New Jersey has long provided a property tax deduction of $250 to some wartime veterans and their surviving spouses. A ballot measure extending that deduction to peacetime veterans and their surviving spouses passed on November 3, 2020.

The ballot measure also expanded a program that gives a 100% property tax exemption to some New Jersey wartime veterans with permanent and total service-connected disabilities and their surviving spouses. Now, peacetime veterans with similar disabilities and their surviving spouses are eligible for the same exemption. 

These tax benefits have other requirements, such as citizenship, state residency, honorable discharge, property ownership, and timely completion and submission of an application. Living veterans must own the property in whole or in part to qualify. Surviving spouses can also qualify by meeting certain requirements. Veterans interested in applying for the property tax deduction and/or exemption can do so by filing the required application with their local tax assessor’s office, which can be located at the New Jersey Division of Taxation's Tax Assessor’s Hours by County page. The current application forms include more details on program requirements but they have not yet been revised to reflect the new ballot changes as of the publication of this article. The forms are found at:

NJ Property Tax Deduction (from the New Jersey Division of Taxation)

NJ Property Tax Exemption (from the New Jersey Division of Taxation)