA

On February 14, 2024, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, ruled in favor of the Division on a Use Tax refund claim. In 2015, the taxpayer filed refund claims for use tax paid on manufacturing equipment, repair parts, and supplies used in the production of chemicals. The refund claim required the taxpayers to provide a detailed explanation of the claim’s basis and supporting documentation. After review, the state determined that “it could not determine that sales tax was actually paid to vendors on the transactions, or that use tax was accrued and remitted to the Division on the transactions if sales tax was not paid.” The court initially rejected the taxpayer’s use tax refund claim due to insufficient proof of payment of the use tax to its suppliers. The taxpayer subsequently appealed the decision to the Appellate Court. After further review, it was ruled that the support provided by the taxpayers was still inadequate, and the court rejected the refund claims filed by the taxpayers.

If you have questions about filing sales/use tax refund claims, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

January 30, 2024

Authored by: Katie Nguyen, CPA and Jessie Racioppi

On January 16, 2024, New Jersey Governor Murphy signed S. 3837, excluding cannabis from the 50% Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) sales tax exemption. A UEZ is an area in New Jersey defined as distressed by the state in which businesses and customers receive a 50% sales tax exemption to promote economic activities in the designated zone. S.3837 excludes the retail sale of recreational cannabis in a UEZ from the 50% sales tax exemption. The law goes into effect February 16, 2024.

January 17, 2024

Authored by: Katie Nguyen, CPA and Jessie Racioppi

On January 8, 2024, the New Jersey state senate passed bill A5294, which exempts sales of investment metal bullion and investment coins from sales and use tax. A5294 passed unanimously in both the State Senate and Assembly. While A5294 has not yet been enacted, the New Jersey Legislature has the votes to override a theoretical veto since the bill was passed unanimously in both chambers. As such, Governor Murphy will likely sign A5294 into law.

If you have questions about state sales tax exemptions, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

November 3, 2023

Authored by: Katie Szymanski Nguyen, CPA and Jessie Racioppi

The New Jersey Division of Taxation amended the timing of qualified research expenditures under N.J.S.A. 54:10A-4(k)(11) for tax years beginning on and after January 1, 2022. Businesses that claim the Corporation Business Tax Research and Development Tax Credit for qualified research expenditures can deduct the expense on their tax return in the same year as they claim the credit instead of amortizing the expenses. Taxpayers should claim the qualified research expenses as “other deductions” on Schedule A of the Corporation Business Tax Return. Taxpayers who amortized their qualified research expenses in 2022 can amend their CBT return to claim the expense deduction.

If you have questions about the state tax treatment of research and development deductions, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

September 7, 2023

Authored by: Jessie Racioppi and Jonathan Weinberg, JD, LLM, Principal

On September 5, 2023, The New Jersey Division of Taxation issued Technical Bulletin No. TB-108 announcing the Garden State’s new bright-line economic nexus standard for Corporation Business Tax (CBT). For tax years ending on or after July 31, 2023, a corporation will have economic nexus for CBT purposes if it has more than $100,000 in New Jersey sourced receipts or has 200 or more transactions delivered to New Jersey Customers. As such, the state has harmonized its nexus standards for both CBT and Sales/Use Taxes.

For additional information, please refer to New Jersey Division of Taxation TB-108.

If you have questions about economic nexus, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

September 5, 2023

Authored by: Breea Boylan, MSA, CPA and Bonnie Susmano, JD, MBA

New Jersey Legislation, P.L. 2022, c.21, establishes a Sales Tax Holiday between August 26 and September 4, 2023. The sales tax holiday applies to retail sales of computers with a retail price of less than $3,000, computer supplies with a retail price of less than $1000, school supplies, and sport or recreational equipment when sold to an individual purchaser for non-business use. Sellers should not charge Sales Tax on eligible items when purchased during the Sales Tax Holiday.

For more guidance on the Garden State’s sales tax holiday, please refer to the Division’s Announcement here.

If you have questions about Sales and Use Tax holidays, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

August 29, 2023

Authored by: Brandon Spinella and Jonathan Weinberg, JD, LLM, Principal

On August 22, 2023, The NJ Division of Taxation provided a revised Corporation Business Tax guidance on the IRC §163(j) limitation on interest deductions. Taxpayers who file separate NJ Corporation Business Tax returns but file a single federal consolidated return are treated as one taxpayer for the purposes of applying the I.R.C. §163(j) limitation for state tax purposes. For more information on NJ’s treatment of the IRC §163(j) limitation related to separate and combined returns, please visit The Division’s TB-87(R) Publication.

If you have questions about how required state tax modifications affect your state tax liability, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

August 8, 2023

Authored by: Brandon Spinella and Bonnie Susmano, JD, MBA

Governor Murphy signed A6494 on July 21, 2023. The primary purpose of A6494 was to enact an office of convenience rule in New Jersey and create a credit for New Jersey taxpayers subject to an office of convenience rule in other states. The bill is also intended to encourage individuals to relocate to New Jersey. To this end, A6494 creates a one-time, nonrefundable $2,000 gross income tax credit for employees moving to New Jersey from other states. To receive the credit, taxpayers moving to New Jersey will have to file an application with the Division of Taxation, and qualified taxpayers will receive a credit certificate. The total number of certificates the Division will issue is capped at $10 million. If the credit applications received by the Division exceed the $10 million cap, applications will be approved in the order received. As such, qualified taxpayers who wait to file their applications may not get a credit if they delay in filing an application.

If you are considering relocating to New Jersey and need additional information on the Garden State’s relocation credit, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

July 18, 2023

Authored by: Breea Boylan, CPA and Courtney Easterday, MSA

On July 3, 2023, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that made a series of technical corrections, clarifications, and changes to the Corporation Business Tax. The various changes and corrections include the adoption of the Finnigan rule for combined reports and allowing prior year net operating loss (NOL) carryovers to be utilized against combined group income. Adoption of the Finnigan rule for combined reports requires the computation of the allocation factor for a combined group to consider all unitary receipts of all members of the combined group in the sales factor numerator. These updates are effective for tax years ending on or after July 31, 2023.

