LORD ABBETT TAX FREE INCOME FUND INC
24F-2NT, 1996-11-29
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                     U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                Washington, D.C.

                                   FORM 24F-2
             ANNUAL NOTICE OF SECURITIES SOLD PURSUANT TO RULE 24F-2


1.       Name and address of issuer:

         Lord Abbett Tax-Free Income Fund, Inc.
         Acquired Fund/Acquired Series:
                  Lord Abbett California Tax-Free Income Fund, Inc.
                  Lord Abbett Securities Trust
                  Lord Abbett National Tax-Free Income Trust
                  Lord Abbett New York Tax-Free Income Trust
                  Lord Abbett California Tax-Free Income Trust

         767 Fifth Avenue
         New York, New York  10153

2.   Name of each series or class of funds for which this notice is filed:
     National (A, B and C Classes),  California  (A and C Classes),  Connecticut
     (Class A), Hawaii (Class A),  Minnesota  (Class A), Missouri (Class A), New
     Jersey  (Class  A),  New  York (A and C  Classes),  Texas  (Class  A),  and
     Washington (ClassA).

3.       Investment Company Act File Number:

          811-3942   (Investment   Company  Act  File   Numbers   for   Acquired
          Fund/Acquired  Series:  Lord Abbett  California  Tax-Free Income Fund,
          Inc. 811-4313 and Lord Abbett Securities Trust 811-7538)

         Securities Act File Number:

          2-88912  (Securities  Act  File  Numbers  for  Acquired  Fund/Acquired
          Series: Lord Abbett California Tax- Free Income Fund, Inc. 2-98163 and
          Lord Abbett Securities Trust 33-58846)

4.   Last day of fiscal year for which this notice is filed:  September 30, 1996
     (includes, for the California Series, the aggregated period from August 31,
     1995 through September 30, 1996)

5.   Check box if this  notice is being filed more than 180 days after the close
     of the issuer's fiscal year for purposes of reporting securities sold after
     the close of the fiscal year but before  termination  of the issuer's 24f-2
     declaration: ____


6.   Date of  termination of issuer's  declaration  under rule  24f-2(a)(1),  if
     applicable (see Instruction A.6):


7.   Number and amount of  securities of the same class or series which had been
     registered  under the  Securities  Act of 1933 other than  pursuant to rule
     24f-2 in a prior fiscal year, but which remained unsold at the beginning of
     the fiscal year: None


                                                              
<PAGE>



8.   Number and amount of  securities  registered  during the fiscal  year other
     than pursuant to rule 24f-2: None


9.   Number and aggregate sale price of securities sold during the fiscal year:

         57,429,311 shares                  $531,642,845

          Includes  1,794,615  shares  ($18,867,527)  sold by the Acquired Fund;
          1,634,095 shares  ($7,817,053)  sold by Lord Abbett National  Tax-Free
          Income Trust;  78,269 shares  ($366,437)  sold by Lord Abbett New York
          Tax- Free Income Trust; and 711,079 shares  ($3,218,692)  sold by Lord
          Abbett California Tax-Free Income Trust.

10.  Number and aggregate  sale price of securities  sold during the fiscal year
     in reliance upon registration pursuant to rule 24f-2:

         57,429,311  shares                 $531,642,845

          Includes  1,794,615  shares  ($18,867,527)  sold by the Acquired Fund;
          1,634,095 shares  ($7,817,053)  sold by Lord Abbett National  Tax-Free
          Income Trust;  78,269 shares  ($366,437)  sold by Lord Abbett New York
          Tax- Free Income Trust; and 711,079 shares  ($3,218,692)  sold by Lord
          Abbett California Tax-Free Income Trust.

11.  Number and aggregate sale price of securities issued during the fiscal year
     in  connection  with  dividend   reinvestment  plans,  if  applicable  (see
     Instruction B.7):

         7,203,084 shares                   $59,111,027

          Includes  602,070  shares  ($6,300,368)  issued by the Acquired  Fund;
          214,890  shares  ($1,019,149)  issued  by  the  Lord  Abbett  National
          Tax-Free Income Trust;  31,167 shares ($144,180) issued by Lord Abbett
          New York Tax- Free Income Trust; and 75,230 shares  ($337,911)  issued
          by Lord Abbett California Tax-Free Income Trust.

12.      Calculation of registration fee:

          (i)  Aggregate sale price of securities sold during the fiscal year in
               reliance on rule 24f-2 (from Item 10):

                                           $531,642,845


          (ii) Aggregate  price of shares  issued in  connection  with  dividend
               reinvestment plans (from Item 11, if applicable):

                                           +59,111,027

          (iii)Aggregate  price of shares  redeemed  or  repurchased  during the
               fiscal year (if applicable):

                                           $656,363,312

          Includes  $334,136,273  for the Acquired  Fund;  $50,807,646  for Lord
          Abbett National Tax-Free Income Trust;  $9,227,536 for Lord Abbett New
          York Tax-Free Income Trust; and $19,891,582 for Lord Abbett California
          Tax-Free Income Trust.


