MoveCheck

Moving from New Jersey

About 225,500 people left New Jersey for other states in 2023, while about 156,300 moved in.

  • Leaving takes a few steps.
  • You file a part-year income tax return, and you surrender your plates to MVC.
  • If you sell your home after you move, the closing has its own tax form.
  • This page covers every New Jersey-origin route we track.
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New Jersey at a Glance

Taxes

State income tax10.75%
State sales tax6.625%
Property tax (eff.)1.88%

Climate

Avg annual temp53°F
Annual precipitation47″

Humid subtropical with hot, humid summers and cold winters.

Cost of Living

COL index118.8 (US=100)
Avg electric bill$128/mo

Why People Move from New Jersey

Most people who leave stay close.

  • Census ACS 2023 flows put Pennsylvania first at about 41,200, then New York at about 40,500 and Florida at about 33,200.
  • California took about 12,500, South Carolina about 9,800, and North Carolina about 9,300.
  • New York is the exception to the outflow.
  • It sent about 55,900 people to New Jersey, more than it took.
  • South Carolina took more than three times as many people as it sent back.

Check how your costs change.

  • The Tax Foundation puts the effective property tax rate on owner-occupied homes at 1.88 percent, the highest in the nation.
  • Income tax rates run from 1.40 percent to 10.75 percent.
  • The state sales tax is 6.625 percent.
  • New Jersey also has an inheritance tax.
  • The MERIC first quarter 2026 series put the cost of living index at 118.8, ranked 45th, with housing at 144.3.

Popular Routes Moving from New Jersey

New Jersey → AlaskaNew Jersey → FloridaNew Jersey → CaliforniaNew Jersey → North DakotaNew Jersey → South DakotaNew Jersey → AlabamaNew Jersey → ArkansasNew Jersey → ArizonaNew Jersey → ColoradoNew Jersey → ConnecticutNew Jersey → Washington D.C.New Jersey → DelawareNew Jersey → GeorgiaNew Jersey → HawaiiNew Jersey → IowaNew Jersey → IdahoNew Jersey → IllinoisNew Jersey → IndianaNew Jersey → KansasNew Jersey → KentuckyNew Jersey → LouisianaNew Jersey → MassachusettsNew Jersey → MarylandNew Jersey → MaineNew Jersey → MichiganNew Jersey → MinnesotaNew Jersey → MissouriNew Jersey → MississippiNew Jersey → MontanaNew Jersey → North CarolinaNew Jersey → NebraskaNew Jersey → New HampshireNew Jersey → New MexicoNew Jersey → NevadaNew Jersey → New YorkNew Jersey → OhioNew Jersey → OklahomaNew Jersey → OregonNew Jersey → PennsylvaniaNew Jersey → Rhode IslandNew Jersey → South CarolinaNew Jersey → TennesseeNew Jersey → TexasNew Jersey → UtahNew Jersey → VirginiaNew Jersey → VermontNew Jersey → WashingtonNew Jersey → WisconsinNew Jersey → West VirginiaNew Jersey → Wyoming

Before You Leave New Jersey

File Form NJ-1040 as a part-year resident

New Jersey has no separate part-year form. File Form NJ-1040 and enter the dates of your residency. Report only the income you received while you lived here. File if your income for the whole year was over $10,000. The limit is $20,000 for joint or head of household filers. If you get New Jersey income after you move, also file Form NJ-1040NR.

Source: NJ Division of Taxation, Part-Year Residents

Surrender your New Jersey plates and keep the receipt

Surrender New Jersey plates you no longer use. For a move, do this after you register the vehicle in your new state. Bring the plates to any MVC agency, or use the drop box outside. You can also mail them to an agency with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. MVC mails you a receipt. Keep it in case MVC links charges to the plates later.

Source: NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, Plates

Expect a suspension notice if you cancel insurance first

Insurers tell MVC when you drop a policy on a New Jersey vehicle. MVC can then send a suspension notice. To resolve it, send MVC your plate surrender receipt. You can also send proof that the vehicle is registered in another state.

Source: NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, Uninsured Motorist Enforcement FAQs

Plan for the 2% estimated tax if you sell your home after you move

A nonresident who sells New Jersey real property must make an estimated income tax payment at or before closing. The payment is at least 2% of the sale price, even if you have no gain. A home that meets the federal principal residence rules (26 U.S.C. 121) can qualify for an exemption on Form GIT/REP-3.

Source: NJ Division of Taxation, TB-57(R) Nonresident Sales of Real Property

Pay any MVC insurance surcharges you still owe

Moving out of state does not cancel MVC insurance surcharges. You still owe surcharges for offenses from when you drove as a New Jersey motorist.

Source: NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, Frequently Asked Questions

New Jersey DMV & Registration

Your new state sets the deadline for its license and plates.

  • After you register the vehicle there, surrender your New Jersey plates at any MVC agency, in the drop box outside, or by mail with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
  • Keep the receipt MVC mails you.
  • Do not drop your New Jersey insurance before that.
  • Insurers report dropped policies to MVC, and MVC can send a suspension notice.
  • You clear it with the plate receipt or proof of registration in another state.
  • Moving does not cancel MVC insurance surcharges you already owe.
Official New Jersey DMV →
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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to file New Jersey taxes if I move out?

Usually yes.

  • New Jersey has no separate part-year form, so you file the regular Form NJ-1040 and enter the dates you lived here.
  • Report only the income you received while you were a resident.
  • You must file if your income for the whole year was more than $10,000, or $20,000 for joint or head of household filers.
  • If you get New Jersey income after you move, such as wages from a New Jersey job, also file Form NJ-1040NR.

Do I return my license plates when I move out of New Jersey?

Yes.

  • Surrender New Jersey plates you no longer use.
  • Bring them to any MVC agency or put them in the drop box outside.
  • You can also mail them to an MVC agency with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
  • MVC mails you a receipt.
  • Keep it in case charges are linked to the plates later.
  • Plates cannot be surrendered at inspection stations.

When can I cancel my New Jersey car insurance?

After you register the vehicle in your new state and surrender the plates.

  • Insurers tell MVC when a policy on a New Jersey vehicle is dropped, and MVC can send a suspension notice.
  • To resolve it, send MVC a copy of your plate surrender receipt or proof that the vehicle is registered in another state.

What if I sell my New Jersey house after I move?

A nonresident seller must make an estimated income tax payment at or before closing.

  • The payment is at least 2 percent of the sale price, even if there is no gain.
  • The county clerk will not record the deed without the right GIT/REP form.
  • A home that meets the federal principal residence rules (26 U.S.C.
  • 121) can qualify for an exemption on Form GIT/REP-3.
  • If you were still a resident on the closing date, you can claim the resident exemption instead.

Can I still get ANCHOR if I moved out of New Jersey?

It depends on where you lived on October 1.

  • The ANCHOR benefit applies only to the New Jersey home you owned or rented and lived in on October 1, and the Division of Taxation says you can still qualify if you moved during the year.
  • For the current program, homeowner income must be $250,000 or less and renter income $150,000 or less.

Where do people move when they leave New Jersey?

Using Census ACS 2023 state-to-state flows: Pennsylvania (about 41,200), New York (about 40,500), Florida (about 33,200), California (about 12,500), South Carolina (about 9,800), and North Carolina (about 9,300).

  • Every one of these states except New York took more people from New Jersey than it sent back.