If you have questions about how these changes affect your business, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

July 5, 2023

Authored by: Leroy Solis, MBA and Courtney Easterday, MS

On June 28, 2023, the New Jersey Division of Taxation published guidance on the upcoming sales tax holiday.The State’s sales tax holiday will run from August 26 through September 4, 2023. Items covered by the State’s sales tax exemption include:

For more information on New Jersey’s upcoming sales tax holiday, please refer to the Division’s Sales Tax Holiday Webpage.

If you have questions about state sales taxes, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

June 30, 2023

Authored by: Katie Szymanski, CPA and Katerine Velasquez

According to United Van Lines, more residents moved out of New Jersey than every other state in 2022. This is the 5th year in a row that New Jersey has held such a distinction. In order to incentivize residents to stay in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy, in conjunction with the leaders of the State House and Senate, have created a plan to reduce property taxes for qualifying seniors. Qualifying seniors are state residents 65 and older that make less than $500,000. Property taxes for qualifying seniors will be reduced by the lesser of 50% or $6,500. This property tax reduction will be in full effect by 2026. This incentive program is to incentivize New Jersey residents to stay in New Jersey.

The governor also discussed the budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year, which includes the state’s intention of making full pension payments to boost funding levels. For example, the public employee’s retirement system is the state’s largest pension fund and has a funding ratio of “33.2%, with $9.35 billion of assets to cover $28.2 billion of pension costs for current and future retirees”. The proposed spending plan is intended to help the state avoid spending cuts in the event of an economic downturn.

For additional detail, please refer to NJ Governor’s Website.

If you have questions about whether you are eligible for New Jersey’s property tax cuts or New Jersey’s budget plans, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

June 2, 2023

Authored by: George Gonzales, MST and Brandon Vance

In 2021, the New Jersey Court of Appeals remanded an estate tax refund claim back to the Tax Court for reconsideration. The New Jersey Division of Revenue initially assessed estate tax on an entire $6.7M survivor claim received by the estate. However, the executor obtained a valuation that the survivor claim was only worth $2.7M and filed refund claims with New Jersey and the IRS. The IRS accepted the lower valuation and issued a refund of Federal Estate tax.

The New Jersey Tax Court originally denied the taxpayer’s refund claim. On appeal, the New Jersey Court of Appeals issued an unsigned opinion stating that if a federal estate tax is adjusted downward, state law mandates a corresponding reduction in the tax owed in New Jersey, provided that the taxpayer submits sufficient evidence. As such, the Court of Appeals remanded the case back to the Tax Court for reconsideration.

If you have questions about state estate taxes, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

May 19, 2023

Authored by: Brandon Spinella and Courtney Easterday, MSA

For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, New Jersey is providing tax benefits to businesses in the cannabis industry. The benefits include:

For more information on this topic, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

May 12, 2023

Authored by: Katerine Velasquez and Bonnie Susmano, JD, MBA

On May 1, 2023, the New Jersey Tax Court determined that the statute of limitations barred the collection of penalties on a responsible party’s employment tax assessment but not a sales tax assessment. In the instant case, the company’s Vice President and sole shareholder (hereinafter “taxpayer”) was responsible for filing the company’s Gross Income Tax/Employer Withholding (GIT/EW) returns and Sales and Use tax returns. For several periods leading up to the company’s bankruptcy filings, the company underpaid both its GIT/EW and Sales/Use taxes. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and listed the Division of Taxation as the creditor for underpayments of both GIT/EW withheld from employees and Sales and Use Taxes collected from customers. The Division of Taxation issued a notice indicating that the taxpayer was the responsible person for the Company’s GIT/EW and Sales/Use tax underpayments and assessed the taxpayer penalties on both the GIT/EW and Sales and Use underpayments. The taxpayer asserted the assessment of penalties for both GIT/EW and Sales Use tax was barred by the state’s statute of limitations. The Court ultimately determined that the statute of limitations contained in the GIT/EW code barred the assessment of penalties on the GIT/EW liability. However, the statute of limitations in the Sales and Use Tax statute did not bar the assessment of penalties on the Sales and Use tax liability. (Gill v. Dir., Div. of Tax’n, No. 004035-2021, 5/1/2023.)

If you have been assessed penalties on a tax liability and wish to seek penalty abatement, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

April 28, 2023

Authored by: Katie Szymanski, CPA and Jessie Racioppi

For tax years ending on or after July 31, 2023, banking corporations and financial business corporations that historically filed Form BFC-1 will be required to file Form CBT-100. The change will only affect banking corporations and financial business corporations that are separate filers; entities that are already members of a combined group will continue to file Form CBT-100U. Entities that previously filed Form BFC-1 will also be required to e-file their returns and remit the corresponding tax via EFT.

If you have questions about your state income tax compliance obligations, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

April 10, 2023

Authored by: Brandon Spinella and George Gonzales, MST

The New Jersey Tax Court ruled in Musumeci v. Dir. Div. of Taxation (N.J. Tax Ct. Dkt. No. 000169-2021, 03/28/2023) that noneconomic gains were not taxable for New Jersey gross income tax purposes.In Misumeci, the taxpayer was a member of a bankrupt LLC that liquidated.Some members of the LLC had positive capital accounts and others had negative capital accounts.As a result of the liquidation, the members with negative capital accounts recognized gains for Federal income tax purposes.While the taxpayer in Musumeci had a negative capital account, he did not receive any cash resulting from the liquidation, nor did he contribute cash to zero out his negative capital account.The Tax Court ruled that the State Supreme Court precedent established in Koch v. Div. of Taxation (Dkt. No. A-135-97, 1/14/1999) prohibits the state from taxing noneconomic gains.As such, the taxpayer was not required to recognize the gain resulting from the liquidation for New Jersey Gross Income Tax purposes.

For additional information, please see Joseph C. and Geraldine A. Musumeci v. Director, Division of Taxation.

If you have questions about how the disposition of a business will impact your personal income tax returns, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

March 17, 2023

Authored by: Jessie Racioppi and Bonnie Susmano, JD, MBA

Tax refunds and rebates paid to New Jersey residents from other states are considered refunds of taxes paid to other states for New Jersey income tax purposes. Specifically, Georgia, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Virginia issued taxpayers special rebates in 2022. New Jersey residents who claimed a credit for taxes paid to these states and subsequently received a rebate of the taxes paid need to adjust their New Jersey resident credit accordingly. The state advises impacted taxpayers to amend their NJ-1040s as soon as possible to minimize the interest accrued.

