ANCHOR — Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters — is New Jersey’s largest property tax relief program. This is our hub page for it: the rules, the amounts, the deadlines, and links to deeper guides on the pieces people get stuck on.
What ANCHOR pays
Homeowners
| NJ gross income (NJ-1040, line 29) | Benefit |
|---|---|
| $150,000 or less | $1,500 |
| $150,001 – $250,000 | $1,000 |
| Over $250,000 | Not eligible |
Homeowners 65 and older may also receive an additional $50 Property Tax Credit if eligible and not already claimed.
Renters
| Situation | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Income $150,000 or less, age 64 or under | $450 |
| Income $150,000 or less, age 65 or older | $700 |
| Over $150,000 | Not eligible |
One ceiling applies to everyone: total property tax relief cannot exceed the property taxes actually paid on your principal residence for that year.
Who qualifies
Homeowners must have owned and occupied the property as their principal residence on October 1 of the benefit year, with NJ gross income of $250,000 or less, and property taxes assessed and paid on that residence.
The October 1 date is the whole test. Sold in September? Not eligible for that property. Closed in October? Also not eligible. It does not matter where you live now — only where you lived on that date.
Renters must have rented and occupied a residence that was subject to property taxes, on the same October 1 date, with income of $150,000 or less.
Properties that do not qualify
- Vacation and second homes
- Property you rent out rather than occupy
- Buildings with more than four units
- Four-unit properties with more than one commercial unit
- Residences completely exempt from property tax
- Properties billed under a P.I.L.O.T. agreement instead of property taxes
Key dates for the current cycle
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| August 10, 2026 | ANCHOR Benefit Confirmation Letters mailed |
| September 15, 2026 | Automatic filing for most homeowners under 65; rolling payments begin |
| November 2, 2026 | Filing deadline for 2025 benefits |
Most people no longer apply
If you are a homeowner under 65 and not receiving Social Security Disability or Railroad Retirement Disability benefits, the Division of Taxation files your application for you on September 15 using your prior year’s information.
You only need to act before November 2 if something changed — you moved, bought, or sold; your marital or filing status changed; your banking details changed; your confirmation letter is wrong; or you never received one.
Read the confirmation letter rather than filing it away. It is the state’s record of what it believes about you.
Full homeowner guide to the current ANCHOR cycle →
Seniors and disability recipients: Form PAS-1
If you are 65 or older, or receive Social Security Disability or Railroad Retirement Disability benefits, you file the combined Form PAS-1 instead. One application covers all three New Jersey property tax relief programs:
- ANCHOR
- Senior Freeze — reimburses property tax increases over a base year
- Stay NJ — up to $6,500 for homeowners 65+ under $200,000 income
File PAS-1 even if you think you qualify for only one. The state determines the combination that gives you the most relief. Online filing requires ID.me verification, and you will need income figures from both your 2024 and 2025 NJ-1040 returns.
How ANCHOR, Stay NJ, and Senior Freeze compare and stack →
How payments arrive
Payments begin September 15 on a rolling basis, generally within 90 days of filing or auto-filing. Online filers can choose direct deposit or a check; paper filers receive checks. The benefit is not applied directly against your property tax bill.
Is ANCHOR taxable?
New Jersey does not tax it, and no 1099 is issued. Federally it depends on whether you itemized and got a tax benefit from deducting the underlying property taxes — an analysis that changed for many New Jersey homeowners when the SALT cap increased.
The full taxability analysis →
Related New Jersey guides
- NJ property tax deduction and how the relief programs interact
- NJ-1040 deductions and credits cheat sheet
- New Jersey senior tax deductions
- How much NJ property tax can you deduct?
- NJ renters: deductions and benefits
Common mistakes
- Filing the confirmation letter unread. If its details are wrong and you do not correct them by November 2, you lose the benefit.
- Assuming you are auto-filed after moving. A move breaks the automatic process. You must file.
- Seniors using the wrong form. If you are 65+, PAS-1 is your path — and skipping it can forfeit Stay NJ and Senior Freeze, not just ANCHOR.
- Missing November 2. New Jersey does not run a late filing process.
This page is general information, not tax advice. ANCHOR amounts, income limits, and deadlines are set by the New Jersey Division of Taxation and change year to year. Verify current details at nj.gov/treasury/taxation/anchor before acting, or consult a qualified New Jersey tax professional.