The NJ AA302 Employee Information Report is the form your business files with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury to obtain a Certificate of Employee Information Report, the document every contractor needs before working on a state, county, or municipal contract. You complete the form with a current-payroll snapshot of your workforce broken out by job category, race or ethnicity, and gender, sign it, and submit it with a $150 fee. Once approved, the certificate is what you show public agencies to prove your company meets New Jersey’s affirmative action and equal employment opportunity requirements.
Who Has to File
Any business entering into a contract for goods, services, professional services, or construction with a New Jersey public agency must file the AA302. Public agency covers state departments, counties, municipalities, school districts, and authorities created by any of those bodies.1Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27-2.1 – Definitions The obligation reaches subcontractors on a covered prime contract as well.2Department of the Treasury. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27 – Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Rules
Contractor is defined broadly: for-profit companies, consultants, nonprofits, and professional services providers all qualify.1Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27-2.1 – Definitions The trigger is the contract, not a dollar threshold.
Without a valid certificate, no public works contract can be awarded to you and no payments made on one already in place until you demonstrate compliance.3Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27-1.1 – Policy A missing or lapsed certificate can stall an entire project.
What to Gather Before You Start
Have all of this in hand before you open the form. Incomplete filings are one of the top reasons for rejection.
- Your Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), matching your IRS records exactly.
- Your company’s legal name and New Jersey address, as they appear on your tax filings.
- Payroll data for the pay period immediately before you file: a headcount of every employee sorted by job category, gender, and race or ethnicity. Not an annual average, not an estimate.4New Jersey Department of the Treasury. EEO Reporting, Forms Link and Frequently Asked Questions
- An authorized signer with legal authority to certify the report for the company.
Only employees on your payroll get counted. Independent contractors are not reported on the AA302.
Filling Out the Form
Download the current version from the Division of Purchase and Property’s Contract Compliance page at nj.gov/treasury/contract_compliance.5NJ Division of Purchase and Property. NJ Division of Purchase and Property – Forms Do not reuse a copy from a previous filing; fields and categories change from time to time.
Company Identification
The top section asks for legal name, physical address, and FEIN. Verify the FEIN character by character against your IRS records. A single transposed digit will hold the filing during cross-verification. If your company operates under multiple names, use the legal entity name that holds the public contract.
The Workforce Grid
The core of the form is a grid covering nine job categories:6New Jersey Department of the Treasury. State of New Jersey Employee Information Report
- Officials and Managers
- Professionals
- Technicians
- Sales Workers
- Office and Clerical
- Craftworkers (Skilled)
- Operatives (Semi-Skilled)
- Laborers (Unskilled)
- Service Workers
Within each category, you record employees by gender and by race or ethnicity. The categories on the form are White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian or Alaskan Native.4New Jersey Department of the Treasury. EEO Reporting, Forms Link and Frequently Asked Questions Every cell must contain a number. If you have zero female technicians, write 0. A blank cell reads as incomplete and the form bounces.
Use the payroll period immediately before your filing date. Not an average, not a projection.
Signature
An authorized company representative, typically an owner, officer, or HR director, signs at the bottom certifying that the data is accurate and complete. An unsigned form is rejected outright.
How to Submit and Pay
The filing fee is $150, non-refundable, payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey. Payment is accepted only by check or money order. Credit cards and electronic payments are not accepted, even for online filings.4New Jersey Department of the Treasury. EEO Reporting, Forms Link and Frequently Asked Questions
By Mail
Send the signed original and your payment to the address that matches your shipping method:4New Jersey Department of the Treasury. EEO Reporting, Forms Link and Frequently Asked Questions
- U.S. Postal Service: NJ Dept. of the Treasury, Contract Compliance and Audit Unit, EEO Monitoring Program, PO Box 206, Trenton, NJ 08625-0206
- FedEx, UPS, or other commercial carrier: NJ Dept. of the Treasury, Contract Compliance and Audit Unit, EEO Monitoring Program, 33 West State Street, 9th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625
A FedEx package sent to the PO Box will not be delivered. Match the address to the carrier.
Online
The Treasury also accepts submissions through its Premier Business Services portal, reachable from the Contract Compliance page.7NJ Department of the Treasury. NJ Department of the Treasury Contract Compliance Register for an account first. The portal handles the form; the $150 check or money order still has to be mailed in separately.
Processing and What You Receive
Online submissions process in about five business days, with an email letting you know when the certificate is ready to print.8New Jersey Department of the Treasury. New Jersey Form AA302 Employee Information Report Frequently Asked Questions Mailed initial applications take up to three weeks; mailed renewals take up to two weeks.4New Jersey Department of the Treasury. EEO Reporting, Forms Link and Frequently Asked Questions By regulation, the Division has up to 40 business days to act on an initial filing; if it does not, the report is deemed approved.2Department of the Treasury. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27 – Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Rules
Once approved, you receive the Certificate of Employee Information Report. Keep copies. Public agencies will ask for it every time you bid or contract.
How Long the Certificate Lasts
Validity runs in the opposite direction from what most people expect. Companies with fewer than 50 employees get a seven-year certificate. Companies with 50 or more employees get a three-year certificate.2Department of the Treasury. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27 – Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Rules The expiration date is printed on the certificate itself.
Renewing
The Division mails a renewal notice about 90 days before your certificate expires, and you can file your renewal as early as 90 business days before the expiration date.4New Jersey Department of the Treasury. EEO Reporting, Forms Link and Frequently Asked Questions Do not let it lapse. If your certificate expires and you have not filed a renewal within 10 business days, the Division treats the next filing as a new initial application, not a renewal, which means a longer processing timeline.2Department of the Treasury. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27 – Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Rules
Renewal costs the same $150 and requires updated payroll data. The Division has up to 60 business days to act on a renewal, and the same automatic-approval rule applies if it does not.2Department of the Treasury. New Jersey Administrative Code 17:27 – Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Rules
Mistakes That Get Filings Rejected
Every rejection restarts the processing clock. The recurring problems are avoidable:
- Blank cells in the workforce grid. Enter 0 where you have none; do not leave the cell empty.
- An FEIN that does not match your federal records.
- A missing signature.
- A check for the wrong amount or made out to the wrong payee. It must be exactly $150 and payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey. Checks written to “NJ Treasury” or “State of NJ” may be returned.
- An outdated form version. Download a fresh copy each time you file.
- Mailing to the wrong address for your carrier.
If your filing is rejected, review the Division’s explanation and submit a corrected form. You do not have to pay the $150 again, but the processing clock starts over from the corrected submission date.
The AA302 Is Not the Federal EEO-1
If your company files the federal EEO-1 Component 1 report, the AA302 will look familiar. They collect similar data but serve different agencies and have different triggers. The federal EEO-1 applies to private employers with at least 100 employees, or federal contractors with at least 50 employees who meet certain contract thresholds.9U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. EEO Data Collections The AA302 applies to any business contracting with a New Jersey public agency, regardless of size. Filing one does not satisfy the other, and you cannot substitute a copy of your EEO-1 for the AA302 or vice versa.