The State of New Jersey’s Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) property tax relief program officially opened for 2025 in August.  On August 13, the state’s Treasury Department started sending notification letters to New Jersey taxpayers, confirming their eligibility and informing them that their ANCHOR applications will be filed automatically by the state, beginning September 15, 2025.  This year’s ANCHOR benefits are based on the taxpayer’s residency, income, and age from tax year 2024.

When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) became law on July 4, 2025, it brought major updates to tax policy and federal spending. The changes affect everything from how individuals claim deductions to how corporations make gifts, along with adjustments to several major federal programs. For nonprofits, these changes will likely influence donor behavior, and in some cases, the amount of help people seek from community organizations.

We are excited to share that our office will be relocating to a new space! As part of this transition, our current location will be closing as of June 25, 2025, and we will officially reopen in our new office on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.

New Jersey’s state-sponsored retirement program, RetireReady NJ, is on the verge of expanding. Originally required for businesses with 25 or more employees, new legislation moving through the state government would lower that threshold to just one. If enacted, nearly every private-sector employer in New Jersey without a retirement plan would be responsible for registering with the state or certifying an exemption.

The State of New Jersey’s Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) property tax relief program officially opened for 2024 in August.  Payments for eligible homeowners and renters began going out on a rolling basis in mid-October; however, just a short time later, the State pulled the ANCHOR benefit payments from some taxpayers’ accounts, due to possible fraud.

From August 26 to September 4, 2023, the State of New Jersey will be holding a Sales Tax Holiday on certain items sold to individual purchasers for non-business use. The tax holiday will waive the 6.625% sales tax on a long list of eligible items, many of which are needed by parents and children for the upcoming school year.

The push towards renewable energy has been a priority of President Biden’s since taking office. Not only is it seen as a way to proactively manage climate change, but it ensures the United States remains a global leader in clean energy technology, manufacturing, innovation, and production. In fact, there have been several parcels of legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which offer lucrative incentives for clean energy investments.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made several favorable tax changes that provided meaningful benefits to businesses. Unfortunately, there were also changes that had an adverse impact on the same taxpayers. One important example is the $10,000 cap on the deduction for state and local taxes. Unfortunately, this modification created tax complications for owners of S-corporations, partnerships, and other pass-through entities. Essentially, it forced more of the tax burden on the individual tax returns of owners.

In June 2022, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Act, also known as the State’s budget for the coming fiscal year.  One highlight of the budget is the Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters Property Tax Relief Program (ANCHOR).  This program replaces the Homestead Benefit program and will provide relief to double the number of homeowners and also include renters, which the previous program did not.

In a memorandum released in September 2022, the IRS has confirmed that if a PPP loan was forgiven based on misrepresentations or omissions by the taxpayer, the taxpayer is not eligible to exclude the forgiven amount from income.  Any portion of the loan proceeds that were forgiven in error must be included in their gross income.