UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 27, 2005
                                                           -------------

                       PROVIDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
                       ----------------------------------
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

    Delaware                            001-31566                 42-1547151
-----------------------------     ---------------------      -------------------
(State or Other Jurisdiction)     (Commission File No.)       (I.R.S. Employer
      of Incorporation)                                      Identification No.)


830 Bergen Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey                       07306-4599
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                         (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (201) 333-1000
                                                     --------------

                                 Not Applicable
                                 --------------
          (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

[ ]  Written communications  pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)

[ ]  Soliciting  material  pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17
     CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ]  Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to Rule  14d-2(b)  under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ]  Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to Rule  13e-4(c)  under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))





Item 1.01      Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
               -------------------------------------------

     As discussed in more detail below,  a  compensatory  plan or arrangement in
which  executive  officers may participate was amended by the Board of Directors
of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (the "Company").

     2005  Performance-Based  Incentive  Plan.  On July 27,  2005,  the Board of
     -----------------------------------------
Directors of the Company amended the 2005 Performance-Based  Incentive Plan (the
"2005  Incentive  Plan"),  the terms of which were  previously  disclosed by the
Company in a Current  Report on Form 8-K filed with the  Securities and Exchange
Commission  on December 29,  2004.  The  amendment  changes the  composition  of
incentive  payments  that may be  earned  under the 2005  Incentive  Plan from a
mixture  of cash and  restricted  stock  that vests over five years to all cash.
Prior to this  amendment,  the 2005  Incentive Plan provided that payments under
the plan would be made in cash and in the form of  restricted  stock awards on a
75%/25% or 90%/10%  basis,  depending on the level of the  participating  senior
officer.

     All other  terms of the 2005  Incentive  Plan  remain  unchanged.  The 2005
Incentive  Plan  is a  performance-based  incentive  plan  for  the  payment  of
incentive  compensation  to senior  officers  based on the  Company's  financial
performance in 2005. The incentive payments under this plan are payable in 2006,
based on the Company's  2005  financial  performance  compared with 2005 targets
related  to: (i)  earnings  per share  (weighted  50%);  (ii)  efficiency  ratio
(weighted 25%); and (iii) return on average assets (weighted 25%) (collectively,
the  "Corporate  Targets").  For a  majority  of the  senior  officers  who will
participate,  payment of  incentive  compensation  to each  officer will also be
based  on  the  officer's   performance  against  his  or  her  2005  individual
objectives.

     Incentive payments based on the Company's 2005 financial performance may be
made if the Company's  2005  financial  performance  meets or exceeds 95% of the
Corporate Targets ("Threshold").  Incentive payments will be a percentage of the
senior officer's base salary, which percentage will increase based on the extent
to which the Company's financial performance exceeds the Threshold.


Item 9.01.     Financial Statements and Exhibits
               ---------------------------------

               (a)  Financial Statements of Businesses Acquired. Not applicable

               (b)  Pro Forma Financial Information. Not Applicable

               (c)  Exhibits. Not applicable








                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

                                            PROVIDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.



DATE:  July 28, 2005                By:     /s/ Paul M. Pantozzi
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Paul M. Pantozzi
                                            Chairman and Chief Executive Officer