Monday - Friday
8 AM - 4 PM
732-632-8540
500 Main Street,
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Tax Assessor Information
It is the duty of the Assessor's Office to uniformly value all properties in Metuchen, so that all taxpayers pay their fair share of the obligations of the schools, the County and the municipality. The Tax Assessor determines eligibility for all qualified farmland, tax exemptions, and deductions. Tax deductions available include: Senior Citizen, Disability, Surviving spouse, Veteran, and Widow of a Veteran. Please contact the Assessment Office to obtain applications for any of these programs.
The assessor’s duties may be divided into these major functions:
- Discovery and location of all real property and certain personal property used in business in the taxing district; Determination of taxability based on a wide variety of tax exemption and tax deduction statutes;
- Valuation of property through an appraisal of each property and an assessment based on that appraised value; Valuation Date is always October 1st of Pretax Year.
- Defense of assessments upon appeal.
- The assessor, in his work of discovering, describing, and valuing all taxable property, takes the first step in raising the bulk of the funds necessary to finance local government in New Jersey.
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The following is from the Tax Assessors Handbook published by the NJ Division of Taxation:
105. The Position of Assessor.
105.01 General. The assessor occupies a unique position within the framework of local government. Assessors, though selected and appointed by municipal officials, are public officers whose duties are imposed by and defined in State law. When assessing property for taxation, the assessor performs a governmental function as an agent of the Legislature. The position of assessor takes on a judicial quality in determining taxability and assessments of property. In discharging these duties, an assessor is not subject to the control of a municipality. The intent is that assessors, like judges, should be free to perform their duties without fear of local retaliation and should be immune from pressure and harassment. However, the assessor is subject to certain local requirements and to supervision at both the County and State levels of government.
New Jersey Division of Taxation
New Jersey Local Property Tax Forms
Contacts
Rich Duda, CTA
Tax Assessor
Ryan Weiss, CTA
Field Inspector
Important State Phone Numbers
Tax Hotline
(609) 588-2200
Automated Tax Info
(800) 323-4400
(609) 588-2525
NJ Tax Fax
(609) 588-4500
Local Property Tax
(609) 292-5033
Public Utility Tax
(609) 633-2576
Must complete and submit both forms:
$250 Real Property Tax Deduction for Senior Citizens, Disabled Persons or Surviving Spouses
An annual $250 deduction from real property taxes is provided for the dwelling of a qualified senior citizen, disabled person or surviving spouse (widow/widower).
To Qualify:
- you must be by December 31 of year before year deduction is requested a senior citizen,
- age 65 or older, or a permanently and totally disabled individual,
- unable to be gainfully employed,
- or a surviving spouse, age 55 or more and age 55 at time of spouse's death.
- You must be a legal resident of New Jersey for one year immediately prior to October 1 of the year before the year for which the deduction is requested.
- You must be an owner of and a permanent resident in the dwelling on October 1st of the year before the year for which the deduction is requested.
- Income may be no more than $10,000 during the year for which the deduction is requested, excluding, with restrictions, monies received from social security, or Federal Government pension, disability and retirement programs or State, County, Municipal pension, disability and retirement programs.
- Must be filed with the municipal tax assessor.