The New Jersey ANCHOR program (Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters) pays direct property tax relief to eligible residents based on their 2025 situation: up to $1,750 for homeowners and up to $700 for renters, depending on age and income.1Division of Taxation. Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) Applications for the current cycle are due November 2, 2026. Many filers under 65 will be auto-filed; seniors and disability benefit recipients must file themselves on a combined form.
Who Qualifies
You qualify as a homeowner if you owned and lived in a New Jersey home as your principal residence on October 1, 2025, your 2025 New Jersey gross income was $250,000 or less, and the property taxes on that home were paid. Renters qualify with a gross income of $150,000 or less and a lease or rental agreement for the New Jersey home they occupied as their main residence on October 1, 2025.2Division of Taxation. Property Tax Relief Programs FAQs Income is the figure on Line 29 of your New Jersey income tax return (Form NJ-1040).3New Jersey Division of Taxation. ANCHOR Filing Information
Principal residence means where you actually live and keep a permanent address. Vacation homes, investment properties, and second residences don’t count, and a property that is fully exempt from local property taxes doesn’t qualify either.
Resident shareholders in a cooperative housing complex who paid property taxes on their unit count as homeowners for ANCHOR. Condo owners whose maintenance fees include a property tax component also file on the homeowner track.3New Jersey Division of Taxation. ANCHOR Filing Information
How Much You Get
Payments are set amounts tied to your income bracket and whether you were 65 or older by December 31, 2025. The money comes to you as a direct payment, not a credit on a future tax bill.
Homeowner amounts:4New Jersey Division of Taxation. How Benefits Are Calculated and Paid
- Income up to $150,000, under 65: $1,500
- Income up to $150,000, age 65 or older: $1,750
- Income $150,001 to $250,000, under 65: $1,000
- Income $150,001 to $250,000, age 65 or older: $1,250
Renter amounts:4New Jersey Division of Taxation. How Benefits Are Calculated and Paid
- Under 65: $450
- Age 65 or older: $700
If you’re 65 or older and either didn’t need to file a state income tax return or didn’t claim the $50 Property Tax Credit on your return, that $50 is added to your ANCHOR payment automatically.4New Jersey Division of Taxation. How Benefits Are Calculated and Paid
One cap matters: the combined total of all property tax relief you receive in a year, including ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, Stay NJ, and any property tax deductions for seniors, disabled persons, or veterans, cannot exceed the property taxes you actually paid on your home.4New Jersey Division of Taxation. How Benefits Are Calculated and Paid The state applies this automatically, which is why your payment may be lower than the standard amount if you’re enrolled in multiple programs.
How to File
The ID number and PIN requirement from earlier ANCHOR cycles is gone.3New Jersey Division of Taxation. ANCHOR Filing Information Which form you use depends on your age and whether you receive disability benefits.
If You’re 65 or Older, or Receive Disability Benefits
File the combined Application for Property Tax Relief, Form PAS-1. The single form covers ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ together, so you don’t submit separate applications for each. You can file PAS-1 online or mail in a paper version. The state will not auto-file for you.1Division of Taxation. Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR)
This is a common mistake: seniors who file Form ANC-1 instead of PAS-1 can delay their benefits. Use PAS-1 even if you only want ANCHOR and don’t think you qualify for the other two programs.
If You’re Under 65 and Not on Disability
The state will auto-file the 2025 ANCHOR application (Form ANC-1) for most eligible filers. Watch for a Benefit Confirmation Letter around August 2026. If it doesn’t arrive, file Form ANC-1 yourself online or by mail.1Division of Taxation. Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR)
Deadline
Applications for the 2025 ANCHOR benefit must be submitted by November 2, 2026.1Division of Taxation. Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) If you expected an auto-file letter and don’t see one by late August or September 2026, file on your own rather than waiting.
After You File
Once you’ve filed or confirmed your auto-filed application, you can track your benefit through the online status inquiry tool on the Division of Taxation website.1Division of Taxation. Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) Payments arrive by direct deposit or paper check based on the preference you selected. Hold onto any confirmation numbers the state sends you; those are what the Division references if you need to call.
Stacking With Senior Freeze and Stay NJ
ANCHOR can be received at the same time as the Senior Freeze (Property Tax Reimbursement). If you’re 65 or older and meet the requirements, you can receive ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ in the same year. Residents on Social Security disability benefits may also qualify for both Senior Freeze and ANCHOR.2Division of Taxation. Property Tax Relief Programs FAQs Filing the combined PAS-1 lets the state sort out which benefits you qualify for from one application.
Tax Treatment of the Payment
New Jersey does not tax ANCHOR payments as state income. On the federal side, if you take the standard deduction, the payment has no effect on your taxes. If you itemized and claimed state and local taxes (SALT) as a deduction in a prior year, you may need to include the ANCHOR payment in your federal gross income under the tax benefit rule, which generally requires reporting a recovered amount if you previously deducted it and that deduction reduced your federal tax. For most filers who take the standard deduction, this doesn’t come into play.