If you have questions about whether you are required to amend your New Jersey resident return, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

February 3, 2023

Authored by: Katie Szymanski, CPA and Jessie Racioppi

On Monday, January 30, 2023, New Jersey Governor Murphy signed legislation that gives tax credits to New Jersey concrete makers and companies that deliver concrete with low levels of embodied carbon. The legislation provides a credit of 5% of the project’s concrete cost for concrete makers and 3% of the project’s concrete project cost for concrete delivery companies. The credits are meant to make low-carbon concrete more appealing for businesses by compensating for the additional costs to manufacture low-carbon concrete.

If you have questions about the low-carbon concrete incentives, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

January 13, 2023

Authored by: Tyler Collins, CPA, Principal

New Jersey’s Senate Commerce Committee unanimously voted to advance bill S-2707 which increases the State’s R&D credit from 10% to 15% for corporations in targeted industries. R&D credits will also become refundable, allowing companies to benefit from the New Jersey R&D tax credit, before they are profitable. Coupled with the lucrative federal R&D tax credit program, this boost to the credit program will help further drive innovation and R&D investments in New Jersey.

If you have questions about State R&D Credits, please reach out to a member of the Withum SALT Team.

October 14, 2022

Authored by: Jessie Racioppi

The NJ Division of Taxation Technical Bulletin issued September 1, 2022, defines a contractor as any individual or business that is engaged in the business of improving, altering, or repairing land, buildings, and real property of others. Contractors are required to register for state tax and collect sales tax on applicable labor. Contractors are considered the end user for the materials and supplies they use for construction; therefore, they are required to pay sales tax when they make purchases. Charges for labor are generally taxable unless the contract qualifies as a capital improvement. Exempt capital improvements generally includes new construction, new cabinets, new gutters, and underground sprinkler systems. Examples of taxable capital improvements include landscape plantings (e.g., shrubs, trees) clearing land and floor installation. See the Division’s guidance here for full list of tax exempt and taxable services. If you have questions about how the Division’s guidance affects your business, please contact a member of the Withum SALT Team.

September 30, 2022

Authored by: Breea Boylan, MSA and Kevan Koopaei, CPA

Effective September 19, 2022, the New Jersey Division of Taxation has adopted new regulations in reference to combined returns. While combined reporting has been mandatory in New Jersey for tax years ending on and after July 31, 2019, the Division did not issue regulations on its interpretation of the combined reporting statute until now. If you have questions about how these regulations, or combined/unitary reporting, affects your business, please reach out to the Withum SALT Team.

September 23, 2022

Authored by: George Gonzales, MST and Brandon Spinella

A sales tax alert was issued by The NJ Division of Taxation on September 14, 2022, for sign purchases and installation services:

September 23, 2022

Authored by: George Gonzales, MST and Brandon Spinella

NJ Division of Taxation has amended N.J. Admin. Code 18:7-8.10A(a)(2), effective 9/19/2022 clarifying when service receipts are derived from sources within the state. As per the amendment, a service receipt is derived from NJ sources if the service recipient is either involved in a trade or business and maintains a place of business in NJ; or is an individual, who is not a sole proprietor, located in NJ.

September 16, 2022

Authored by: Katerine Velasquez and Zhoudi Tang, MST, CPA

Uber and its subsidiary, Raiser LLC were ordered to pay approximately $100 million to New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Unemployment Trust Fund. While Uber argued that its drivers are independent contractors who worked when and where they wanted, New Jersey determined the drivers were actually employees under the state’s ABC test for employee v. independent contractor classification. As such, all 300,000 Uber drivers in the state were reclassified as employees and Uber has been assessed an underpayment of unemployment. Uber claims that New Jersey originally demanded more than $1 billion but the Company was able to reduce the final assessment to $100 million. If you have questions about how the ABC Test for employee classification affects your business, please contact a member of the Withum SALT Team.

September 9, 2022

Authored by: Jessie Racioppi and Courtney Easterday, MSA

On September 2, 2022, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy introduced bipartisan legislation to impose payroll tax on out-of-state employees working remotely for New Jersey-based companies. The legislation attempts to counteract the New Jersey tax revenue lost to New York since many New Jersey residents work in and pay income tax to New York. There will also be $10 million set aside to persuade businesses to assign employees to New Jersey locations. If you have questions about state tax issues regarding remote employees, please contact a member of the Withum SALT Team.

September 2, 2022

Authored by: Brandon Vance and Bonnie Susmano, JD, MBA

On August 18, 2022, the New Jersey Department of Treasury released a reminder that effective Saturday, August 27, 2022, through Monday, September 5, 2022, there will be a sales tax holiday to make school supplies more affordable for families and educators. The holiday will apply to items bought both in-store and online. The sales tax holiday applies to pens and pencils, notebooks, binders, paints and paintbrushes, clay, and glazes. School instructional materials, including books, globes, textbooks, and workbooks, are exempt from sales tax during the holiday. Furthermore, computers with a sales price of less than $3,000 and school computer supplies with a sales price of less than $1,000 are exempt from sales tax.

August 12, 2022

Authored by: George Gonzales, MST and Katerine Velasquez

On August 1, 2022, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission proposed to alter the personal use cannabis rules by amending technical excise tax regulations. The amendments consist of actions to:

NJ is accepting comments for these proposed changes which will be due at the end of September.

July 15, 2022

The New Jersey Division of Taxation provided more information regarding Sales and Use Tax on the retail sale of recreational and medical cannabis. Recreational cannabis companies holding Class 5 and Class 6 licenses must collect and remit Sales and Use Tax at the current rate of 6.625% on all retail sales. This tax must be reported and remitted to the Division of Taxation quarterly, by filing Form ST-50C. Effective July 1, 2022, retail sales of medical cannabis will be exempt of Sales and Use Tax. The taxability of medical cannabis began phasing out on July 1, 2020. Guidance on the phase-out is as follows:

July 8, 2022

The NJ Assembly passed A.B. 4295, on June 30, 2022, which ends the suspension to audit and assess taxes that it put in place in 2020 during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Revenue will be required to issue refunds of taxes collected from certain assessments.

