Tax Relief In The Caldwells: Property Owners Can Now Apply

NORTH JERSEY – Mayors around North Jersey have reminded residents that they will soon be receiving mailers from the NJ Division of Taxation with filing information for the 2019 ANCHOR-Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters-property tax relief program.

While some filers have had trouble getting through on the phone lines recently, the mailers should help once they're received.

Mayors have reminded residents to be patient and be on the lookout for their mailers starting this week.

“This is huge news ... that benefits Homeowners and Renters alike with significant relief that I hope and encourage our residents to take advantage of,” said one mayor, Gabriel Rodriguez of West New York.

The ANCHOR program replaces the Homestead Benefit program and expands the amount of property tax relief while also boosting eligibility to twice as many homeowners, and also includes tenants renting their homes.

The Division will be emailing ANCHOR program filing information to homeowners who had requested their application be sent through email when they filed their 2018 Homestead Benefit application at the same time the physical mailers are sent out.

The NJ Division of Taxation mailers will begin arriving to tenants and homeowners in in the area on Sept. 21 and the department has asked that residents not call about a missing mailer until at least two weeks after the expected delivery date for their county.

The average New Jersey property tax bill in New Jersey was $9,284 in 2021 — among the highest in the nation. Rough figures from the ANCHOR program average a $971 annual benefit for two million residents. Read More: NJ's $2B Property Tax Rebate Program Opens (How To Get Paid).

To be eligible, homeowners must have:

• Been a New Jersey resident; and
• Owned and occupied a home in New Jersey that was their principal residence (main home) on October 1, 2019; and
• Paid the 2019 property taxes on their main home; and
• Had 2019 New Jersey gross income of not more than $250,000.

To be eligible, tenants must have:

• Been a New Jersey resident; and
• Rented and occupied an apartment or residence in New Jersey that was their principal residence (main home) on October 1, 2019; and
• Lived in a unit with its own separate kitchen and bath facilities (if the building had more than one dwelling unit); and
• Paid rent on their main home, which was subject to local property taxes; and
• Had 2019 New Jersey gross income of not more than $150,000.

Applicants will choose to receive their benefits either as a check or direct deposit and must file their application by Friday, December 30, 2022.

The online application, eligibility requirements, filing instructions, and paper applications can also be accessed at nj.gov/treasury/taxation/anchor. The automated telephone filing system, which will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during the filing period, can be reached at 1 (877) 658-2972. Text Telephone Service (TTY/TDD) for hearing-impaired users: 1 (800) 286-6613 or (609) 984-7300.

Patch editors Eric Kiefer and Josh Bakan contributed reporting to this story.