In an effort to ensure those in need get the child tax credit they deserve, the state has
launched a free website designed to help lower-income families quickly claim the state’s
refundable Child Tax Credit, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office announced.
The site, SimpleFile, lets eligible families apply for the credit in about 15 minutes. It’s
available in English and Spanish at SimpleFile.NJ.gov, for filers who had a child age 5
or under in 2025.
SimpleFile was built through a partnership between the New Jersey Innovation
Authority, the state Division of Taxation and Code for America. It’s aimed at families
who qualify for the credit but aren’t required to file taxes — and who may otherwise miss
out on it.
“Helping more New Jersey families benefit from our state’s Child Tax Credit is one of
the most direct ways we can make life more affordable, because every dollar matters for
parents who need childcare, groceries, clothes and other essentials,” Sherrill said.
The site serves another purpose: It helps those who have been hurt by recent moves by
the federal government, Sherrill said.
The launch comes after the Trump administration moved last year to cancel the IRS’s
Direct File program, a free federal tax-filing tool. Sherrill had supported Direct File while
serving in the House.
“While the federal government strips free tax filing away from families across the
country, New Jersey is doing the opposite,” Sherrill said.
More than 200,000 families already claim the credit each year, according to the
announcement. The state is hoping SimpleFile reaches the thousands more who qualify
but haven’t filed. The credit itself is also getting bigger: the fiscal year 2027 budget
raises the maximum Child Tax Credit from $1,000 this year to $1,250 next year.
Lt. Gov. Caldwell, State Sen. President Nick Scutari, state Treasurer Aaron Binder and
New Jersey Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole all praised the launch in statements.
“We built this website with Code for America because too many families were leaving
money on the table, not because they didn’t qualify, but because it was too hard to
claim what was already theirs,” Cole said.
Code for America CEO Amanda Renteria and HOPES CAP Director of Community
Programs Evelyn Mercado also weighed in, with HOPES CAP — a community action
agency serving Hudson, Union and Somerset counties — saying it will help families
navigate the tool directly.
SimpleFile follows other recent Sherrill administration initiatives, including the delivery of
Summer EBT benefits to more than 681,000 eligible children.
