5 ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Rules New Jerseyans Need to Know
Rent in New Jersey with income up to $150,000, and you could qualify for ANCHOR property tax relief.
Homeowners get a higher cap, but small details still decide who gets paid.
Here are the ANCHOR property tax relief rules New Jerseyans need to know.
Note: This is general information, not tax advice. ANCHOR rules, dollar amounts, and deadlines are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the New Jersey Division of Taxation.
1. October 1 Rule
ANCHOR counts only the home you owned or rented and lived in on October 1.
One day decides it.
For 2025, that meant owning and living in the home on October 1, 2025, if you’re a homeowner, or living there that day if you were a renter.
Property taxes also have to apply to your home.
Condo and co-op owners who paid property taxes on their unit count as homeowners.
Renters face a similar test because the building generally has to be subject to property tax too.
ANCHOR’s October 1 Exceptions
If you moved during the year, you can still apply, but only for your October 1 home.
Temporary assisted living residents who kept their main home can apply for the home they owned on October 1.
Residents who permanently changed their domicile to the facility address shouldn’t file.
Continuing care community residents count as homeowners when their contract required them to pay their unit’s share of property taxes.
If an owner died on or after October 1, 2025, an executor or a surviving spouse or civil union partner can file for them.
2. Filing Deadline
ANCHOR gave homeowners and renters the same November 2 cutoff, about seven weeks after the first payments began on September 15.
The 2024 deadline was October 31, 2025.
As of its September 16, 2026 update, the Division of Taxation’s ANCHOR page lists no date for the next application.
Until the state posts one, there’s no date to plan around.
If you needed to change banking details or ask for a paper check, you had until September 15, 2026.
Didn’t file?
Ask the Division of Taxation what’s still possible.
3. Income Caps
ANCHOR caps homeowner income at $250,000 and renter income at $150,000.
The income comes from line 29 of your 2025 New Jersey income tax return, Form NJ-1040.
If your income on that line was higher, you aren’t eligible.
The 2024 benefit year used the same two caps, and the 2025 application kept them.
Psst! How much do you know about New Jersey property taxes? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
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4. Payment Rules
Your payment as a homeowner also can't top the property taxes you paid on your principal residence.
ANCHOR pays homeowners $1,500 when 2025 income was $150,000 or less.
From $150,001 to $250,000, the payment is $1,000.
Age changes the renter math.
If you're a renter 64 or younger, you get $450.
If you're 65 or older, you get $700, which includes an extra $250 for age.
Kiplinger reported that Gov. Mikie Sherrill's March budget proposal called for ending the $250 bonus for homeowners 65 and older, though the Division's page lists it only for renters.
ANCHOR payments usually arrive within 90 days of filing, so a November 2 filing could mean waiting until around the end of January.
5. Who Has to File
ANCHOR applications went in automatically for most eligible renters of all ages.
Most eligible homeowners under 65 who don't collect Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability benefits got the same treatment.
Those filers got a confirmation letter, mailed August 10, 2026.
The catch?
If you're a homeowner 65 or older, the Division didn't file for you.
Anyone collecting Social Security Disability or Railroad Retirement Disability benefits had to file, too.
You had to submit Form PAS-1, online or on paper.
Homeowners verify their identity through ID.me.
If you were eligible but never got a letter, you could still file on your own.
Psst! How much do you know about taxes on New Jersey retirement income? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
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Homes That Don't Qualify
ANCHOR turns away vacation homes and second homes, along with any property you rent to someone else.
Buildings with more than four units don't qualify either.
Homes that are fully exempt from property taxes are out, too.
Homeowners who make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) don't qualify because those payments don't count as property taxes.
Renters in a unit under a PILOT agreement do qualify.
Mobile homes in a mobile home park count as rentals, so you'd file as a renter there.
Renters can't claim ANCHOR in housing owned by the state, a county, a municipality or the federal government.
On-campus apartments at colleges and universities don't qualify either.
Homes owned by religious, charitable or nonprofit groups are out as well.
ANCHOR, Stay NJ, and Senior Freeze Deadlines
ANCHOR, Stay NJ, and Senior Freeze all run through one combined application, Form PAS-1.
The 2025 deadline for that form was the same November 2.
Age is the dividing line.
If you're 65 or older, you may qualify for all three.
If you're under 65 and not collecting Social Security disability benefits, ANCHOR may be the only one you qualify for.
Stay NJ covers homeowners who were 65 or older during 2025, owned and lived in the home for all 12 months of 2025, and had income of $200,000 or less.
Renters and mobile home owners can't get Stay NJ.
Senior Freeze reimburses property tax increases for homeowners who are 65 or older, or disabled, with 2025 income of $172,475 or less.
You also need to have owned and lived in the home since December 31, 2022, or earlier.
Senior Freeze payments begin July 15, while ANCHOR payments start September 15.
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FAQ
Many ANCHOR questions come down to the deadline, the payment amount and who qualifies.
What does ANCHOR stand for?
ANCHOR stands for Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters.
It replaces the Homestead Benefit.
When is the ANCHOR deadline in New Jersey?
The 2025 benefit year's deadline was November 2, 2026.
The 2024 benefit year's deadline was October 31, 2025.
How much is the ANCHOR payment?
Homeowners get $1,500 or $1,000, depending on income.
Renters get $450, or $700 if they're 65 or older.
Do renters qualify for ANCHOR?
Yes, if your income was $150,000 or less and you rented your main home on October 1, 2025.
The building generally has to be subject to property tax, too.
How do you check your ANCHOR status?
Use the Division of Taxation's ANCHOR status lookup for 2025 benefits.
A separate lookup covers earlier years.
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