The new combined application to file for property tax relief in New Jersey is now available to complete online.
The application, which for the first time covers ANCHOR, Senior Freeze and Stay NJ on the same form, is only for residents who are 65 and older or disabled and receive benefits through Social Security.
Non-senior homeowners and renters will have a separate application to complete for ANCHOR later this year.
The new application, called PAS-1, is available on the state’s website at propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov.
The Treasury Department said paper applications will also be sent to more than a million households by early March, or you can download one from the website, but the only way to get benefits by direct deposit is to complete the application online.
In order to complete the online application, residents will have to have their identities verified through ID.me, the website said.
You will need to have either a driver’s license, state ID, passport card or passport to complete the process, it said.
“In some cases, you will be asked for further documentation,” it said, noting people who are asked for more will either need two primary documents or one primary and two secondary documents from this list.
“The application collects information that the Division of Taxation needs to assess your eligibility for these property tax relief programs,” it said. “We will determine the benefit(s) you are eligible to receive and issue payments accordingly.”
Importantly, the agency said eligibility requirements, including income limits and benefit amounts are subject to change based on the state’s budget, which is due by July 1, 2025.
Assuming the programs are funded, the maximum benefit homeowners will receive under the three programs will be equal to 50% of their property tax bill, capped at $6,500, though people who have a high Senior Freeze benefit could receive a higher overall payment.
First, Treasury will calculate your ANCHOR and Senior Freeze benefits.
The ANCHOR benefit last year paid $1,750 for senior citizens who earn $150,000 or less and $1,250 for those who earn between $150,001 and $250,000. You must have lived in your home on Oct. 1, 2024 to be eligible.
The amount of Senior Freeze a homeowner receives depends on how long they’ve been in the program and how much their property taxes have risen over time. The benefit has new income cutoffs this year: Your total annual income must have been $168,268 or less in 2024 and $163,050 or less in 2023 to be eligible.
After the state adds together those two benefits, if the total is less than 50% of your property tax bill, capped at $6,500 (except for certain Senior Freeze beneficiaries), you would receive another payment under the Stay NJ name.
“The benefits will begin to be distributed in July 2025 on a rolling basis, as is routine,” the Treasury Department said, though the Stay NJ part of the payment not expected until 2026.
The combined application deadline is Oct. 31, 2025.
The agency also said homeowners will receive letters in “late 2025″ explaining how the benefits were calculated.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller.