Privacy Notice

Thank you for visiting the Division of Revenue web site and reviewing our Privacy Notice. The New Jersey Division of Revenue is committed to protecting the privacy of the confidential tax and business information it processes. This notice covers the following topics:

• Information Collected and How it is Used
  
• Online Applications
  
• Personal Information and Choice
  
• Cookies
  
• Security
  
• Public Access to Information
  
• Disclaimer
  
• Contact Information

Information Collected and How it is Used
If you browse this web site, read pages, or download information such as forms, publications or press releases, we collect and store certain information about your visit. This information does not identify you personally. The following information about your visit is automatically collected and stored:

• The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our web site;
  
• The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
  
• The date and time you access our site;
  
• The pages you visit within our site; and
  
• If you linked to the Division web site from another web site, the address of that web site.

We use this information for statistical purposes to help us understand how visitors are using our services and to improve the content of our web site. For example, by tracking how many people visit the web site, when they visit, and the pages they visit, we can better determine the kind of information visitors want and need. And by tracking visitor software such as the browsers they are using, we can avoid using features that visitors cannot view or use. This information is not stored with your tax, business, or personal account information and is not part of your tax, business or personal records. The Division of Revenue forwards information including information collected electronically on this website, to the agency for which it processes the documents. Examples include tax information to the Division of Taxation, wage information to the Department of Labor, and motor vehicle data to the Division of Motor Vehicles. In addition to confidential information, documents are also processed, recorded and certified as part of the public record. The Division of Revenue strictly abides by the statutes governing the information that is processed. The Division does not collect information for commercial marketing, even if it is contained in the public record.

Online Applications
If you log on to one of our interactive services that require you to enter personal information, the personal information that you submit to us is captured to enable you to conduct business with the New Jersey Division of Revenue, such as ordering documents and certifications as well as filing and paying taxes. If during your visit to our web site you voluntarily send personal information, the information will be collected and stored. Examples of personal information include:

• An e-mail address if you are communicating to us through e-mail;
  
• Information you submit to us for the purposes of completing or submitting an application or form, or request for forms, online;
  
• Information volunteered in response to a survey.

The Division uses your e-mail to respond directly to you to address issues you identify in your e-mail. Survey information is used to improve Division services to you. Information from online forms is used for the purposes requested. In all cases, the information submitted as part of an online application is treated in the same manner as information given and payments made in person, through traditional mailing, or on the telephone. All personal information received through an online application is encrypted or scrambled so that it can not be intercepted by a third party during transmission. Firewalls are utilized to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
On-line payments may be made by echeck, electronic funds transfer (EFT) and credit card. Only necessary information to complete a transaction from online payments is forwarded to third-party depositories and to Official Payments Corporation, the third-party vendor for credit card payments. These banks and vendor are bound by contract with the State to protect the privacy of information received on the State's behalf. In addition, Official Payments Corporation follows strict guidelines related to privacy and security. You may view their Privacy Statement by clicking on Official Payments Corporation

Personal Information and Choice
You may choose whether to provide personal information on-line. Personal information is information that is readily identifiable to a specific individual. Personal information includes an individual's name, address, account number, and phone number. A domain name or Internet address is not considered personal information. If you choose not to contact us by email, participate in an on-line survey, or provide personal information using an on-line form, your choice will not impair your ability to browse the Division of Revenue web site and read or download general information provided on the site. You will not, however, be able to file documents or order reports and certifications from the public record on-line since these areas require an identifying number and may be password or PIN protected.

Privacy
Email is not a secure medium and personal information sent via the Internet can be intercepted. As a result, you may wish to consider the advisability of sending messages that contain sensitive, personal information. The Division of Revenue does not divulge confidential information collected unless required by State or Federal law or pursuant to court order. If you believe that your personal information is being used for a purpose other that what was intended when submitted, you may contact the Division of Revenue Web Coordinator indicated in the Contact Information Section of this statement.

Public Access to Information
New Jersey laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by state government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access public records that serve various needs including the privacy of individuals. Exceptions are provided by both state and federal lows. The information collected by the Division of Revenue is determined to be public or private by law.

Cookies
The Division uses cookies to customize your browsing experience. "Cookies" are simple text files stored by your web browser and they provide a method of distinguishing among visitors to this web site. Cookies created by using this web site do not contain personally identifying information. The cookie feature does not compromise your privacy or security. You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies or notify you when a cookie is set. Since each browser is different, you can check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how change your cookie preferences. If you prefer not to use cookies, you can set your browser to not accept them and still use our online filing, payment and inquiry services. The only exception is the site for Business Information inquiry services located at "www.accessnet.state.nj.us" which does require your browser to accept cookies.

Security
The Division of Revenue through the Office of Information and Technology has taken steps to safeguard the submission of information and prevent unauthorized access to information maintained. These security measures are designed to prevent corruption of data, to block unknown or unauthorized access to our systems and information, and to provide reasonable protection of private information. In certain instances, you will have the opportunity to receive or create a password or PIN number to access or submit personal information. You should not divulge the password or PIN number to anyone unless you are authorizing that person to access your account information, for example, your accountant or tax preparer. The Division will never ask you for the password or PIN number in an unsolicited phone call or e-mail. When you are finished with those applications that are password or PIN protected, you should exit the page.

Disclaimer
The Division of Revenue web site contains links to other web sites, which are not owned, operated, controlled or reviewed by the Division. These links are provided as a courtesy. When you link to one of these sites, you are no longer on the Division of Revenue web site and this Privacy Notice will not apply. When you link to another web site, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that new site, including but not limited to its privacy policy. The officers and employees of the Division of Revenue exercise no control over the organizations, views, accuracy, timeliness, copyright or trademark compliance or the legality of the material contained on those servers and do not sponsor, endorse or approve the information, content, products, materials, opinions or services contained on such external sites. Visitors to this site proceed to these external sites at their own risk. The Division specifically disclaims any and all liability from damages which may result from the accessing of a third party site which is linked to the Division of Revenue web site, or the reliance upon any information from such site.

Contact Information
To offer comments about the Division of Revenue web site or about information presented in this Privacy Notice, you may contact

Division of Revenue
Web Coordinator
NJ Division of Revenue
PO Box 268
Trenton, NJ 08646-0628
FAX: (609) 777-2811
PHONE: (609) 984-6179
e-mail