June 30, 2022

The 2023 New Jersey Fiscal Year Budget includes a sales tax holiday on back-to-school supplies. The sales tax holiday will take place from August 27 to September 5. Exempt supplies include pens, pencils, notebooks, binders, are supplies, reference books and maps, globes, textbooks, workbooks, computers, computer storage equipment, and printers. Governor Murphy announces the holiday to authenticate his promise to make New Jersey a more affordable state. The purpose of the temporary back-to-school sales tax exemption is to relieve some of the economic burden of parents and teachers as they prepare their children and classrooms for the upcoming school year.

May 27, 2022

On May 20, New Jersey Division of Taxation published a notice regarding the exclusion of income from Corporation Business Tax returns following a tax treaty for income tax purposes. Law changes did not address treatment of treaty-excluded income with respect to addback statutes for tax years 2018 through 2020. Income that is protected by a treaty is not required to be added back for CBT purposes unless another addback law provides provisions. If a taxpayer added back treaty-exempt income on CBT returns filed for privilege periods still within the statute of limitations, the taxpayer may file an amended return. The department intends to revise instructions for returns filed after 2021.

April 29, 2022

On April 12, 2022, The New Jersey Division of Taxation announced changes to its policy for members of combined groups claiming protection from New Jersey Corporate Business Tax under P.L. 86-272. P.L. 86-272 is a federal law that prohibits states from imposing a net income tax on out-of-state sellers whose in-state activities are limited to the solicitation of sales of tangible personal property and the orders are accepted and fulfilled from outside the state. Prior to the policy change, the NJ CBT-100U return instructions stated “if one member of a combined group has nexus and sufficient activities in New Jersey to be taxed based on income, no member that has nexus with New Jersey may claim P.L. 86-272 protection.” However, the new policy states that protection for each member of the combined group will be determined on an entity-by-entity basis. With this change, affected taxpayers who filed New Jersey combined tax returns beginning on or after the 2019 tax year and have members in their combined group who can claim P.L. 86-272 protection may amend these returns to claim the benefit from the policy change. If you have questions about whether your company may claim protection under P.L. 86-272 in New Jersey or any other State, please contact a member of the Withum SALT group.

March 25, 2022

NJ PTE and BAIT returns due between March 15, 2022, and June 15, 2022, have an extended deadline of June 15, 2022. This extension includes the 2021 PTE Election, 2021 PTE-100 Tax Returns, 2021 PTE-200-T, 2021 Revocation forms, and 2022 Estimated Payments. The 2021 PTE-200-T, Extension of Time to File, grants a six-month extension to September 15, 2022. This date is not extended.

March 4, 2022

On February 28, 2022, the New Jersey Division of Taxation filed its response to Ferrellgas Partners LP’s petition for a writ of certiorari challenging New Jersey’s imposition of an unapportioned per-partner filing fee imposed on partnerships filing tax returns in the state. New Jersey imposes a $150 per partner filing fee, capped at $250,000, for every partnership filing a return in New Jersey. This filing fee is not subject to apportionment, so theoretically a partnership required to file a New Jersey return could be subject to a $250,000 fee even if there is no income derived from New Jersey sources. Plaintiffs argue that such a fee is actually a tax and as such the Constitution requires it to be subject to apportionment. New Jersey argues that the fee is intended to recoup the costs of administering the tax code, and is thus not a tax, and if not a tax, apportionment is not required. A decision on whether the Supreme Court will grant cert. will occur by the end of the current term expires in June or July.

February 4, 2022

In November 2021, New Jersey officially legalized cannabis. The legislature included a Social Equity Excise Fee which will be applied to cannabis sales in addition to the standard 6.625% state sales tax rate. This fee allows New Jersey to join Alaska, California, and Maine on taxing cannabis based partly on the weight and not solely on the price. The weight-based tax will be implemented over time as follows:

Then,

No other state imposes a weight-based tax that is low when the cost of cannabis is high and high when the cost of cannabis is low. The Legislative intent of this tax structure is to discourage illegal sellers from competing with the legal market.

Finally, New Jersey municipalities are authorized to implement a local cannabis tax of 2% on retailers, cultivators, and manufacturers and 1% on wholesalers. Local taxes need to be remitted directly to the municipality imposing the tax.

December 31, 2021

On December 29, 2021, the New Jersey Department of Treasury extended the tax relief for victims of Hurricane Ida for individual, corporate, trust, income taxpayers, and for sales and use, property, and excise tax purposes. Prior to this update, taxpayers who were eligible for this relief had until January 3, 2022 to file their returns and submit payments. New Jersey will follow the extended federal due date and eligible taxpayers who were victims of Hurricane Ida will now have until February 15, 2022 to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due starting on August 26, 2021.

December 17, 2021

New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, signed executive order 275 into effect on November 23^rd, 2021. EO-275 further extends the deadline for filing claims for a refund or credit under the Sales and Use Tax Act, the Gross Income Tax Act, and the State Uniform Tax Procedure Law from January 1^st, 2022, to April 1^st, 2022. The extension is only available if the original deadline for filing was on or after March 9, 2020, and before April 1, 2022. Prior to EO-275, executive order 170 was in effect, extending the statutory deadline to January 1^st, 2022, unless revoked or modified.

New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, signed Bill S4065, which enhances the child and dependent care credit, into effect on December 3^rd, 2021. This enhancement is effective retroactively for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2021. Bill S4065 removes the $500 and $1,000 maximum credit and the credit is now refundable. Previously, this credit was fully phased out once a taxpayer had $60,000 of taxable income. Bill S4065 increases the taxable income phase-out threshold to $150,000 of taxable income. Regardless of filing status, the New Jersey credit percentages are:

November 19, 2021

On November 8, 2021, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed two bills. The first bill vetoed was A.B.4002 which would have allowed a deduction of promotional gaming credits from sports wagering gross revenue due to the gaming credit being too broad. The second bill vetoed was S.B.2347 which allows certain small business with 10 or fewer employees to defer taxes payments due to the impact of Covid-19. Murphy rejected this bill because of the passed deadline for the proposed small business program, and this bill would allow the small business owners to retain the tax payments that employees and consumers believed would have been paid timely on their behalf.

October 14, 2021

The New Jersey Division of Taxation has extended the deadline for its voluntary compliance initiative. The Division has indicated that it plans to focus enforcement efforts against entities that indicated they have nexus in New Jersey on a unitary return but did not file separate New Jersey income tax returns for tax periods prior to 2019 (when New Jersey was a separate filing state).

