NEW JERSEY — Eligible New Jersey residents have until February 28 to apply for a refund of up to $1,500 from the ANCHOR program, which provides property tax relief to those who bought or rented their principal residence from October 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 and who have complied with income limits.

For this reason, several community and local governments hold free events to help landlords and renters with the program application process.

Over 870,000 homeowners with incomes up to $150,000 will receive $1,500 in assistance; more than 290,000 owners with an income between $150 and $250,000 will receive $1,000; and more than 900,000 renters with incomes under $150,000 will receive $450 to help offset rent increases.

Payments will be issued in the form of checks or direct deposits and will be sent no later than May 2023 to allow time for processing and validation of the request. Payments will not be subject to federal or state income tax.

Here is information about the events:

How will you help people at community events?

Tax Division staff will be present at these events to:

  • Help determine if they meet the ANCHOR program requirements.
  • Provide information such as New Jersey gross income or ID and PIN (owners only), which can be used to complete an ANCHOR application.
  • Help file your application for ANCHORAGE of landlord or tenant.
  • Answer questions about the program.
  • Also check the status of your previously submitted application or we will check if you have already submitted it.

What documents should I bring to events?

People must bring their government-issued photo ID to the event.

When and where are the events?

DATE HOUR LOCATION COUNTY
tuesday february 21 10:30 a.m. m – 12:30 p.m. Food Action Center, 239 Anderson Ave., Fairview, NJ 07022 Bergen
tuesday february 21 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Fair Lawn Senior Center, 11-05 Gardiner Road, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 Bergen
Wednesday February 22 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), 72 ½ Escher Street, Trenton, NJ 08609 Mercier
Wednesday February 22 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Capital Area YMCA, 431 Pennington Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618 Mercier
Thursday February 23 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Kingsbury Towers Community Hall, 1 Cooper Street, Trenton, NJ 08611 Mercier
Thursday February 23 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Louis Josephson Apartment, 237 Oakland Street, Trenton, NJ 08618 Mercier
Friday February 24 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Donnelly Homes Gym, 899 Southard St., Trenton, NJ 08638 Mercier
Saturday February 25 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. James Abbott Apartments, 490 Hoffman Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618 Mercier
Saturday February 25 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. JTG Center, 330 Helen Street, Linden, NJ 07036 union

ANSWERS TO OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ANCHOR PROGRAM:

Who is eligible for the ANCHOR program?

To qualify for ANCHOR relief, the following conditions must be met:

  • Owners with an income of $150,000 or less will receive $1,500.
  • Owners with income over $150,000 and up to $250,000 will receive $1,000.
  • Tenants with an income of $150,000 or less will receive $450.

How can I apply for the program?

THE OWNERS:

Owners need an ANCHOR ID and PIN to apply online or over the phone. If you didn’t receive an email or email with an ID and PIN, but you applied for Homestead benefits last year, go to the ID and code finder Online PIN to retrieve your ID and PIN. Some landlords must submit a paper application for the reasons listed here.

TENANTS

All qualified tenants can and should apply online (no telephone option is available). However, tenants can complete a paper application.

Renters don’t have ID or PIN.

Until when can I complete the application?

The deadline is February 28, 2023.

When will I receive my payment?

All payments will be issued by check or direct deposit beginning in late spring 2023 (no later than May 2023). Payments will not be issued in the order in which they are received.

I heard there were emails with information about the program, but I haven’t received any yet. When can I expect to receive mine?

All 2019 newsletters have already been sent. If you haven’t received your ANCHOR email and requested the 2018 Homestead benefit, you can retrieve your ID and PIN here. If you didn’t apply for Homestead last year or can’t get your ID and PIN, call the ANCHOR Helpline at 1-888-238-1233.

I’m a landlord, but I received an email from a tenant, or vice versa. What do I have to do?

  • If you owned and occupied a home on October 1, 2019, I did not count tenant-related mail.

If you applied for Homestead Benefits last year and qualify for the same property under the ANCHOR program, you can retrieve your ID and PIN online. However, if you are unable to recover your ID and PIN, please call the ANCHOR Helpline at 1-888-238-1233 to speak to a representative.

  • If you rented a property as a tenant on October 1, 2019, I did not take into account the mail related to the owner. Renters don’t have ID or PIN. Apply here.

I haven’t received/can’t retrieve my username and PIN. What do I have to do?

If you applied for Homestead Benefits last year and qualify for the same property under the ANCHOR program, you can retrieve your ID and PIN online. However, if you are unable to recover your ID and PIN, please call the ANCHOR Helpline at 1-888-238-1233 to speak to a representative.

Can I request the process on paper?

There are separate processes for landlords and tenants to request a paper application. Landlords must use their ANCHOR ID and PIN, while Renters will use their Tax ID.

I was a home owner in 2019 but recently moved. What do I have to do?

If you do not receive mail or email information regarding the location of the property you owned and occupied on October 1, 2019, please try accessing the ID and PIN request system by line to retrieve your username and PIN. If you are unable to access your ID and PIN to file online, please call the ANCHOR Helpline at 1-888-238-1233 to speak to a representative.

I tried to call the ANCHOR hotline for help, but couldn’t get through. How can I get answers to my questions?

We encourage you to review the ANCHOR pages here before calling for answers to your questions.

It is important to note that the ANCHOR deadline is not before December 30, 2022.

The ANCHOR hotline is experiencing an incredibly high call volume as three times as many New Jerseyans are now eligible for the program compared to the Homestead benefit. Agents are working diligently to respond to as many calls as possible, the agency said.

How is profit calculated?

Owners: Find out how ANCHOR benefits are calculated and paid here.

Renters: If your 2019 gross income (NJ-1040, line 29) is $150,000 or less, the benefit amount is $450.

More information on the ANCHOR program here.

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