New Jersey sales tax due dates

Sales tax is the filing that catches contractors twice. First when they assume materials purchased for a job are somebody else's problem, and again when they learn the return is due even in a month with no revenue at all. The dates below are the ones New Jersey actually assigns, but your own filing frequency is assigned to your account by the state, so confirm yours before you rely on any calendar.

What New Jersey expects, and when

Every filing below is one Contractor Lane tracks for New Jersey, with the official source beside it. Open the agency link before you rely on a date: agencies change them, and yours is the account that matters.

• New Jersey sales & use tax quarterly return ST-50 - Q1 (Jan-Mar) — Every April 20Every business registered to collect New Jersey sales and use taxNew Jersey Division of Taxation - sales and use tax filing frequency and due dates
• New Jersey sales & use tax quarterly return ST-50 - Q2 (Apr-Jun) — Every July 20Every business registered to collect New Jersey sales and use taxNew Jersey Division of Taxation - sales and use tax filing frequency and due dates
• New Jersey sales & use tax quarterly return ST-50 - Q3 (Jul-Sep) — Every October 20Every business registered to collect New Jersey sales and use taxNew Jersey Division of Taxation - sales and use tax filing frequency and due dates
• New Jersey sales & use tax quarterly return ST-50 - Q4 (Oct-Dec) — Every January 20Every business registered to collect New Jersey sales and use taxNew Jersey Division of Taxation - sales and use tax filing frequency and due dates
• New Jersey monthly sales tax remittance voucher ST-51 — Every February 20Sellers who collected more than $30,000 in New Jersey sales and use tax in the prior calendar yearNew Jersey Division of Taxation - sales and use tax filing frequency and due dates

Why these are the ones that get missed

None of these filings announce themselves. There is no invoice, no customer chasing you, and no job that stops if you skip one. They sit outside the work, which is why they are missed by people who are otherwise good at running a business — the ones who miss them are usually busy, not careless.

The pattern is almost always the same. A deadline passes quietly, the notice goes to an address or an inbox nobody checks daily, and the first real signal is a penalty, a lapsed status, or a bank or general contractor asking for a certificate of good standing you can no longer produce. By then the cheap fix has become an expensive one.

Common questions

Are these dates the same every year?

The fixed dates above repeat annually, but a due date landing on a weekend or a holiday normally moves to the next business day, and states do change dates by statute. Each filing above links to the agency that publishes it, which is the only place worth confirming a date you are relying on.

Do I still have to file if I made no money?

Usually yes. Most sales and use tax obligations are triggered by being registered, not by having revenue. A period with no income generally still needs a return showing zero rather than no return at all, and "I had nothing to report" is not treated as an excuse for a missing filing. Check the agency linked above for your specific filing.

What happens if I miss the date?

It varies by filing and by state, and the penalty is rarely the worst part. Late fees and interest are recoverable; losing good standing, or having a licence lapse, can stop you bidding and can put collection on finished work at risk. That gap between a small fee and a large consequence is why these dates are worth tracking rather than remembering.

Does my accountant or payroll software already handle this?

Some of it, and that is what makes this risky. Payroll software generally files the payroll returns it was set up to file. It does not track your New Jersey report, your licence renewal, or a filing you never told it about. The filings above are the ones that sit outside those tools and land on the owner.

General educational information, not legal, tax, or licensing advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change, and local requirements may also apply. Confirm every date with the responsible agency before relying on it. Contractor Lane is not a licensing agency, law firm, CPA, or insurance agency.