Some New Jersey homeowners and renters will soon begin to receive ANCHOR relief checks. What you need to know to get your money

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Residents across New Jersey will soon be receiving information from the state Department of the Treasury regarding their eligibility for the Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters property tax relief program, also known as ANCHOR.

The Garden State issued more than $2 billion in ANCHOR rebate payments last year, and a similar amount is expected to be distributed in 2026.

Marita Sciarrotta, director of the State Division of Taxation, said letters were sent out this week to more than 1.1 million homeowners and renters to confirm their automatic eligibility for ANCHOR tax relief benefits.

“These are sent to taxpayers under the age of 65 who have previously received an ANCHOR payment,” she said.

Sciarrotta said the letter confirms that if no personal information has changed, individuals do not need to take any action — the tax relief money they are eligible to receive will be mailed to them or directly deposited in their bank accounts.

ANCHOR requirements vary

Sciarrotta said if information needs to be changed, such as an address, income level or checking account number, taxpayers will need to file a new application by Sept. 15 by visiting propertytaxrelief.nj.gov.

Homeowners and renters who have not previously received an ANCHOR payment must complete an ANC-1 application before Nov. 2 to become eligible for the program. The application is available at propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov.

Sciarrotta said homeowners 65 and older, as well as those collecting Social Security Disability or Railroad Retirement Disability benefits, must fill out a different application, known as the PAS-1. The application combines eligibility for ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, which reimburses eligible older homeowners for property tax increases, and Stay NJ, a program introduced this year that provides additional tax relief for homeowners at least 65 years old.

She said the PAS-1 application can be filed online or downloaded at propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov.

“We opened up that filing opportunity for folks who are over 65 in early February, and the deadline for filing is the second of November,” she said.

Sciarrotta stressed that all homeowners 65 and older need to complete a PAS-1 application by the November deadline, even if they filed the form last year.

“There are some variables that may occur with people’s incomes, and other factors that need to be reviewed,” she said.

How much will you get?

Sciarrotta said the ANCHOR payments are the same as they were when the program was launched five years ago.

“Homeowners, if they make up to $150,000, they’re entitled to $1,500. If they make between $150,000 and $250,000, they’re entitled to $1,000,” she said.

She said all homeowners who are 65 and older with annual earnings of $250,000 or less received an additional $250 last year, but that “bonus” payment has been discontinued because of the launch of the Stay NJ program.

Tenants who make up to $150,000 are eligible for $450 in ANCHOR benefits, and if they are 65 or older they get an additional $250.

Sciarrotta said the program is important for many people.

“ANCHOR is meant to extend a little more affordability to citizens in New Jersey who are renting or own a home. Our property taxes are very high,” she said.

Sciarrotta said ANCHOR benefit eligibility is determined by where a resident lived, in either an apartment or a house, on Oct. 1, 2025.

When will ANCHOR payments begin?

Sciarrotta said payments to individuals who are 65 and older will begin next month.

“They can expect to start seeing payments in their mailbox or in their checking or savings accounts in mid-September,” she said. “Folks under the age of 65, their payments will [begin to] be issued around Oct. 15. We print a lot of the checks ahead of time and then they’re sent out on a rolling basis.”

Help is available

Sciarrotta said if residents have questions or concerns about applications, payment information or if they want to get a status update on their benefit, they can call the ANCHOR hotline number at 1-888-238-1233.

She said if you don’t receive your ANCHOR benefit payment in a timely manner, don’t panic.

“If this happens, please give us a call and we’ll look into the account and make sure that everything is ready to go,” she said. “There are different things that can happen in processing an application that can create a problem or a delay. There may be something that we cannot verify or duplication of information, something of that sort, so assistance is available.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to better reflect when ANCHOR letters were sent out to New Jersey homeowners and renters.