Property tax in Union County, New Jersey
In Union County, the property tax bill comes from your town's tax collector (each of Union County's 21 municipalities bills and collects its own property tax, including the county's share). The 2026 bill is paid in 4 installments, and the next one is due November 1, 2026. Taken from Union County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Union County, New Jersey is $10,000+ a year, which is at least 1.89% of the county's median home value of $529,200. The Census stops counting at $10,000: it reports only that the median bill here is $10,000 or more, so the true bill and rate are higher than shown. That effective rate is higher than the national median (0.81%); against the typical New Jersey county (2.1%) the capped figure cannot say. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Union County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from your town's tax collector (each of Union County's 21 municipalities bills and collects its own property tax, including the county's share). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, your municipal tax assessor, supervised by the Union County Board of Taxation, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong.
Union County does not send its own property tax bill. Your town's tax collector sends one bill that covers town, school and county taxes, and your town's tax assessor values your home, so payment methods, online payment and any grace period depend on your town. The Union County Board of Taxation does not collect taxes; it certifies each town's assessments, sets the tax rates and hears appeals. A decision of the Board can be appealed to the Tax Court of New Jersey within 45 days of the date the judgment was mailed.
When are property taxes due in Union County?
For the 2026 bill, Union County splits the bill into 4 payments, the first due February 1, 2026 and the last November 1, 2026. The next one due is the fourth quarter, on November 1, 2026. Each town sets its own late interest within limits set by state law: up to 8% a year on the first $1,500 of the unpaid amount and up to 18% a year on anything above $1,500, counted from the date the installment was due, not from the end of any grace period. A town may also add a year-end penalty when more than $10,000 is still unpaid at the end of its fiscal year, and unpaid taxes can be sold as a lien at the town's annual tax sale.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First quarter | February 1, 2026 (passed) | Due dates for every New Jersey town are set by state law. The first two quarters of the year are estimated from the prior year's taxes. |
| Second quarter | May 1, 2026 (passed) | |
| Third quarter | August 1, 2026 (passed) | The third and fourth quarters are adjusted to the final 2026 tax rate, so they can differ from the first two. |
| Fourth quarter | November 1, 2026 | November 1, 2026 is a Sunday. State law lets each town give a grace period of up to 10 calendar days before interest is charged, but the county has not said what your town allows. Check your bill or your town's tax collector; if your town gives no grace period, pay by Friday, October 30, 2026. |
From Union County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Union County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Union County's average effective rate of 1.89% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $10,002 / year
Property tax in Union County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $10,000+ |
| Median home value | $529,200 |
| Effective tax rate | at least 1.89% |
| Typical New Jersey county rate | 2.1% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Union County compare in New Jersey?
Among New Jersey's 21 counties, Union County has the 14th highest effective property-tax rate: 13 rank higher and 7 rank lower. Nationally, it ranks 117th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. Both ranks use the capped $10,000 bill, so the county's true rate, and its true rank, may be higher still. See every New Jersey county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Union County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Union County's 116,605 owner-occupied homes, 95% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 95.8% pay at least $2,000, and 1.1% pay under $800. Another 2.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,242 | 1.1% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 891 | 0.8% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 321 | 0.3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 952 | 0.8% |
| $3,000 or more | 110,753 | 95% |
| No property tax paid | 2,446 | 2.1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $10,000+ and owners without one pay $10,000+. At least one of those medians hits the Census cap, so the gap between them cannot be measured here. Census table B25103.
Property tax in counties next to Union County
Union County borders 6 counties, 1 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County, NJ | 2.1% | $9,712 | $462,900 |
| Essex County, NJ | at least 1.91% | $10,000+ | $524,100 |
| Union County, NJ (this county) | at least 1.89% | $10,000+ | $529,200 |
| Somerset County, NJ | at least 1.81% | $10,000+ | $552,100 |
| Hudson County, NJ | 1.77% | $9,555 | $539,700 |
| Morris County, NJ | at least 1.72% | $10,000+ | $582,500 |
| Richmond County, NY | 0.92% | $6,247 | $675,500 |
How is a home assessed in Union County?
New Jersey sets the assessment rules and Union County applies them. How New Jersey assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Union County?
Not as an exemption. New Jersey's main benefit is ANCHOR, for homeowners with New Jersey gross income up to $250,000, and the amount depends on your income tier. That is the New Jersey rule, and it applies in Union County. New Jersey's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Union County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the New Jersey ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Union County property assessment
In Union County you appeal to the Union County Board of Taxation. The deadline: File by April 1 of the tax year, or 45 days after your town finishes mailing the assessment notices if that is later. The 2026 window has closed; for 2027 the deadline is Thursday, April 1, 2027. In a town putting a townwide revaluation into effect the deadline is May 1 instead: the Board lists revaluations for 2027 in Hillside, New Providence and Scotch Plains (subject to change), and because May 1, 2027 is a Saturday that deadline moves to Monday, May 3, 2027. Online appeals are accepted until 11:59 p.m. on the deadline; paper appeals must reach the Board's office in Westfield by 4 p.m., and a postmark is not enough. Your taxes and municipal charges through the first quarter of the year must be paid or the appeal can be dismissed. The filing fee is $5 to $150 depending on the assessment, plus $5 for filing online. An assessment over $1 million may go straight to the Tax Court of New Jersey. An added or omitted assessment is appealed by December 1, or 30 days after your town mails that bill. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How New Jersey's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
New Jersey rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the New Jersey page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Union County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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New Jersey income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what New Jersey actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Union County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Union County, New Jersey: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.