ANCHOR Property Tax Relief for Renters and Homeowners

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The Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) program replaces the Homestead Benefit program. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2023. You may have already received an informational mailer or an email about the program. Your living arrangements on October 1, 2019 determine your eligibility.

Tenants: You may be an eligible tenant if you were renting an apartment, condominium, house, mobile home, or owned your mobile home, but rented the lot. You are not eligible if you live in housing that is exempt from property taxes, such as housing that is owned by the State, county, municipal, or federal government, on-campus apartments at state colleges and universities, or residences owned by religious, charitable, or other nonprofit organizations (including on-campus apartments at private nonprofit colleges and universities). If you are not sure whether the residence you rented was subject to local property taxes, contact your building manager or the municipal tax assessor for information. See the NJ Division of Taxation's Tenants Frequently Asked Questions about particular rental scenarios, filing status, and other information.

Homeowners: You may be eligible if you owned a house, owned a condominium on which you paid property taxes, were a resident shareholder of a cooperative housing complex, or were a resident in a continuing care retirement community and the continuing care contract requires residents to pay a proportionate share of the property taxes. Homeowners who were completely exempt from paying property taxes or made Payments-in-Lieu-of Tax (P.I.L.O.T.) payments do not qualify. You may find answers to frequently asked questions about different ownership situations, filing issues, and other matters at the NJ Division of Taxation's Homeowners Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you did not fit one of these criteria in the past, but do now, you are not eligible this year, but may be eligible in the future.

In addition, you have to be income eligible to qualify. Homeowners with incomes of $150,000 or less will receive $1,500. Homeowners with incomes of more than $150,000 and up to $250,000 will receive $1,000. Renters with incomes of $150,000 or less will receive $450. The Department of the Treasury anticipates sending payments in the late spring of 2023 but no later than May 2023.

Tenants can qualify even if they do not have any income, or have not filed a tax return.

Each tenant applies separately. Enter your name only, the number of people you shared the rent with, and the names of all tenants on the appropriate line. Couples who file jointly are not considered multiple tenants.

You can apply online at ANCHOR Benefit Online Filing. You can also submit a paper application. The paper application for tenants is at 2019 Form ANCHOR-T ANCHOR Application for Tenants. Many homeowners can apply by phone, 1-877-658-2972.

If you are a homeowner, you must file a paper application if:

• You shared ownership of your main home with someone who was not your spouse/civil union partner and your percentage of ownership is not preprinted on your worksheet.
• Your main home was a unit in a multi-unit property that you owned.
• You received an ANCHOR information mailer for the correct property, but the name on the mailer is not yours or needs to be changed due to marriage, death, etc.
• You are a widow(er)/surviving civil union partner and your deed lists both your name and the name of your deceased spouse.
• You are an executor filing on behalf of a deceased homeowner.
• You occupied a newly constructed home on October 1 for which you did not receive an ANCHOR mailer with an Identification Number and PIN.
• You are considered a homeowner for purposes of applying for the ANCHOR benefit, but you were not the actual owner of record on October 1.
• You and your spouse/civil union partner maintained the same main home and require separate ANCHOR benefit payments.
• You are filing for a property held in trust. (You are considered an eligible owner of a property owned by a trust if you are a beneficiary, or the deed or trust agreement explicitly states that you have a life estate in the property.)

If you are a homeowner who must submit a paper application and you received a mailer with an ID and PIN, you can access the online filing system and upload a paper application. If you did not receive the mailer, call the ANCHOR program at 1-888-238-1233.

For more information, go to Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) or call the ANCHOR program at 1-888-238-1233.​​​​​​

This information last reviewed: Jan 9, 2023