ANCHOR Benefits Update

By Vin Gopal

Senator Vin Gopal

We want to update LD11 residents on their ANCHOR property tax relief benefits.

The New Jersey Treasury Department’s Division of Taxation began mailing notification letters last week to tell residents who received an ANCHOR benefit last year (for the 2024 tax year) whether the state will automatically refile their application this year for the 2025 tax year.

Not everyone will receive a letter.

If you don’t receive an ANCHOR Benefit Confirmation Letter, it doesn’t mean you are not eligible. It just means you have to file a paper or online PAS-1 application, which also covers Senior Freeze and Stay NJ – the other two property tax relief programs –  on your own. The Division of Taxation will file on behalf of most eligible homeowners under 65 and not collecting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Disability benefits as of September 15, 2026, based on the information from your prior year’s application.

Homeowners and renters are eligible for ANCHOR benefits, regardless of age, if they meet the eligibility requirements. Homeowners with a New Jersey gross income not exceeding $250,000 may be eligible for up to $1,500. Renters with a gross NJ income of up to $150,000 also are eligible for the ANCHOR benefit. Senior homeowners (and renters) are eligible for an additional $250.

If you receive a letter and need to change your banking information or prefer to request a paper check, you must file an application on your own with updated information before September 15, 2026. For more information visit the Division of Taxation’s ANCHOR website, www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/anchor/, where you can also check the status of your ANCHOR application.

Of course, you are also welcome to call our Legislative District 11 office at (732) 704-3808, and a member of our Constituent Services Team will be happy to assist you or mail you a paper application.

If you are not eligible for the property listed on your ANCHOR Benefit Confirmation Letter, you must notify the Division by selecting the “I DO NOT want an application filed on my behalf” option in the online filing system. If you qualify to file ANCHOR for a New Jersey property you did occupy on October 1, 2025, you need to file an application on your own for that property to receive your benefit.

When filling out an application, use the amount on line 29 of your NJ-1040 income tax return as your income. The filing deadline is Nov. 2, 2026.

Our Constituent Services Team also offers PAS-1 Filing Workshops. Coming workshops include two at the Neptune Senior Center, 1607 NJ-33, on Monday, August 24, from noon to 2 p.m., and on Wednesday, Sept. 2 , from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. My LD 11 partners, Assemblywomen Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul, will list additional workshops on the “Events” page of their blog, donlonpeterpaul.com, as they are scheduled.

Just a note on the electrical Universal Credit you should have begun seeing on your electrical bills for August. The Residential Universal Bill Credit is a one-time, $25 credit that all residential electric customers will automatically receive on their August bill. Eligible customers already enrolled in qualifying assistance programs also will receive a $150 Residential Energy Assistance Payment (REAP) automatically applied as three $50 monthly credits from August through October. The REAP program does not require a separate application. Both REAP and the Universal Credit will appear on your bills automatically.