Tax Assessor FAQs
The amount of your bill depends on two factors. The first is the assessed value of your property, which is the Assessor's job. The second is the tax rate, expressed as dollars per hundred, for each taxing entity in which the property is located. This rate is set by the budgets of taxing entities (i.e. county, municipalities, and school boards) in which the property is located. The Morris County Board of Taxation then strikes the tax rate from the total amount of taxes needed to be collected.
A tax appeal is not an appeal of your tax bill. The amount of taxes you pay is never an issue during an appeal because neither the Assessor nor the Morris County Board of Taxation has control over budgets submitted by municipalities, schools, counties or fire districts.
Generally speaking, improvements that increase the market value of a property will increase the assessed value. The following are a few examples of items that will increase the assessed value of your property:
- Additions and alterations
- Vinyl siding
- Modernization of kitchens and bathrooms
- Central Air Conditioning
- Fireplaces
- Pools and patios
Land and building assessments cannot be appealed separately.
No. Comparable assessments are not acceptable evidence of the value of your property. You should submit at least three recent comparable sales of other properties of a similar type in the same neighborhood.
The filing deadline is April 1 of the tax year in question. This means that the appeal form must be received on or before April 1. Date of mailing is not used in determining whether an appeal is timely.
The senior citizen and veteran (including widow/er of a veteran) property tax deductions are $250 for each. Applications are available at the Assessor's office. For more information including eligibility requirements, please visit the New Jersey Division of Taxation website at - http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/index.shtml under Property Tax Relief.
The deadline for applying for these deductions is Dec. 31. Forms for each are available at the Assessor's Office.
