NJ Civil Service Navigator

N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.17 Application processing fees

N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.17, Application processing fees. A $ 25.00 processing fee shall be charged for each open competitive and promotional examination application, except as provided as follows: 1. Veterans shal Full text with 8 recorded amendments, 11 citing decisions, cited by 2 other rules.

Selection and Appointment · Competitive Examinations

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

Twenty-five dollars per application, open competitive and promotional alike, reduced to 15 dollars for veterans. Law enforcement officer and firefighter examinations carry a separately established fee capped at the cost of developing, procuring and administering the examination, with receipts appropriated back to the Commission for that purpose. Where an announcement lists more than one title area, such as police, sheriff and corrections, a fee is charged for each title area the applicant selects. No fee is charged where the application is filed for placement on a list under 4A:4-4.6A. Open competitive applicants who document that they were receiving General Assistance, Work First New Jersey benefits or Supplemental Security Income as of the closing date are granted a waiver. The fee buys processing and nothing more: it does not guarantee admittance to an examination or appointment to a position, and it is refunded only for untimely filing or cancellation of the examination. Cancellation for lack of eligible applicants, or because no eligible applicant appears, brings no refund.

Written by the NJ Civil Service Navigator editorial team from the text of N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.17. It is a description of the rule, not the rule itself, and not legal advice.

(a) A $ 25.00 processing fee shall be charged for each open competitive and promotional examination application, except as provided as follows: #

1. Veterans shall be charged a processing fee of $ 15.00 for each open competitive and promotional examination application, unless the examination falls under paragraphs (a)2 or 3 below. #

2. The Civil Service Commission shall establish a fee for each application for an open competitive or promotional examination for a law enforcement officer or firefighter title. The fee shall not exceed the cost of developing, procuring, and administering the examination. Receipts derived from this application fee shall be appropriated to the Commission for use in developing, procuring, and administering law enforcement officer and firefighter examinations. #

3. When announcements for an examination list more than one title area (such as police, sheriff, and corrections), a processing fee shall be charged for each title area selected by the applicant. #

4. An application processing fee shall not be charged where the application is being filed for placement on a list in accordance with N.J.A.C. 4A:4-4.6A. #

(b) For online applications, the fee may be paid by using a credit card or e-check, or by sending a check or money order, made payable to the NJCSC. If a paper application is submitted, only a check or money order made payable to the NJCSC shall be accepted and must be submitted with the application. #

(c) Applications received without a fee shall not be processed unless the applicant submits, within the time required by written notice from the Civil Service Commission, the required fee or, for open competitive applications, proof of exemption as described in (d) below. #

(d) An applicant for an open competitive examination will be granted a waiver of the fee if the applicant provides documentation showing that, as of the closing date, he or she is receiving General Assistance benefits, benefits under the Work First New Jersey Act, or Supplemental Security Income. Proof must consist of one of the following: #

1. General Assistance--a copy of the applicant's benefits identification card (if one was issued) or a letter from the applicant's local municipal welfare director. #

2. Work First New Jersey Act--a copy of the applicant's Families First card. #

3. Supplemental Security Income--a copy of the applicant's latest annual award letter or proof of the applicant's Medicaid identification number for S.S.I. benefits. #

(e) The fee is for processing purposes only and does not guarantee admittance to an examination or appointment to a position. The fee shall not be refunded for any reason except untimely filing of the application or cancellation of the examination. #

1. The fee shall not be refunded when the cancellation is due to the lack of eligible applicants ("no admits") or when no eligible applicant appears for testing ("no show"). #

2. When an examination is cancelled at the request of the appointing authority, the appointing authority shall reimburse the Civil Service Commission for fees refunded to applicants. #

Amendment history

Rule numbers, effective dates and New Jersey Register citations as published. 8 recorded changes.

  1. AmendedR.2014 d.061
    45 N.J.R. 520(a); 46 N.J.R. 619(a)
  2. AmendedR.2014 d.062
    45 N.J.R. 783(a); 46 N.J.R. 617(a)
  3. AmendedR.2011 d.173
    43 N.J.R. 470(a); 43 N.J.R. 1419(b)
  4. AmendedR.2006 d.104
    37 N.J.R. 4351(a); 38 N.J.R. 1425(a)
  5. AmendedR.1999 d.128
    31 N.J.R. 199(a); 31 N.J.R. 1061(a)
  6. AmendedR.1997 d.482
    29 N.J.R. 3385(a); 29 N.J.R. 4864(b)
  7. New ruleR.1993 d.270
    25 N.J.R. 1085(b); 25 N.J.R. 2509(a)
1 editorial correction (punctuation and cross-reference updates)
  1. AmendedR.2017 d.142
    49 N.J.R. 492(a); 49 N.J.R. 2239(a)

How this rule has been applied

11 decisions have cited N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.17. 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.

Civil Service Commission final determinations (11)
  • In re Hunt, Family Serv. Specialist 1 (PS8306K), Dep't of Children & Families, CSC Docket No. 2023-4562022 N.J. CSC LEXIS 802Docket 2023-456
  • In re Grotts, Envtl. Specialist 2 (PS2223G), Dep't of Envtl. Prot., CSC Docket No. 2021-12322021 N.J. CSC LEXIS 165Docket 2021-1232
  • In re Neno, Entry Level Law Enforcement Examination (S9999A), CSC Docket No. 2020-12082020 N.J. CSC LEXIS 250Docket 2020-1208
  • In re Szewczyk, Entry Level Law Enforcement Examination (S9999A), CSC Docket No. 2020-8572020 N.J. CSC LEXIS 79Docket 2020-857
  • In re Jones, Corr. Police Officer (S9988A), CSC Docket No. 2019-30102020 N.J. CSC LEXIS 20Docket 2019-3010
  • In re Rivera, Cnty. Corr. Sergeant (PC2926W), Hudson Cnty., CSC Docket No. 2019-32482019 N.J. CSC LEXIS 365Docket 2019-3248
  • In re McMonagle, Fire Fighter (M1537T), Harrison, CSC Docket No. 2019-6272018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 751Docket 2019-627
  • In re Crawford, Corr. Officer Recruit (S9988U), CSC Docket No. 2018-1802018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 668Docket 2018-180
  • In re Hausmann et al., CSC Docket Nos. 2018-422 and 2018-476 (Consolidated)2018 N.J. CSC LEXIS 405Docket 2018-422 and 2018-476
  • In re Thomas, Corr. Officer Recruit (S9988U) and Entry Level Law Enforcement Examination (S9999U), CSC Dkt. No. 2017-14152017 N.J. CSC LEXIS 282
  • In re Torres, Law Enforcement Series (S9999R), Statewide, CSC Docket No. 2014-29302015 N.J. CSC LEXIS 356Docket 2014-2930

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