Before undertaking enforcement action, the Division is allowing affected entities to come forward voluntarily and report their past-due tax obligations. This voluntary compliance initiative began June 15, 2021 and was scheduled to expire on October 15, 2021. The deadline for participating in the initiative has now been extended to January 3, 2022.

The lookback period for taxpayers participating in the initiative is limited to tax periods ending after June 30, 2016. Furthermore, participants will receive abatement of all penalties. In order to participate in the voluntary compliance initiative:

Affected taxpayers who decline to participate in the voluntary compliance initiative will be subject to an unlimited look-back period and the Division has indicated that it will not abate penalties for such taxpayers.

September 30, 2021

The State of New Jersey released a statement that will require the Division of Taxation to give an annual review on the viability of sales tax exemption for qualifying recycled materials for manufacturing companies. Once the annual review, if completed, the results will be reviewed by the Legislature for whether the exemption should continue. Until legislation is enacted terminating the exemption, manufacturing facilities should continue to their exemption process of recycled materials.

September 23, 2021

The New Jersey Henri/Ida Business Assistance Program will provide $1,000 up to $5,000 to assist businesses and nonprofit organizations that suffered physical damage from either or both hurricanes. The following eligibility requirements must be met to apply for the program:

In addition, the CEO or equivalent officer of either a business or nonprofit must certify that the entity was in operation on August 1, 2021, and incurred physical damage from Hurricane Henri on August 22^ndor 23^rd, 2021, or Hurricane Ida on September 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd, 2021. These grants may be used only to pay for August rent or mortgage payment. However, the grant may not be used for capital expenses, remediation, or construction. Applicants may apply from Friday, September 17, 2021, through Friday, September 24, 2021. (https://www.njeda.com/henri-ida-grant/#1.)

September 16, 2021

The New Jersey Department of Revenue (DOR) announced the state will honor the recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) special tax relief for individual or business taxpayers qualifying for assistance in Hurricane Ida in disaster areas. Affected taxpayers include businesses and individuals located in the disaster areas and those whose tax records are in the disaster areas, and relief workers, and as such this guidance applies to the entire state. This relief allows for taxpayers who reside or have a business with certain tax-filing and tax-payment deadlines falling on or after September 1, 2021, to be postponed to January 3, 2022. This includes the filing and paying of tax due for payroll tax that are normally due on November 1, 2021 to be extended to January 3, 2022. The tax types that qualify for this relief include individual income tax, corporate income tax, income tax withholdings, payroll tax and limited liability entity tax. The extension to file and pay taxes does not apply to sales tax and other tax types however, taxpayers may contact the DOR to request an extension or waiver of penalties if affected by disaster-related delays. All individuals may be eligible for abatement of penalty and interest on tax that normally accrues during the extension period.

August 13, 2021

On August 3, 2021, New Jersey issued temporary guidance suspending corporate income and sales tax nexus relief in response to the pandemic. In addition, the updated guidance also applies to payroll tax withholding requirements for employers.

August 8, 2021

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) recently recapped the qualifications for the Personal Protective Equipment Manufacturing Tax Credit program. To receive the tax credits, a project must meet the following requirements:

Tax credits are only available for full-time employees with a minimum of 35 hours per week and at a minimum wage rate of $15 per hour with approved health care. Employers must commit to retaining the jobs qualifying for the credit for a period of least 5 years. Projects can receive up $10,000 of a base tax credit per new job created with an annual program cap of $10 million. Individual projects are subject to an annual cap of $500,000.

July 28, 2021

The New Jersey Angel Investor Tax Credit Program provides tax credits against corporate or gross income taxes for qualifying investments in a New Jersey emerging technology business. Governor Phil Murphy increased the annual cap from $25 million to $35 million earlier this year. Applicants have six months from the investment date to submit the dual application, consisting of an investor section and a technology company representative section. All applicants must file NJ taxes for the year. Any applicants who submit an investment but cannot coordinate with a NJ emerging technology company to submit the dual application as of October 1, 2021, will not be recommended for the program.

July 16, 2021

New Jersey recently enacted comprehensive legislation designed to fund and simplify enforcement of its employee classification rules in an attempt to prevent businesses from improperly classifying employees as independent contractors. New Jersey uses a strict ABC test to determine worker classification, which states a worker should be considered an employee unless all the following three factors apply:

The new legislation also creates and funds the Office of Strategic Enforcement and Compliance within the Department of Labor. This new Office will review the compliance of businesses seeking state assistance regarding employee compensation and unemployment/disability benefit contributions.

The new legislation also streamlines the process to identify worker misclassification, gives the state more power to enforce proper employee classification, and creates a state-wide database of payroll information for public works projects.

July 8, 2021

Under New Jersey’s State of Emergency, the statute of limitations for assessments and refund claims has been extended. The extension to file a claim for refund or credit for all taxes administered by the Division has been extended until January 1, 2022 . The extension of the statute of limitations applies to all refund claims where the statute of limitations was originally set to expire on or after March 9, 2020 and before January 1, 2022. Likewise the statute of limitations for assessments which were scheduled to expire after April 14, 2020 have also been extended to January 1, 2022 New Jersey Treasury Refund or Credit (EO-170)

June 25, 2021

As a result of the State formally ending the public health emergency in relation to COVID-19 as of June 4, 2021, the New Jersey Division of Taxation has posted on its website, advising that its “policies, procedures, and provisions that were revised or relaxed due to the pandemic will now be impacted by the rescission of the public health emergency.” Therefore, the New Jersey Division of Taxation is currently reviewing these policies and statutory provisions and will provide guidance to the public as soon as possible. If you are an out-of-state business and have employees working for you or rendering services in New Jersey, you may have nexus in the State thereby triggering filing and reporting obligations. Please reach out to Withum’s state and local tax group with any questions you may have.

