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New Jersey property tax relief for seniors

Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and Stay NJ, Compared

New Jersey has three property-tax-relief programs a senior homeowner can qualify for at once — and, starting with the 2025 application, one form (the PAS-1) covers all three. But each program has different rules, different income limits, and pays a different way. Here is a plain-language, side-by-side look at who qualifies for what, how much each pays, and how they stack — with a link to every official page. It is a starting map, not tax advice: confirm the current numbers with the Division of Taxation before you file.

3

relief programs a senior homeowner can receive together

1

combined form (PAS-1) now covers all three

November 2, 2026

deadline to file the 2025 application

How New Jersey senior property tax relief works now

New Jersey used to run these programs on separate applications. Beginning with the 2025 application (filed in 2026), residents 65 and older, and people receiving federal disability benefits, file one combined form — the PAS-1, Application for Property Tax Relief — to apply for the Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and Stay NJ programs together. You do not pick which programs to claim: the Division of Taxation reviews your application, determines which you qualify for, and calculates each benefit, then sends you a statement of the amounts.

Residents 65 or older, and those receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability benefits, file the single PAS-1 form to apply for Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and Stay NJ at once. Most homeowners under 65 (and renters) not receiving those disability benefits are filed automatically for ANCHOR based on last year's application, or can file at anchor.nj.gov.

The three programs, side by side

All figures below are for the 2025 application (filed in 2026), as published by the New Jersey Division of Taxation. Amounts and income limits are set by the State and change with each annual budget.

New Jersey's three senior property-tax-relief programs compared by who qualifies, income limit, what you receive, and when benefits are paid.
Comparison Senior Freeze ANCHOR Stay NJ
Who qualifies Homeowners (and mobile-home owners) 65+ on Dec 31, 2025, or receiving federal disability benefits, who owned and lived in the home since Dec 31, 2022.New Jersey residents who owned or rented their principal residence on Oct 1, 2025. No age requirement; seniors file through the PAS-1 form.Homeowners 65+ who own and occupy their principal residence for the entire year. Renters and mobile-home owners are not eligible.
Income limit 2024 income $168,268 or less AND 2025 income $172,475 or less.Homeowners: $250,000 or less. Renters: $150,000 or less (2025 NJ gross income).For 2027 payments, NJ gross income $200,000 or less. (The Stay NJ statute allows up to $500,000; the FY2027 budget funds payments only up to $200,000.)
What you receive Reimburses the difference between your current-year property taxes and your base-year amount (18% of site fees for mobile homes). Amount varies by household.Homeowners: $1,500 if income is $150,000 or less, $1,000 if $150,001-$250,000. Renters: $450, or $700 if 65 or older.50% of your property tax bill, up to $6,500, reduced by any ANCHOR and Senior Freeze you receive. For 2027 the maximum is tiered by income (see below). Paid in quarterly installments.
When it is paid Checks begin July 15, 2026, on a schedule set by filing date.Rolling payments starting September 15, 2026, usually within 90 days of filing.Per the FY2027 Appropriations Act (signed June 30, 2026); Stay NJ for the 2025 tax year is paid in 2027.

Each program in detail

Senior Freeze (Property Tax Reimbursement)

Reimburses eligible senior and disabled homeowners for the increase in their property taxes above a locked-in base-year amount.

Who qualifies
  • You were 65 or older on December 31, 2025, or were receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability benefits during 2025.
  • You owned and lived in your New Jersey home (or leased a mobile-home park site for a manufactured or mobile home you own) since December 31, 2022, and still did on December 31, 2025.
  • Your home was subject to property taxes; mobile-home owners must be subject to site fees.
  • Your total annual income was $168,268 or less for 2024 and $172,475 or less for 2025.
What you receive
Senior Freeze locks in a base-year property-tax amount and reimburses you for the increase above it in later years, so a rising tax bill does not cost you more. For mobile-home owners it reimburses 18% of the increase in site fees. There is a one-time exemption that lets you keep your base year if you exceed the income limit for a single year.

ANCHOR (Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters)

A flat property-tax rebate for New Jersey homeowners and renters, based on income and age. There is no age requirement.

