Tax Office

The collection of property taxes and the assessment of properties in the Township. Municipal Tax Collectors are licensed officials, governed by the New Jersey Division of Local Government and regulated by New Jersey State Statutes. The general duties of the Tax Office is to collect revenues (taxes) to fund local schools, municipalities, and county governments. Specific functions include collection of taxes, generation of tax bills, enforcement through penalties and interest, redemption's, tax sales, and reporting.

Tax Collector

Daryn Cashin
phone: 973-383-1817 ext.14
email: taxcollector@lafayettetwp.org
hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Current information on NJ property tax relief:

https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/relief.shtml

Forms for Tax Deductions

Forms can be found on the Forms and Applications page.

Information

Property Taxes

Property taxes are due quarterly: February, May, August & November on the 1st day of the month. There is a 10-day, interest-free grace period (we must have your payment no later than the 10th; postmark is not accepted). If the 10th falls on a holiday or weekend, the grace period will be extended to our next business day. Occasionally, the August tax quarter is extended due to budget preparation. If the quarter is extended, a notification will be included with your annual tax bill, which is mailed in July (please note that there is no grace period with an extended tax quarter, and if delinquent, interest will accrue from August 1st).

As a courtesy and reminder, we send delinquent notices immediately after the tax quarter ends to you and to your mortgage company, if applicable. Delinquent interest rates are 8% for the first $1,500.00 of delinquency and 18% for any delinquency over $1,500.00, (the rate then remains at 18% on any amount of delinquency, until the account becomes current). Interest accumulates from the 1st day of the tax quarter. In addition, we impose a 6% year-end penalty on all delinquencies exceeding $10,000.00 at the end of our fiscal year (12/31). When applying payment, we must collect interest first and apply the remainder to the principal (per state statute). If your taxes have become delinquent, whether you are mailing your payment or paying in person, please call our office, as we can provide you with the exact amount to remit to become current.

View or Pay Taxes Online

View or pay your taxes, print a tax bill, or project interest on delinquent accounts to a future date. You can look up by block and lot, name, property address or account number.^*

View or Pay Taxes Online

^* Please note that previous account numbers will no longer be valid, as we have changed software.

Tax payments by property owner:

By Mail:

Send your check, along with the appropriate tax “stub” to: Tax Collector, Township of Lafayette, 33 Morris Farm Road, Lafayette, NJ 07848. If you would like a receipt, please enclose the entire bill and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your bill. Please be sure that the amount of your check is correct (not every tax quarter is the same amount!) and never post-date your check….it will be immediately returned to you (by state statute, we cannot accept post-dated checks).

In Person:

Taxes can be paid at the Municipal Building, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Make checks payable to “Township of Lafayette.” If paying with cash, please bring the exact amount; we may not have adequate change on hand. Bring your entire tax bill with you and we will receipt it; otherwise, your cancelled check will be your receipt. If for any reason we are not in the office, your check and stub can be left in the exterior drop box, on the left side of the main entrance to the Municipal Building. If you would like a receipt, leave the entire bill with your payment and we will receipt it and return it to you by mail. Payments left in the drop box after 3:00 p.m. will be credited on the next business day. Please do not leave cash in the drop box!

Taxes paid by bank or mortgage company

If the tax bill you receive is marked “FOR ADVICE ONLY,” our records indicate that your taxes are escrowed and paid by a bank or mortgage company and we have sent the original bill to them. If your taxes are not escrowed and you are responsible for making your own tax payments, or if your loan is paid off within the current billing cycle, please contact our office so that we can take the steps to remove the bank code from your account and send you the original tax bill in the future. You can then use the “ADVICE ONLY” stubs to submit your payment (see above information on how to make tax payments). If you have received an original tax bill but a bank or mortgage company is escrowing for the taxes, please forward a copy of your bill to them, and ask that they supply our office with a “Tax Authorization” (as per NJ State Statute) so that we can code the tax account correctly.

Tax Deductions/Programs

Applications at Municipal Level (contact our office for applications and further information, or download the applications on the Forms and Applications page.

• Senior citizen (age 65), surviving spouse of a senior, or permanently and totally disabled and your income (excluding social security or government pension) does not exceed $10,000.00, you may be eligible for a tax deduction of $250.00 annually.
• Veteran or widow of a veteran: you may be eligible for an annual $250.00 deduction.
• Veteran permanently and totally disabled during war time while on active duty: may be eligible for a property tax exemption.

Tax Relief:

The State of New Jersey currently offers two other programs for property tax relief:

• The Property Tax Reimbursement Program (PTR, also known as the Senior Freeze). This program reimburses senior citizens (age 65) and disabled persons the difference between the “base” year (which is determined by the date of your initial application) and subsequent tax years. Income limits apply. First-time applications are available in our office in April. Information regarding this program may be obtained by calling the Reimbursement Hotline at 800-882-6597, or online at http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/ptr/
• ANCHOR Benefit Program: Replaces the Homestead rebate program, rebates eligible homeowners and tenants up to $1,750.00; amount will vary depending on household income and age. Previously, the state has been applying the credits directly towards the homeowner’s property taxes due, but will now be making payment by check or direct deposit. Information is mailed directly to homeowners by the state annually in the fall. For further information, call 888-238-1233, or on the web at: state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/anchor/.

Tax Assessor

Jason Laliker
phone: 973-383-1817 ext.13
email: tax.assessor.nj@gmail.com
hours: Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Assessments

Questions regarding property values, assessments, or appeals should be directed to the Lafayette Tax Assessor.

Municipal Maps

Municipal maps can be found on the maps page.