June 18, 2021

Earlier this month Governor Phil Murphy has issued an executive order to end the public health emergency in New Jersey. While certain executive orders will remain in place until January 1, 2022, it is important to note that many other temporarily suspended rules will not continue to be suspended. The New Jersey Division of Taxation had posted on its website guidance pertaining to teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic. With New Jersey officially ending the public health emergency, traditional State nexus rules for corporate income tax, personal income tax, sales tax, employee income tax withholding will again be operative. If you are an out-of-state business and have employees working for you or rendering services in New Jersey, you may have nexus in the State thereby triggering filing and reporting obligations. Please reach out to Withum’s state and local tax group with any questions you may have.

June 9, 2021

The New Jersey Tax Court has ruled that the New Jersey Division of Taxation was barred from making an adjustment to a taxpayer’s net operating loss (“NOL”) carryovers because the time period for making an assessment for the NOL year had passed. The Division of Taxation determined that under transfer pricing principles, the taxpayer had under reported its income from inter-company leasing for the years 2012 to 2015, which were being audited; as such, there should have been transfer pricing adjustments for the tax years which generated the carried forward NOLs. However, New Jersey statutory rules provide that no assessment of additional tax may be made after the expiration of more than four (4) years from the date of the filing of a return. The Division of Taxation argued that the statute prohibiting assessment of additional tax after the statute of limitations expired did not prevent the Division from adjusting NOLs carried forward to that period, and cited Internal Revenue Service rules that clearly indicate NOLs carried forward to a tax year can be adjusted even if the statute of limitations has expired for that tax year. Conversely, the taxpayer argued, and the Tax Court agreed, that under New Jersey law, no adjustments to NOLs may be made after the statute of limitations for the net operating loss year has expired.

The New Jersey Division of Taxation is in the process of identifying companies that have been included as part of a combined group filing (CBT-100U return) and indicated that they have nexus with New Jersey, but have not filed as a separate entity for periods prior to 2019. Beginning June 15, 2021, and running through October 15, 2021, companies that have had nexus with New Jersey prior to filing as part of combined return will have the opportunity to come forward and voluntarily comply with their Corporation Business Tax filing requirements. These companies are not eligible for a standard Voluntary Disclosure Agreement; however, the Division will consider entering into a Closing Agreement with approved companies based upon the following:

Failure to take advantage of this initiative will result in the look-back period going beyond return periods ending after June 30, 2016, as well as all applicable penalties and interest being assessed. For more information, please visit the New Jersey Division of Taxation website and/or email questions and requests for disclosure to the Nexus Audit Group at [email protected] using “Combined Reporting Initiative” as the subject line.

June 3, 2021

The New Jersey Division of Taxation has advised that any payments the Small Business Administration (SBA) makes for principal, interest, and fees are considered to be cancellation of debt. This is because the payments all reduce the amount of the loan in some way. This is true whether the payment is made for a loan in deferment or not in deferment. For gross income tax purposes, cancellation of debt (COD) or forgiveness of debt income is not subject to tax and should not be reported on an individual income tax return. For corporation business tax purposes, COD income is taxable when it is subject to tax for federal purposes.

May 21, 2021

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Board recently approved the creation of the Emerge program, a new jobs-based tax credit program created under the Economic Recovery Act (ERA) of 2020. The Emerge program will make tax credits available to projects that invest private capital into the state and create good-paying jobs, with a focus on the State’s priority sectors. Base tax credits will range from $500 to $4,000 per job, per year, depending on location and other aspects of the project. Bonuses are also available based on project location, industry, and alignment with other policy objectives. For additional details and specifics as to eligibility requirements, please visit the NJ EDA website.

Effective May 12, 2021,New Jersey will permit municipalities to establish property tax rewards programs. A municipal property tax reward program would be structured as a local merchant loyalty program and marketed as an economic development tool to encourage people who live in and around a municipality to shop at businesses located within the municipality. A property tax reward program would provide monetary rewards to participating customers who purchase goods or services from participating businesses. The program would be operated by a private entity designated by the municipality. For specific language of the enacting legislation, please see L. 2021, A4806 (c. 99).

On May 11, 2021, the New Jersey Division of Taxation released Technical Bulletin 87-R, which provides updated guidance to New Jersey’s conformity to the federal interest expense limitations of IRC 163(j)for purposes of the corporation business tax (CBT). New Jersey conforms to the modifications of IRC 163(j)made as part of the CARES Act to the extent they are consistent with the CBT. Specifically, New Jersey conforms to the adjusted taxable income deduction limit for the applicable periods. For purposes of NJ CBT, the starting point for taxable income is entire net income before net operating losses and special deductions with several modifications for additions and deductions. Thus, a taxpayer’s entire net income as reported on a federal consolidated return must match the taxpayer’s entire net income on line 28 on Schedule A of the CBT-100 or BFC-1, before the respective New Jersey modifications, even though the taxpayer’s New Jersey return was filed on a separate entity basis. For specific information and details on combined/separate reporting, please see TB 87-R.

May 5, 2021

For situations in which there is delay in approval requirements by federal or state regulatory authorities (other than the NJ Division of Taxation) with respect to a merger and/or acquisition—and therefore a potential impact on net operating losses (NOL) and post-allocation net operating losses (PNOL)—corporations must notify the NJ Division of Taxation of the corporations’ intent to be a combined group filing a New Jersey combined return upon approval of the merger or acquisition by the federal or state regulatory authorities. Once the acquisition of merger is approved by the federal or other state regulatory authorities, the corporation has 180 days to notify the NJ Division of Taxation of such approval. The Director will then issue a stamped certificate attesting that the PNOLs and NOLs are not extinguished. Only certificates with the raised seal of the Director of the Division of Taxation are valid approved certificates. New Jersey Division of Taxation Technical Bulletin No. TB-102(R), 04/27/2021 provides an address for taxpayers to use to satisfy the notification requirements and receive the stamped certificate of attestation.

April 23, 2021

The New Jersey Division of Taxation updated its combined group managerial member procedures. Specifically, new information has been released on how to change the registration information or the managerial member. Once a company has been registered, the managerial member can make changes to the account through the Online Registration Change Service. This system will allow the managerial member to: (1) change the address; (2) add/update electronic funds transfer information; (3) change the managerial member; (4) end the unitary combined group. For specific details, please consult N.J. Div. of Taxation-Combined Group Managerial Member Procedures, 04/16/2021.

