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N.J.A.C. 4A:3-4.1 General provisions

N.J.A.C. 4A:3-4.1, General provisions. In local service, appointing authorities shall establish compensation plans that provide for paying employees in reasonable relationship to their job titles Full text with 1 recorded amendment, 13 citing decisions, cited by 1 other rule.

Classification, Services, and Compensation · Compensation

Current through New Jersey Register, Vol. 58 No. 14, July 20, 2026. Reviewed as of July 26, 2026.

This is an annotated mirror, not the official publication. Verify against the Civil Service Commission before relying on it.

In plain language

Compensation is centralised in State service and devolved in local service, and this section is where that split is set. In local service each appointing authority writes its own compensation plan, paying employees in reasonable relationship to their job titles, files a current copy with a Commission representative, and files any modification within 20 days of adopting it. Where a local plan establishes a salary range for a title, base salary may not fall below the minimum or rise above the maximum of that range. In State service the Civil Service Commission establishes and maintains the plan itself, setting pay rates and a series of salary ranges, and each career and unclassified employee is paid within the range or at the rate assigned to their title. Both services are auditable. A Commission representative may examine payroll records for compliance, on site or by requesting certified payrolls, and in State service the appointing authority signs a certification that the people listed actually rendered the service and that Commission approval of their employment has been secured or is being secured.

Written by the NJ Civil Service Navigator editorial team from the text of N.J.A.C. 4A:3-4.1. It is a description of the rule, not the rule itself, and not legal advice.

(a) In local service, appointing authorities shall establish compensation plans that provide for paying employees in reasonable relationship to their job titles. #

1. Each appointing authority shall provide a current copy of its compensation plan to an appropriate representative of the Civil Service Commission, and shall provide any subsequent modifications within 20 days after adoption. #

2. When a salary range is established for a job title, an employee shall not be paid a base salary below the minimum or above the maximum established for that range. #

3. An appointing authority may request information and technical assistance from an appropriate representative of the Civil Service Commission in developing compensation plans. #

(b) In State and local service, an appropriate representative of the Civil Service Commission may audit an appointing authority's payroll records to determine compliance with Title 11A, New Jersey Statutes, Title 4A, N.J.A.C., and orders issued by the Civil Service Commission. #

1. In State service, the appointing authority or the appointing authority's designee shall sign the regular and supplemental payroll certification documents submitted to the Centralized Payroll Unit, Department of the Treasury. The certification documents shall state, in substance, that all persons whose names appear on the accompanying payroll proof have rendered services for the benefit of the State, in the positions shown and for the time period indicated, for which funds are available. The certification shall further state, in substance, that formal approval of the employment of these persons has been, or is in the process of being, secured from the Civil Service Commission and the Department of the Treasury. See N.J.A.C. 4A:4-1.10 for Civil Service Commission approval of appointments. #

(c) In local service, payroll records may be audited through on-site examinations, submission of payrolls for specified time periods, or a combination of both. Upon request by an appropriate representative of the Civil Service Commission, an appointing authority shall submit a payroll, certified by an authorized financial officer, which contains the following information and such other information as may be requested: #

1. Name of jurisdiction; #

2. Name of department; #

3. Names, titles, and social security numbers of employees; #

4. Actual amount of pay for pay period, including dates employed; #

5. Annual rate of pay; and #

6. Beginning and ending dates for current pay period. #

(d) In State service, the Civil Service Commission shall establish, maintain, and approve changes in a compensation plan for all employees in the career and unclassified services. See N.J.A.C. 4A:3-2.5 for Senior Executive Service compensation. #

1. The compensation plan shall establish pay rates and a series of salary ranges. #

2. Each employee in the career and unclassified services shall be paid within the salary range or at the pay rate assigned to the employee's job title and pay shall be adjusted in accordance with this subchapter, except as otherwise provided by law, rule, or action of the Civil Service Commission. #

Amendment history

Rule numbers, effective dates and New Jersey Register citations as published. 1 recorded change.

  1. AmendedR.2013 d.001
    44 N.J.R. 2149(a); 45 N.J.R. 25(a)

How this rule has been applied

13 decisions have cited N.J.A.C. 4A:3-4.1. The list below is citations to those decisions, not the decisions. We have not written summaries for this section. A citation with no summary is deliberate: we do not paraphrase a decision we have not read. Nothing here is legal advice.

New Jersey Supreme Court (1)
  • In re Senior Appeals Examiners60 N.J. 356; 290 A.2d 1291972
Appellate Division (1)
  • In the Matter of Pemberton Twp. Mun. Utilities Authority205 N.J.Super. 31; 500 A.2d 18
Superior Court (2)
  • Abramson v. Farrell122 N.J.Super. 30; 298 A.2d 7051972
  • Brown v. City of Jersey City289 N.J.Super. 374; 674 A.2d 185
Federal courts (1)
  • Brennan v. Bd. of Educ., Jersey City, New Jersey374 F.Supp. 817
Civil Service Commission final determinations (8)
  • In re James, Essex Cnty., Dep't of Corr., CSC Docket No. 2024-4152024 N.J. CSC LEXIS 111Docket 2024-415
  • In re Curtis, Office of the State Comptroller, CSC Docket No. 2019-11472019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 377Docket 2019-1147
  • In re Commc'ns Workers of Am. Grievance Settlement, Various State Agencies, CSC Docket No. 2019-34402019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 343Docket 2019-3440
  • In re Montone, Monroe Twp., CSC Docket No. 2019-7162019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 90Docket 2019-716
  • In re L.J., William Paterson Univ., CSC Docket No. 2018-6652018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 705Docket 2018-665
  • In re Govier, Soc. Worker Health (C0532T), Sussex Cnty., CSC Docket No. 2017-1350 and 2017-2798 (Consolidated)2018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 20Docket 2017-1350 and 2017-2798
  • In re Boesch, Hunterdon Cnty., CSC Dkt. Nos. 2014-18692015 N.J. CSC LEXIS 242
  • In re Vogt, et al., Jersey City, CSC Docket Nos. 2011-4505 to 2011-4512 (Consolidated) (On Remand)2014 N.J. CSC LEXIS 488Docket 2011-4505

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