Who qualifies
  • You were a New Jersey resident who owned or rented a principal residence in New Jersey on October 1, 2025.
  • For homeowners, the home was subject to property taxes.
  • Your 2025 New Jersey gross income was $250,000 or less as a homeowner, or $150,000 or less as a renter.
  • There is no age requirement. Residents 65 or older, and those receiving federal disability benefits, apply through the combined PAS-1 form; most other homeowners and renters are filed automatically based on last year's application or can file at anchor.nj.gov.
What you receive
ANCHOR is a flat cash benefit, not a reduction on your tax bill. Homeowners with 2025 income of $150,000 or less receive $1,500; homeowners earning $150,001 to $250,000 receive $1,000. Renters receive $450, or $700 if they were 65 or older by December 31, 2025. Renters 65 and over who are not required to file a New Jersey tax return may also have a Property Tax Credit of up to $50 added to their payment.

Stay NJ (Property Tax Credit for Seniors)

The newest program: pays homeowners 65+ up to half of their property taxes, on top of Senior Freeze and ANCHOR.

Who qualifies
  • You were a homeowner age 65 or older.
  • You owned and occupied your New Jersey home as your principal residence for the entire year.
  • Your New Jersey gross income was $200,000 or less for FY2027-cycle payments (the program's statute allows up to $500,000).
  • Renters and mobile-home owners are not eligible for Stay NJ.
What you receive
Stay NJ is designed to cover up to 50% of a senior homeowner's property tax bill, with a statutory maximum of $6,500 (half of a $13,000 bill). It is calculated last: any ANCHOR and Senior Freeze benefits you receive are subtracted first, and Stay NJ fills the remaining gap up to the cap. Under the Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Act the funded maximum is tiered by income and payments are limited to households with income of $200,000 or less. As with all of these programs, the total of every property-tax-relief benefit you receive cannot be more than the property taxes actually paid on your home for the year.

Stay NJ maximums by income (2027)

The Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Act, signed June 30, 2026, funds Stay NJ payments only for homeowners with income of $200,000 or less, on a tiered maximum. These maximums are annualized and assume no change in the following year's budget.

The maximum Stay NJ benefit for the 2027 payment cycle, by income band, per the FY2027 Appropriations Act.
Income 2027 maximum benefit
$0 - $100,000 $6,500
$100,000.01 - $150,000 $5,000
$150,000.01 - $200,000 $4,000
Over $200,000 $0

How the three fit together

The programs are meant to stack, not compete. The Division of Taxation calculates your Senior Freeze and ANCHOR benefits first. Stay NJ is calculated last: it aims to bring your total relief up to half of your property tax bill (capped at $6,500), and the ANCHOR and Senior Freeze amounts you already receive are subtracted from it, so you are not paid twice for the same dollars. One overall limit applies to everything: the total of all your property-tax-relief benefits cannot be more than the property taxes actually paid on your principal residence for the year.

Dates that matter

November 2, 2026
Deadline to file the 2025 PAS-1 application for all three programs.
July 15, 2026
Senior Freeze checks begin, on a schedule set by when you filed.
September 15, 2026
ANCHOR payments begin on a rolling basis, usually within 90 days of filing.
2027
Stay NJ benefits for the 2025 tax year are paid (per the FY2027 budget).

How to apply

File the PAS-1 online at propertytaxrelief.nj.gov or on the paper booklet the Division of Taxation mails to eligible households. The deadline for the 2025 application is November 2, 2026. For program questions, the Division's property-tax-relief line is 1-800-882-6597 .

Staying in the home these programs help you keep

Property tax relief is one reason a New Jersey senior can afford to stay put instead of moving. When staying home also means needing a hand with daily life, our caregivers provide private-pay, non-medical help — companionship, personal care, meals, and errands — so aging in place stays realistic. These tax programs are the State's, not ours; if it would help to talk through care at home, call us at 609-208-1111 .

Methodology and sources

Every eligibility rule, income limit, dollar amount, and date on this page was read on an official New Jersey Division of Taxation page and is listed below with the field read and the date retrieved. These figures are for the 2025 application (filed in 2026); the State sets them and they change with each annual budget, so confirm the current numbers with the Division of Taxation before you file. Where the Stay NJ statute and the funded FY2027 payment differ, both are shown rather than blended. This is public program information assembled for families — Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and Stay NJ are State of New Jersey programs, not ours, and nothing here is tax, legal, or financial advice, a claim of insurance or Medicare coverage, a medical service, or our pricing.