The ANCHOR program continues for the 2024 tax year and will provide property tax relief to New Jersey residents who owned or rented their principal residence on October 1, 2024, and meet income requirements

Who:

• Homeowners: New Jersey residents with a 2024 New Jersey gross income of $250,000 or less who, as of October 1, 2024, owned, occupied, and paid property taxes on a home in New Jersey that was their principal residence
• Renters: New Jersey tenants with a 2024 gross income of $150,000 or less who, on October 1, 2024:
  • Rented and occupied a residence in New Jersey as their principal residence, AND
  • Paid rent, AND
  • Had their name on the lease or rental agreement, AND
  • The rental property was subject to local property taxes

What:

Benefits are determined by your 2024 New Jersey Gross Income and age category:

• Homeowners under age 65 with 2024 incomes up to $150,000 will receive $1,500, and those with incomes over $150,000 up to $250,000 will receive $1,000. Applicants who were age 65 or older by December 31, 2024, receive an additional $250 on top of those amounts.
• Renters under age 65 with 2024 incomes up to $150,000 will receive $450, while renters age 65 or older (by Dec 31, 2024) will receive $700 (which includes the $250 senior bonus).

How:

1. Returning Beneficiaries (Under 65, not on Social Security Disability): If you received an ANCHOR benefit for the previous year, you will receive an “ANCHOR Benefit Confirmation Letter” in mid-August 2025 confirming your eligibility for the new benefit. No action is required if all information on the letter is correct. The State’s Division of Taxation will automatically file your 2024 ANCHOR application on your behalf on September 15, 2025 using your prior application details. Your rebate will then be issued using the banking information on file or as a paper check, per your previous selection.
2. Updated Information or Changes: If any of your personal or banking information has changed since your last filing, you must file a new ANCHOR application by September 15, 2025 to update those details. This includes changes to your address, marital status, income, or bank account for direct deposit.
   Apply online - propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov
   • Change in Housing Status: If you previously received an ANCHOR benefit as a renter but now own a home (and meet the homeowner qualifications for 2024), you will need to file a new ANCHOR application as a homeowner by September 15, 2025 to ensure you receive the correct homeowner benefit.

3. New Applicants (Under 65 who did NOT receive a letter): If you did not receive an “ANCHOR Benefit Confirmation Letter” by late August 2025 but believe you qualify, you should submit a new ANCHOR application by October 31, 2025.

   Apply online - propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov

⚠️ Important: When applying for ANCHOR, apply under the same name/person who is listed first on your NJ income tax return. For married couples who file jointly, this means the first-listed spouse should be the one to submit the ANCHOR application.

4. Senior & Disabled Applicants (Age 65+ or collecting Social Security Disability): New for this year, senior homeowners/renters and those on Social Security disability benefits will apply using a single combined application (form PAS-1) that covers ANCHOR, the Senior Freeze (Property Tax Reimbursement), and the new Stay NJ program. Eligible seniors/disabled can apply either
   Apply online - propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov

   or by paper. The deadline for the combined application is October 31, 2025. This streamlined form will determine your benefits across all programs. If you already filed a PAS-1 application for 2024 property tax relief, it serves as your ANCHOR application – you do not need to file separately for ANCHOR.

Further Details and Guidance:

• No Benefits Issued for 2022 or 2023: The ANCHOR program did not issue benefits for tax years 2022 or 2023. The last ANCHOR benefit was for tax year 2021. The program resumes this year for tax year 2024.
• Identity Verification (ID.me): New for 2025, all applicants using the online system must verify their identity through ID.me. Those who do not need to apply online will not need to complete the ID.me verification. ID.me is a short online process that can be done via smartphone or computer. If you do not have a device to complete ID.me, the Lakewood Resource and Referral Center (LRRC) has tablets available for use during open walk-in hours.
• Information Needed to Apply: When you apply, you will need Social Security Numbers (or ITINs) and dates of birth for you and your spouse, your 2024 New Jersey gross income (Line 29 of your 2024 NJ-1040 tax return), and your 2024 filing status.
• Payment Timing: ANCHOR payments will be issued on a rolling basis once processing begins. Most applicants can expect to receive their payment around 90 days after filing their application.
• Principal Residence Requirement: A principal residence is a dwelling you occupied as your permanent home, where you lived most of the time and considered your primary home. You must have owned and lived in the home on October 1, 2024 to qualify for a homeowner benefit. If you did not own and occupy a home on that date, you do not qualify for the homeowner rebate (even if you owned a New Jersey home for part of 2024, it had to be your primary residence as of October 1)
• Eligible vs. Ineligible Properties: Only your primary residence in New Jersey is eligible for ANCHOR. You cannot receive benefits for a vacation home, secondary residence, or property you own but rent out to others. If you owned multiple properties in New Jersey, you can only claim relief for the one property that was your principal residence on Oct 1, 2024.
• Benefit Cap: You cannot receive duplicate property tax relief for the same year. The total of all property tax relief benefits you receive for 2024 cannot exceed the amount of property taxes you actually paid for your primary home in 2024. This means that your combined savings from programs such as ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, veterans’ deductions, etc., won’t be more than your 2024 property tax bill.
• Additional Information: For more details, forms, and answers to frequently asked questions about the ANCHOR program, visit the NJ Division of Taxation’s ANCHOR website and FAQ page here.