The New Jersey Division of Taxation announced the State will follow federal guidelines and timeframes for coronavirus-related distributions (“CRD”) for qualified individuals. If the repayment of CRD qualifies as a tax-free rollover for federal tax purposes, the New Jersey will recognize a CRD as a tax-free rollover. Taxpayers should report these distributions in the same manner as they are required to do for federal purposes. The repayment will qualify for favorable treatment when it qualifies for that treatment for federal purposes. Taxpayers may file amended returns to exclude CRD income originally reported and taxed and receive a refund.

April 14, 2021

Effective March 9, 2021, the New Jersey Division of Taxation has readopted N.J. Admin. Code 18:33, which provides the rules for closing agreements to settle corporation business tax liabilities, and contains rules for the compromise of civil and criminal tax liabilities. The regulation is scheduled to expire on March 9, 2028.Closingagreements may pertain to tax periods ending either before or after the date or the agreement with the State, and may relate to the taxpayer’s total tax liability or to one or more separate items affecting the taxpayer’s tax liability (such as deduction items, other income items, statutory deductions, statutory exclusions, statutory additions to income, the year in which an item of income is to be included in income, or the year in which an item is to be deducted). For specific details rules on entering into closing agreements with the State of New Jersey, please reach out to Withum’s SALT team with questions.

April 7, 2021

Updating/confirming State guidance, the New Jersey Division of Taxation maintains the position that with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, wage income will continue to be sourced as determined by the employer in accordance with the employer’s jurisdiction. Taxpayers may use a different allocation if warranted (supporting documentation for the taxpayer’s allocation may be requested). Additionally, as long as an out-of-state seller did not maintain any physical presence in New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic other than employees working from home in the state, and the taxpayer is below the New Jersey economic thresholds for nexus, then the out-of-state seller will not be considered to have nexus for sales tax purposes.

The New Jersey Division of Taxation has reiterated that it does not follow IRC section 72; nor does the State conform to the CARES Act provisions that enable coronavirus-related distributions to be includible in income over a three-year period, and, to the extent the distribution is eligible for tax-free rollover treatment and is contributed to an eligible retirement plan within a three-year period, to not be includible in income. New Jersey has its own methods for reporting distributions. For New Jersey’s specific rules on reporting pension income, please seeGIT-1&2.

April 1, 2021

The New Jersey Division of Taxation has announced that they are allowing the following forms and payments associated with them to be filed by 11:59 p.m., May 17, 2021, without penalty or interest: (1) PTE Election; (2) PTE-100 (tax return); (3) PTE-200-T (extension of time to file PTE-100); and (4) PTE Revocation of Election. The PTE-200-T is a 6-month extension from March 15; therefore, the extended due date remains September 15. The Division had previously announced that the due date for the abovementioned forms was April 15, 2021.

The New Jersey Division of Taxation has advised taxpayers that all unemployment compensation is income for purposes of the senior freeze program, regardless of whether an exclusion for the income is provided for federal income tax purposes. The Senior Freeze Program reimburses eligible senior citizens and disabled persons for property tax or mobile home park site fee increases on their principal residence (main home). To qualify, you must meet all the eligibility requirements for each year from the base year through the application year; including an income limit whereby your total annual income (combined if you were married or in a civil union and lived in the same home) was $92,969 or less for tax year 2020.

March 25, 2021

New Jersey has indicated that with respect to combined returns, tax credits belong to the taxable member that earned them, unless a specific statute authorizes the tax credit to be earned or awarded at the group level. Any credit carryover available for future use belongs to the taxable member that originally earned the credit. If a member leaves the group, that member takes with them any tax credit/carryforward they generated. Any carryforward must be reduced by the amount that is used by the group and/or member. For specific details, please consult New Jersey Division of Taxation Technical Bulletin TB-90(R) (issued March 18, 2021).

March 23, 2021

Governor Murphy, Treasurer Muoio and legislative leaders have announced that the state income tax filing and payment due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021 to mirror actions taken by the IRS. The extension was made under the authority of the Department of Treasury’s Director of the Division of Taxation. There is no extension for the first quarter estimated payment which is due on April 15, 2021. (Governor Murphy, Treasurer Muoio, Senator Paul Sarlo, and Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin Announce Extension to State Income Tax Filing Deadline to May 17, 03/19/2021.)

March 9, 2021

Effective March 1, 20201, New Jersey precludes Garden State Growth Zone Development Entities from appealing of certain property tax assessments. More specifically, Garden State Growth Zone Development Entities that have been granted a property tax exemption on improvements cannot appeal the assessed value of improvements until the property tax exemption is terminated.

May 2, 2020

The “COVID-19 Fiscal Mitigation Act” was signed into law by Governor Murphy. The Act automatically extends the due date for Individual Gross Income Tax, Partnership, and Corporation Business Tax calendar filers to July 15th as well as estimated tax payments. Penalties and interest will not be imposed upon the remaining amount of tax due between the original and extended due date for returns and payments submitted by July 15th, 2020. However, the extension only applies to the April 15th due date.

Furthermore, the Division is providing taxpayers with increased flexibility to assist taxpayers having financial difficulties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Taxpayers may suspend payments on existing payment plan for up to 90 days. Taxpayers are required to contact the payment plan unit to change their payment schedule. For additional information, please refer here.

According to Executive Order No. 130, municipal governments are allowed to extend the grace period for property tax payments from May 1st to July 1st. For additional information can be found here.

April 13, 2020

New Jersey just updated their guidance on their website that the tax bill was passed by the Assembly and Senate this afternoon and the Governor intends to sign tomorrow.

Gross Income Tax, Partnership, and Corporation Business Tax will be extended until July 15, 2020, to file returns and make applicable tax payments. Penalties and interest for these returns and payments will not be imposed until after July 15. Please note this includes 1st quarter 2020 estimated tax payments. All other returns and payments (including sales/use tax due April 20, 2nd quarter estimates due June 15, etc.) are due on their original due date.

Please see the due date charts posted on the NJ Division of Taxation website.

April 1, 2020

The New Jersey Department of Treasury has extended the due date to file and make payments for individual gross income tax and corporate business tax to July 15, 2020. Taxpayers do not have to file for an extension; it will happen automatically. The announcement from Govender Murphy, makes New Jersey the last state with an income tax to push back its tax filing deadline.

