Official Site of The State of New Jersey

How Stay NJ Benefits Are Calculated

Once your eligibility is confirmed, your Stay NJ benefit is based on 50% of the property taxes billed on your primary residence, up to a maximum of $13,000 in property taxes. With a maximum benefit of $6,500.

• 50% of Property Taxes: The Stay NJ benefit is 50% of your property taxes, but the total Stay NJ benefit cannot exceed $6,500.
  • Example 1: If your property taxes are $10,000, you would receive a benefit of $5,000 (50% of $10,000).
  • Example 2: If your property taxes are $14,000, you would receive the maximum benefit of $6,500 (because 50% of your property taxes would be higher than the maximum benefit allowed).

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What if I am also eligible for Senior Freeze (PTR) and ANCHOR?

If you qualify for Senior Freeze and ANCHOR, we first calculate the benefits you will receive from those programs. If the sum of the Senior Freeze and ANCHOR amount is less than 50% of your property taxes ($6,500 max), your Stay NJ amount will be the difference between 50% of the property taxes billed and the benefits you already received with the ANCHOR and Senior Freeze programs.

If the sum of your ANCHOR and Senior Freeze benefit is more than 50% of the property taxes billed, your combined Senior Freeze and ANCHOR is the greater benefit for you and you will not receive any additional amount from Stay NJ.

1. If the combined sum of your ANCHOR and Senior Freeze benefit is less than 50% of the property taxes billed:
   • Stay NJ will provide a benefit to bring the total benefits up to 50% of your property taxes ($6,500 max). For example, if your Senior Freeze and ANCHOR benefits total $4,000, and 50% of your property taxes is $5,000, Stay NJ would provide a benefit amount of $1,000 to bring the total to $5,000.
2. If the sum of your ANCHOR and Senior Freeze benefit is more than 50% of the property taxes billed:
   • You will not receive anything from Stay NJ because your Senior Freeze and ANCHOR benefits have already exceeded 50% of the property taxes billed. In this case, Stay NJ will not be applied.
   • As stated by law, we will calculate your ANCHOR benefit first and then the Senior Freeze amount. The sum cannot not exceed the amount of your gross property taxes. For example, your property taxes are $2,000. You will receive the full ANCHOR amount of $1750 and $250 for Senior Freeze.
3. We will issue eligible residents the:
   • Senior Freeze payment, beginning July 15, 2026. See the payment schedule for details.
   • ANCHOR benefit, beginning September 15, 2026, and continue on a rolling basis, with most applicants receiving payment within 90 days, unless additional information is required.
   • STAY NJ benefit quarterly, with payments scheduled for February, May, August, and November 2026. February and May payments were subject to the Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget, and August and November payments are subject to the Fiscal Year 2027 State Budget.
     We will update 2025 Stay NJ payment information when we receive it.

You will receive a determination letter at the end of the year outlining the exact amounts you are eligible to receive for each program.