Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Treasury Begins Distributing First Round of Stay NJ Benefits to Eligible Seniors

(TRENTON) - Treasury’s Division of Taxation has begun mailing the first installment of benefits for the inaugural season of Stay NJ, New Jersey’s newest property tax relief program for eligible seniors and disabled residents.

Payments will be mailed as paper checks to an estimated 430,000 qualifying taxpayers who applied last season through the PAS-1 combined application for Stay NJ, ANCHOR, and Senior Freeze. Stay NJ benefits are paid in quarterly, equal installments – not as a lump sum – with the average benefit for the first installment totaling $637. Benefits are calculated using a formula based on a taxpayer’s property tax bill and eligibility for the State’s other property tax relief programs, ANCHOR and Senior Freeze. The second quarterly Stay NJ payment is scheduled to be mailed in mid-May.

Eligible applicants received explanatory letters in the fall of 2025 with a breakdown of benefits they will receive from each program for which they qualified. Applicants may have been eligible for one, two, or all three programs depending on their household income and other criteria. Taxpayers who qualified for Senior Freeze received those benefits in the summer of 2025, and ANCHOR payments were distributed in the fall of 2025.

While qualifying taxpayers are beginning to receive Stay NJ benefits now for the 2024 tax season, it’s important to note that the next Stay NJ filing season is currently underway for tax year 2025. Eligible seniors and disabled residents can apply through the PAS-1 combined application at https://propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov/. The deadline for that application is November 2nd, 2026. The availability of New Jersey’s property tax relief programs is subject to State Budget appropriations.

While taxpayers are encouraged to apply now, benefits will begin to be distributed in summer 2026, as is routine. The Division of Taxation expects to distribute the Senior Freeze portion of benefits in July 2026; ANCHOR benefits in September 2026; and Stay NJ payments in February 2027. The availability of New Jersey’s property tax relief programs is subject to State Budget appropriations.

Taxpayers seeking assistance can take advantage of a number of resources:

• Visit one of the Division of Taxation's Regional Information Centers for immediate, in-person assistance:NJ Division of Taxation - Office Locations;
• Schedule a telephone appointment to speak to a representative:Home - TeleGov;
• Access the Division of Taxation chatbox, which connects users with a virtual agent for general Stay NJ inquiries; the chatbox tool is embedded at the bottom right of all Taxation webpages: State of NJ - Department of the Treasury - Division of Taxation
• Visit propertytaxrelief.nj.gov to check the status of a benefit, view frequentlyasked questions, and detailed information on each program;
• Call the Property Tax Relief Hotline: 1-888-238-1233.