New Jersey vs Florida — $100K Earner Keeps $4,180 More

Verdict: Florida keeps $4,180 more at $100K single

New Jersey vs Florida take-home pay by income

Quick answer: Florida wins at every income because the federal tax and FICA are identical in both states — only New Jersey adds state income tax, rising from 1.4% to 6.37% across these salaries. Compare your own salary with the New Jersey paycheck calculator and the Florida paycheck calculator, then use the table below to see the full picture.

Single filer. Federal taxable income equals gross minus $16,100 (2026 standard deduction), taxed with floors [0, 12400, 50400, 105700, 201775, 256225, 640600] at rates 10/12/22/24/32/35/37%. NJ taxable income equals gross minus the $1,000 personal exemption. NJ 2025 single rates run 1.4% ($0–$20,000), 1.75% (to $35,000), 3.5% (to $40,000), 5.525% (to $75,000), 6.37% (to $500,000), then 8.97% and 10.75% above that. FICA is shown at a flat 7.65% and is identical in both states, so it never changes the gap. Florida state tax is $0 at every income.

*NJ column uses 2025 NJ brackets — labeled as such until the 2026 schedules are released. Amounts rounded to the nearest cent. *$250k FICA at a flat 7.65% is simplified; above the Social Security wage base, actual FICA is lower in both states (the gap is unaffected because FICA is identical either way). Single filer, $1,000 NJ personal exemption; credits and AMT are not included.

How the rows were computed: Federal taxable income equals gross minus $16,100. Check the $100K row: $83,900 taxable gives $1,240 at 10% plus $4,560 at 12% plus $7,370 at 22%, totaling $13,170. NJ taxable income equals gross minus $1,000, so the $100K row taxes $99,000 through the NJ brackets — $280 at 1.4% plus $262.50 at 1.75% plus $175 at 3.5% plus $1,933.75 at 5.525% plus $1,528.80 at 6.37% — totaling $4,180.05. FICA equals gross times 7.65%. NJ take-home equals gross minus federal minus NJ state minus FICA. FL take-home equals gross minus federal minus FICA.

High earners: NJ slabs reach 6.37% at these incomes and 10.75% above $1M vs FL $0 — the gap is largest at $250K, but read the property-tax tradeoff and the inheritance-tax trap below before deciding.

NJ figures use 2025 NJ brackets; 2026 federal figures; single filer, full-year resident.

Why people move from New Jersey to Florida: the retiree exodus

Quick answer: It is not only the paycheck — retirement income, housing costs, and taxes move together. Year after year, Census migration data shows New Jersey losing residents on net to Florida, and retirees lead the way south.

New Jersey taxes most retirement income at least partially — pensions, 401(k) withdrawals, and IRA distributions generally face state tax, with only limited exclusions for qualifying retirees. Social Security gets friendlier treatment, but the overall package still takes a bite that Florida simply does not take. Add the highest average property-tax burden in the country, and a paid-off Shore or suburban home keeps costing its owner thousands every year even after the mortgage ends. For a retired couple, the combined income-tax plus property-tax saving of a Florida move can fund several years of living expenses.

Working families move for the same math in a different order: the $4,180 yearly gap at $100K single compounds to more than $40,000 over a decade, before raises push the household into the 6.37% NJ slab. That does not mean everyone should move — careers, schools, and family ties matter enormously — but it explains why the Florida question comes up at nearly every New Jersey kitchen table. The rest of this guide covers the four angles that decide whether the move pays off for you: property tax, inheritance tax, the SALT cap, and the 183-day rule.

Moving from New Jersey to Florida: pros and cons

Taxes are only half the decision. Here is the honest one-line version of each side — and if you want more state pairs like this one, browse our state tax comparison hub for more state pairs.

New Jersey: pros and cons

Pros:

• Higher salaries in pharma, finance, and NYC-commutable roles can offset the tax bite.
• Graduated brackets mean a lighter burden on low-income earners than a flat-tax state.
• ANCHOR property-tax relief trims the bill for eligible homeowners and renters.
• No longer any state estate tax since the 2018 repeal.

Cons:

• The highest average property taxes in the nation, near 2.2%, dwarf the income-tax gap for homeowners.
• An $4,180 yearly gap at $100K single compounds to six figures of lost wealth over a career.
• A 10.75% top income-tax rate above $1M punishes high earners and business sellers.
• An inheritance tax up to 16% still hits transfers to non-close relatives.

Florida: pros and cons

Pros:

• Zero state income tax at every income level.
• No state tax return to file, ever.
• Bigger take-home pay on every paycheck at any salary.
• Homestead exemption plus Save Our Homes cap protects long-term owners.
• No estate or inheritance tax at all.

Cons:

• Homeowners insurance and HOA costs run high in many Florida counties.
• Combined sales tax with county surtax adds up on everyday spending.
• Property insurance volatility can surprise new buyers near the coast.
• Public services lean on sales and property taxes, so those rates move with local budgets.

Property tax tradeoff: NJ burden vs FL homestead and Save Our Homes

Quick answer: New Jersey averages roughly 2.2% in effective property tax — the highest in the nation — while Florida averages near 0.9% with homestead protection. For renters and mid-salary W-2 workers, the income-tax saving wins easily. For expensive homes, compare county millage on both sides every year.

