Essex County homeowners shouldered New Jersey’s steepest property taxes last year. Bills averaged $14,460 on homes worth $494,335. The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants released a refreshed guide…
Essex County homeowners shouldered New Jersey’s steepest property taxes last year. Bills averaged $14,460 on homes worth $494,335. The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants released a refreshed guide to help residents decode their tax bills and locate relief options.
The Essex County-based group partnered with New Jersey Realtors and the Association of Municipal Assessors of New Jersey. Together, they published the 2026 update to their “New Jersey Homeowner’s Guide to Property Taxes.” This 16-page booklet first appeared in 2018.
Garden State residents paid $10,570 in property taxes on homes assessed at $405,153 during 2025, data from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs shows. Essex County homeowners pay more than $3,800 above that statewide figure — before credits and deductions get applied.
The guide walks readers through where property tax dollars flow. It explains how taxing districts figure out what residents owe and how to challenge a home assessment. Readers learn what drives assessments, what assessors do, and how bills get tallied.
“At a time when property taxes are a central concern for homeowners across the state, giving residents the tools to understand how their tax bills are calculated, what the money pays for, and what rights they have as taxpayers is a meaningful contribution to civic literacy,” said Marc Pfeiffer, according to Patch. Marc Pfeiffer is the associate director in the Center for Urban Policy Research at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
“Informed citizens make better decisions and ask better questions of their government,” Marc Pfeiffer said.
This update adds a fresh description of New Jersey’s property tax relief programs. Both homeowners and renters can benefit. The guide also carries updates to disbursement procedures.
A calendar maps out the entire property tax cycle. A homeowner’s checklist is included too. Residents can grab the guide through the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants website.