Live in New Jersey, Work in Utah: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
You file twice: Utah first, then New Jersey. There is no reciprocity agreement between these two states, so Utah taxes the income where it was earned and New Jersey taxes it again as resident income — with the resident credit removing the double charge rather than an exemption form preventing it.
Last verified
Two states can lawfully tax the same wages: Utah because the work happened there, New Jersey because you live there. Nothing prevents the overlap in advance — it is unwound afterwards, on the New Jersey return, through the credit for taxes paid to another state.
A New Jersey resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Schedule NJ-COJ. The credit is capped at the New Jersey tax on that income, so it removes the double tax but never refunds the excess when the other state charges more.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · UtahForm TC-40 with Schedule TC-40B
File the Utah nonresident return FIRST — you need the Utah tax figure before you can complete New Jersey.
- 2Resident return · New JerseySchedule NJ-COJ
File a New Jersey resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to Utah. The credit is capped at what New Jersey would have charged on that same income, so if Utah taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| New Jersey | Utah | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — graduated | Yes — flat |
| Reciprocity partners | 1 (Form NJ-165) | None |
| Convenience rule | Only against convenience-rule states | No |
| Nonresident return | Form NJ-1040NR | Form TC-40 with Schedule TC-40B |
| Credit for other-state tax | Schedule NJ-COJ | Schedule TC-40S |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | New Jersey Division of Taxation | Utah State Tax Commission |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in Utah and working in New Jersey gives:Both states — credit offsets the double tax.
Same two states, different situation
The withholding answer turns on how you are paid and where the work happens, not only on which two states are involved.
- Remote worker: New Jersey → UtahHome state only
- 1099 contractor: New Jersey → UtahHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: New Jersey → UtahTwo part-year returns
Other New Jersey pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in New Jersey and work in Utah. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
You file twice: Utah first, then New Jersey. There is no reciprocity agreement between these two states, so Utah taxes the income where it was earned and New Jersey taxes it again as resident income — with the resident credit removing the double charge rather than an exemption form preventing it.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
Utah. The wages are sourced to Utah, so Utah withholding is correct and there is no New Jersey withholding to set up.
Will I end up paying tax twice on the same income?
Not twice over, but you will pay the higher of the two rates. New Jersey gives residents a credit for tax paid to Utah on the same income, claimed on Schedule NJ-COJ. The credit is capped at the New Jersey tax on that income, so if Utah taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The New Jersey and Utah rules on this page were last checked against New Jersey Division of Taxation and Utah State Tax Commission on 2026-08-07. We re-check the full grid every December after state legislative sessions close, and re-check the convenience-of-the-employer states quarterly because that is where the rules move fastest.
Sources
Every fact above comes from the revenue department that publishes the rule. We do not cite secondary summaries, and we do not restate a figure we could not find at source.
- New Jersey Division of Taxation — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- New Jersey Division of Taxation — Convenience of the Employer Ruleaccessed 2026-08-07
- Utah State Tax Commission — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07