What Makes Monmouth County Tax Assessments Different?

In tax assessment terms, Monmouth County, NJ is a world unto itself. For many property owners, filing deadlines are different. Assessing practices are different. And assessments rarely stay the same from one year to the next. Let’s break down some of the most important ones.

Notices & Deadlines

First, assessment notices and filing deadlines. In most New Jersey counties, you can expect to receive your notice of assessment in early February of the tax year, with a filing deadline of April 1. However, in Monmouth County, the same notice would be received in about November of the prior year, and your filing deadline for a county appeal is January 15th. This means that an important notice about your upcoming taxes comes right in the middle of the holiday season. With so much going on, it’s easy to miss! Fortunately for taxpayers whose assessments are over $1,000,000, you have the option of filing at the Tax Court by April 1. Still, for most homeowners, January 15th is the end of the line for any chance to appeal.

Increased Assessments

The next most significant difference in Monmouth County is the high likelihood that you’ll see a change (usually an increase) in your assessed value from year-to-year. This means it’s more important than in other places to keep a close eye on your year-to-year assessment in case the assessor misses the mark, and you end up over-assessed. Fortunately, your notice of assessment card has the previous year’s total assessment and total taxes for comparison, so carefully review that notice.

The take-home message is that it’s more important than ever for Monmouth County, NJ taxpayers to pay attention to their property tax assessment notice card. If you think you might be over-assessed, call me to have your property reviewed to see if a tax appeal is right for you.