On March 31, 2020, New Jersey Updated its Website Issuing Employer Withholding Tax Guidance, regarding the sourcing of wages of employees who regularly work in the state but are telecommuting from an out of state home office. New Jersey acknowledges that employment tax wages are sourced based on where the service or employment is performed. However, the state suggests that “during the temporary period of the COVID-19 pandemic, wage income will continue to be sourced as determined by the employer in accordance with the employer’s jurisdiction.”

March 25, 2020

On March 21, Governor Murphy signed several measures into law. All businesses, within all market sectors, in NJ will need guidance on how these new laws will apply.

A-3841 / S-2300 was passed by the New Jersey legislature and provides for an automatic extension of the deadline to file a Gross Income tax or Corporation Business tax return of 90 days because the Federal government extended the filing due date or payment for Federal returns. As of March 25, 2020 Governor Murphy has not signed this into law.

A-3845 / S-2284 authorize the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to provide grants during periods of emergency declared by the Governor, such as the coronavirus, and for the duration of the economic disruptions caused by the emergency.

A-3846 / S-2293 creates the “Temporary Lost Wage Unemployment Program” to allow those affected by coronavirus to recoup wages lost and to assist employers who pay wages to workers under quarantine. The bill appropriates $20 million for the program. Learn more here.

February 2020

New Jersey’s film and digital media tax credit program has been expanded by the passing of Assembly Bill 5580, which increases the annual cap on incentives for film and television productions to $100 million a year (formerly $75 million) and extends the provisions through 2028. The demand for tax credits was greater than the supply; therefore, more production companies were applying than there were dollars available. The enactment of this provision will lead to job growth and spur economic activity as studios seek film locations in New Jersey. The digital media tax break will remain capped at $10 million.

To learn more about the qualifications of this tax credit, click here.

January 2020

New Jersey business owners will be elated to learn that Governor Murphy signed legislation, similar to Connecticut, that allows for pass-through entities, S-corps and LLCs, to pay state income taxes at the entity level, as a business tax, rather than at the partner or individual level. The flow-through entity’s taxable income will be reduced by the amount of the tax, which will result in a lower amount of flow-through income to be taxed at the owner’s federal level. In effect, this provides business owners a deduction for their New Jersey taxes without those taxes being subject to the $10,000 cap.

The new entity-level tax is referred to as a “pass-through business alternative income tax” that is effective as of January 1, 2020. Business owners should keep in mind that the option to pay the tax at the entity level is an annual election and must be made by either all the members of an entity or by an officer or member of the entity who is authorized to make the annual election. Since tax rates imposed at the entity level are not the same as those rates imposed on an individual level, business owners should determine the tax benefit prior to making an election.

To learn more about the implications of this tax, click here.

On December 10, the New Jersey Department of Treasury announced a new program designed to help those that are in revoke status due to lack of compliance with State administrative reporting requirements. The program will allow certain revoked businesses to fully reinstate or dissolve.

The Department’s Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services will provide an online self-service reinstatement and dissolution process from March 1, 2020 through June 15, 2020. In order to participate, there will a one-time administrative fee of $500 plus a convenience or credit card processing fee. In addition, the taxpayer will need to attest that the business has satisfied any known State tax obligations, negating the need for a tax clearance certificates or full annual report details.

According to the Department, the benefits of the program include a fully automated filing process with no additional forms, one business day reinstatement or dissolution, definitive closure for entities dissolving, and lower costs for companies with significant outstanding back-year fees due.

November 2019

The New Jersey Division of Taxation recently issued several newsworthy technical bulletins. Now that we are upon year end, NJ corporate taxpayers should take note of the following:

October 2019

The New Jersey Division of Taxation will automatically waive the late filing penalty for corporation business taxpayers with a properly extended federal return due date of October 15, 2019, if the return is filed by November 15, 2019, for extended calendar-year corporations or filed within one month of the extended due date for 2018 returns for fiscal year corporations. The Division will consider elections made timely, if the elections are made on a 2018 New Jersey Corporation Business Tax Return filed by November 15th or within one month for an extended 2018 return for a fiscal year corporation. Interest and penalties for late payment of the tax may still apply but a failure to file by the November 15, 2019 date may result in the imposition of a late filing penalty based on the October 15, 2019 due date.

July 2019

For tax years on and after July 31, 2019, combined reporting becomes mandatory in New Jersey. The taxpayer must use the water’s edge group method unless electing to use a world-wide group return or an affiliated group return.

If the penalty for underpayment is less than $1,000 for an individual or corporate franchise tax in the tax year 2017 and 2018 the taxpayer can apply for a special waiver it was due to tax planning uncertainty due to the federal changes.

April 2, 2020

Mayor Baraka recently stated that “[s]mall businesses are often the heart of our neighborhoods and, equally, are an important piece of our economy. We can’t stand by and wait for help from other sources. Here in Newark, we must solve our own problems.”

Applications for the fund opened March 31, 2020, through a link on the United Way of Essex County website, which is partnering with the City to administer the program. The link is uwnewark.org. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2020.

A small business webinar is also available on the Invest Newark website at investnewark.org/.

The small business grant was the first initiative Mayor Baraka began launching a week ago to ease the financial burden of Newark residents. With $2 million earmarked for this small business grant program, the City will offer about 200 business grants up to $10,000 to provide working capital for operating costs, payroll, accounts payable, inventory, equipment, rent, taxes, licensing or other business-related expenses. To qualify, businesses must have a physical establishment in Newark, have 10 employees of less, and show loss of income directly tied to the coronavirus crisis. The grant program will be coordinated by the City’s Department of Economic and Housing Development in partnership with the United Way of Essex County and Invest Newark, with funding from local funding, federal funding, and private sources, including Prudential and Invest Newark.

The Mayor’s five other programs include short-term rental housing for 300 of the most vulnerable Newark residents, including those without permanent addresses and cash infusions of varying amounts to the “Live Newark” program for homeowners, arts and cultural organizations and other non-profits, and tax for building owners with business tenants. For more information on these programs, please email the City’s Department of Economic and Housing Development at [email protected].

Source: https://www.newarknj.gov/news/mayor-baraka-launches-grant-program-to-help-small-business-owners-and-employees-impacted-by-covid-19-crisis-applications-begin-today

Disclaimer: Please note this is the information that is readily available at this time, it is subject to change so please consult your Withum tax advisor.