• New Jersey homeowners routinely pay $8,000–$15,000 a year on modest suburban homes, and Shore towns add flood-insurance costs on top.
• Florida Homestead Exemption can reduce a home's assessed value by roughly $50,000 for eligible permanent residents.
• The Save Our Homes benefit caps annual assessed-value growth at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower — the 2025 cap was 2.9% on CPI grounds.
• Save Our Homes portability lets you transfer accumulated savings from an old Florida home to a new one.

The Shore cost-of-living angle matters here: a Jersey Shore homeowner paying five figures in property tax plus flood insurance can find that the property-tax saving alone matches the income-tax saving. Try it in the calculator above: enter an optional home value to see the property-tax note next to your take-home comparison, then read the county assessor figures before signing anything.

Estate and inheritance tax: NJ repealed, but the trap remains vs Florida none

Quick answer: Neither state levies an estate tax — New Jersey repealed its estate tax in 2018 — but New Jersey still imposes an inheritance tax up to 16% on transfers to non-close relatives, while Florida levies neither tax at all.

Since January 1, 2018, New Jersey imposes no estate tax, so large estates pass free of state death tax in both states. The trap is the separate inheritance tax: transfers to spouses, children, and grandchildren (Class A) are fully exempt, but transfers to siblings carry an 11–16% rate above small exemptions, and transfers to friends, unmarried partners, nieces, or nephews (Class D) face 15–16% with only a $500 exemption. Florida, by contrast, imposes no estate, inheritance, or generation-skipping tax of any kind. For retirees planning to leave wealth to siblings, friends, or unmarried partners, this single difference can outweigh years of income-tax savings — review beneficiary designations before you move.

SALT cap angle: $40,400 for 2026 high earners

Quick answer: The SALT deduction cap is now $40,400 for 2026 joint filers, so New Jersey high earners who itemize get more federal relief than before — but the cap still phases out above $505,000 of income.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act raised the SALT deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000 for 2025 and $40,400 for 2026 (married filing jointly), with a 30% phaseout above $500,000 of MAGI for 2025 and $505,000 for 2026, floored at $10,000, and a return to $10,000 in 2030. That matters more in New Jersey than in almost any other state, because the typical itemizer deducts both hefty income tax and five-figure property tax. The higher cap narrows — but never closes — the Florida gap. Above roughly $505,000 of income the cap shrinks again, so the Florida move's SALT angle depends on your income: mid-range itemizers feel the relief most, while $500K-plus earners still face a meaningful unrelieved SALT burden in New Jersey.

Mover warning: the 183-day rule and NJ exit audits

Quick answer: Moving to Florida does not automatically end New Jersey tax. If you keep a permanent New Jersey home and spend more than 183 days in the state, New Jersey still taxes you as a resident — and auditors check.

New Jersey treats you as a statutory resident when you maintain a permanent place of abode in the state and spend more than 183 days there during the year, even if your domicile is Florida. Snowbirds who keep the Shore house, keep the doctors, and drift past the day count routinely fail this test. New Jersey also taxes a part-year resident's New Jersey-period income and taxes New Jersey-source income (such as a Newark office salary or rental income) no matter where you live. The Florida move delivers its full $4,180-style benefit only when the New Jersey footprint genuinely shrinks — sell or give up the permanent home, move the license, doctors, and voter registration, and count every day. Keep a contemporaneous calendar; in an audit, the calendar beats memory.

Withholding forms: NJ NJ-W4 vs federal W-4

New Jersey requires federal Form W-4 plus state Form NJ-W4 for withholding, while Florida needs only federal Form W-4 because it has no state income tax. After your move, file a new W-4 with your Florida address and confirm New Jersey withholding stops on the next payroll cycle.

Moving from New Jersey to Florida checklist

Quick answer: The tax saving only sticks if New Jersey agrees you left. Work through these 8 steps in order, keep every proof, and file a final part-year New Jersey return.

1. Fix your move date and keep lease or deed proof. Your part-year split, credits, and audit defense all anchor to this date — save the signed lease or closing papers.
2. Get your FL license within 30 days and register to vote. A Florida license plus voter registration are the strongest residency signals auditors look for.
3. Register your vehicles and surrender NJ plates. Transfer plates and registration to Florida, then confirm New Jersey records stop tying you to the state.
4. Give payroll a new W-4 with your Florida address and stop NJ withholding. Confirm the change lands before the next pay cycle and keep the confirmation.
5. Shift bank, medical, and insurance ties. Move accounts, doctors, memberships, and policies — auditors weigh closest connections, not just your address.
6. File a NJ part-year return (NJ-1040) and split wages by move date. Report only New Jersey-period income to Trenton; a move can also change your refund math, so check our federal tax refund calculator for the move year.
7. Drop NJ-W4 and keep only the federal W-4. Florida has no state withholding form, so state withholding should be zero from the move forward.
8. Keep a proof folder plus a 183-day calendar. Store the lease or deed, utility bills, license, and a day-by-day presence log together — most post-move inquiries are settled with paperwork, not penalties.

Sources and methodology

Federal figures use 2026 IRS brackets and the $16,100 single standard deduction. NJ figures use the 2025 published brackets with the $1,000 personal exemption, labeled as such throughout. Key sources: the New Jersey Division of Taxation (nj.gov/treasury/taxation), the Florida Department of Revenue homestead resources, and Census Bureau state-to-state migration data showing net New Jersey-to-Florida flows. NJ county property-tax and ANCHOR figures are intentionally omitted — check the county assessor for current numbers.