Moving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania: What Changes for Your Paycheck (2026)
About 20,850 people moved along this corridor in 2019. Here is what the move does to take-home pay at every salary we model, and the one rule that decides whether the bill matches the arithmetic.
Last updated
At a glance
Tax year 2026, single filer, $100,000, biweekly pay, no retirement contribution, health premium or local tax — the same assumptions as the method section. Rates and brackets come from the Tax Foundation tables in force on January 1, 2026.
| Rule | New Jersey → Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | Graduated brackets, top rate 10.75% |
| Pennsylvania | Flat 3.07% on taxable income |
| Take-home at $100,000 | $$75,000 → $$76,110 |
| Difference | +$$1,110 per year, +$$43 per paycheck |
| Movers on this corridor | 20,850 (Census ACS 2019, top net-mover corridors) |
Paycheck comparison
Both columns are computed by the calculator from the same inputs, so the only thing that differs between them is the state layer. Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare cancel out — the difference column is entirely New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
| Income | New Jersey | Pennsylvania | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $$41,140 | $$40,820 | −$$320 |
| $75,000 | $$58,997 | $$59,290 | +$$294 |
| $100,000 | $$75,000 | $$76,110 | +$$1,110 |
| $150,000 | $$106,426 | $$109,186 | +$$2,760 |
Want different inputs? Run this move through the calculator with Pennsylvania selected — filing status, retirement percentage, health premium and local tax all change the answer, and none of them are modelled above.
The one corridor here where reciprocity works for you
Pennsylvania and New Jersey have had a reciprocal personal income tax agreement since 1977, and it is the only one New Jersey has. Live in Pennsylvania, work from home for a New Jersey employer, and New Jersey steps aside: the wages are taxed by Pennsylvania, not New Jersey.
- Stop the New Jersey withholding by filing Form NJ-165, Statement of New Jersey Nonresidency, with your employer. No form filed means no exemption — the employer keeps withholding.
- Reciprocity covers wages, salaries, commissions and tips only. Not interest, dividends, capital gains, rental or business income, and not local taxes.
- Pennsylvania's agreement list is Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia — six states, and no others.
- New York sits outside every one of them, which is why the neighbouring corridor on this list behaves completely differently.
Reciprocity is opt-in at the employee level and it is wages only. Your home state still taxes any investment or rental income, and the local tax where you live still applies.
The year you move
Neither state recognises the day you unpacked the boxes as a bright line. You file a part-year resident return in New Jersey for the wages earned while you were its resident and a part-year return in Pennsylvania for the rest, and the date each one starts is a question of domicile facts — home, family, licence, registration, voting, business ties — not of the calendar.
The rules above decide who gets to tax which days; the mechanics of residency, day-count apportionment and safe harbors are the same on every corridor and are set out once in which state taxes a remote worker. Keep a per-day log of where you worked, your employer’s written statement of your work location, and the paperwork that shows you actually moved.
Read the full schedules behind these figures: New Jersey tax brackets and Pennsylvania tax brackets.
Common questions
Does Pennsylvania tax wages?
Pennsylvania taxes wage income with a flat schedule and a top rate of 3.07%. Your employer withholds it from each paycheck once you are a resident, and the year you arrive is a part-year resident return.
How much do I keep moving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania?
At $100,000 for a single filer, take-home is $$75,000 in New Jersey and $$76,110 in Pennsylvania — a difference of +$$1,110 a year, or about +$$43 per biweekly paycheck. The four-income table above shows the same calculation at $50,000, $75,000 and $150,000; the federal tax and FICA portions are identical on both sides.
What is the one thing to get right on this move?
Stop the New Jersey withholding by filing Form NJ-165, Statement of New Jersey Nonresidency, with your employer. No form filed means no exemption — the employer keeps withholding. Reciprocity is opt-in at the employee level and it is wages only. Your home state still taxes any investment or rental income, and the local tax where you live still applies.
Estimates for a modelled filer, not tax advice, and not a prediction of your return — part-year residency, bonuses, local taxes and filing status all move the number. See the Disclaimer and what this site’s numbers do and do not model.