                                                      - 2 -

<PAGE>


          (iv) Aggregate  price of shares redeemed or repurchased and previously
               applied as a reduction to filing fees  pursuant to rule 24e-2 (if
               applicable): +

          (v)  Net  aggregate  price of  securities  sold and issued  during the
               fiscal year in reliance on rule 24f-2 [line (i),  plus line (ii),
               less line (iii), plus line (iv)] (if applicable): -0-


          (vi) Multiplier  prescribed by Section 6(b) of the  Securities  Act of
               1933 or other applicable law or regulation (see Instruction 6.C):

                                        x .0003030303

          (vii) Fee due [line (i) or line (v) multiplied by line (vi)]: $ -0-

13.  Check box if fees are being remitted to the Commission's lockbox depository
     as described in section 3a of the Commissions's Rules of Informal and Other
     Procedures (17 CFR 202.3a). ---

Date of mailing or wire  transfer  of filing  fees to the  Commissions'  lockbox
     depository: Not applicable


                                   SIGNATURES

This  report has been  signed  below by the  following  persons on behalf of the
issuer and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.



By:         /S/ THOMAS F. KONOP
Name:             Thomas F. Konop

Title:            Vice President, Lord Abbett Tax-Free Income Fund, Inc.

Date:             November 27, 1996

                                     - 3 -
<PAGE>


                                                           November 27, 1996


Lord Abbett Tax-Free
  Income Fund, Inc.
The General Motors Building
767 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York  10153

Dear Sirs:

                  We refer to the Rule 24f-2  Notice (the "Rule  24f-2  Notice")
dated today, relating to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A covering shares
of capital  stock,  par value $.001 per share,  of Lord Abbett  Tax-Free  Income
Fund,  Inc., a Maryland  corporation  (the "Fund").  The Fund has  registered an
indefinite  number  of shares  of its  capital  stock  under  such  Registration
Statement  pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the  Investment  Company Act of 1940, as
amended.  The Rule 24f-2 Notice  makes  definite the number of shares of capital
stock of the Fund  (57,429,311)  that were so registered  during the fiscal year
ended September 30, 1996.

                  Pursuant to a reorganization of various Lord  Abbett-sponsored
funds which took place on July 12,  1996,  each of the  California  Series,  the
National  Series and the New York  Series of the Fund (the  "Acquiring  Series")
acquired the assets and liabilities of the corresponding  single-state  tax-free
income  series of Lord  Abbett  Securities  Trust  (the  "Acquired  Series")  in
exchange for Class C shares of the Acquiring Series. In addition, the




<PAGE>

Lord Abbett Tax-Free
Income Fund, Inc.                                       November 27, 1996



California Series of the Fund acquired the assets and liabilities of Lord Abbett
Tax-Free Income Fund, Inc. (the "Acquired Fund"), a single-state tax-free income
fund, in exchange for Class A shares of the California Series of the Fund.

                  The Fund is relying on Rule 24f-2(b)(3)(ii) with
respect to the fees and redemption credits of the Acquired
Fund and is relying on the KEMPER TOTAL RETURN FUND, no-
action letter (pub. avail. Feb. 6, 1995), with respect to
the fees and redemption credits of the Acquired Series.

                  We  have  examined  and  relied  upon  originals,   or  copies
certified  to  our   satisfaction,   of  such  corporate   records,   documents,
certificates  and  other  instruments  as  in  our  judgment  are  necessary  or
appropriate to enable us to
render the opinion set forth below.

                        We are of the following opinion:

         (a)      The  57,429,311  shares  of  capital  stock of the  Fund,  the
                  registration  of which the Rule 24f-2 Notice makes definite in
                  number, were legally issued, fully paid and nonassessable; and

         (b)      The 602,070  shares of capital stock of the Acquired Fund, the
                  1,634,095  shares of Lord  Abbett  Securities  Trust--National
                  Tax-Free  Income  Trust,  the  78,269  shares  of Lord  Abbett
                  Securities
                  Trust-
                  -New York Tax-Free Income Trust and the 711,079 shares of Lord
                  Abbett  Securities  Trust--California  Tax-Free  Income  Trust
                  issued during the period covered by the Rule 24f-2 Notice were
                  legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

                  We hereby  consent to the use of this  opinion  in  connection
with the filing of the Rule 24f-2  Notice.  In giving  such  consent,  we do not
thereby  admit that we come  within the  category  of persons  whose  consent is
required




<PAGE>


Lord Abbett Tax-Free
Income Fund, Inc.                                             November 27, 1996


under  Section 7 of the  Securities  Act of 1933,  as amended,  or the rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.

                                                         Very truly yours,


                                                         DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON


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