By Reshmee Jugmohun, REALTOR®, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson in New Jersey, Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty. Published November 9, 2026.
For a New Jersey homeowner aged 65 or older, staying put can come with up to $6,500 a year in state property tax relief through Stay NJ, Senior Freeze and ANCHOR, depending on income and the size of the tax bill. Selling changes that: renters lose Stay NJ and Senior Freeze entirely, a move to another New Jersey home resets the Senior Freeze base year, and leaving the state ends all three. The timing of a sale within the year matters too, because each program looks at a different date.
This guide explains what each program pays, what changed for Stay NJ in the 2026 state budget, and what happens to the benefits if you sell and buy another home in New Jersey, sell and rent, or sell and move away. Fall and winter are a natural time to weigh whether a spring sale is in your future, and these benefits belong in that calculation. Every figure comes from the New Jersey Division of Taxation's program pages as updated between June and November 2026, and from the program statute, P.L.2023, c.75, as amended.
One note before the detail. I am a licensed real estate salesperson, not a tax advisor, and I hold an LLB but do not practice law. The Division of Taxation decides eligibility and sends each applicant a benefit statement with their actual amounts. What follows explains how the rules work so you can plan.
What are Stay NJ, Senior Freeze and ANCHOR?
They are three separate state programs that return part of a homeowner's property taxes, and for the 2025 tax year all three were claimed on one application, Form PAS-1. The Division describes it as a one-stop application for resident homeowners and renters who are age 65 and over, or receiving federal Social Security disability benefits.
ANCHOR is the broadest. It pays homeowners and renters regardless of age, within income limits. For the 2025 tax year, homeowners with income of $150,000 or less receive $1,500, and those with income from $150,001 to $250,000 receive $1,000, according to the Division's ANCHOR page. Renters receive $450, or $700 if they were 65 or older by December 31, 2025, with an income limit of $150,000.
Senior Freeze reimburses tax increases. Officially the Property Tax Reimbursement, it pays the difference between your property taxes in a "base year" and your taxes in the current year, so long as the current bill is higher. For the 2025 application, the Division's eligibility page requires that you were 65 or older on December 31, 2025 (or receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability benefits), that you owned and lived in your home since December 31, 2022 or earlier and still did on December 31, 2025, and that your income was $168,268 or less for 2024 and $172,475 or less for 2025.
Stay NJ is the newest. It is designed to bring the total relief for an eligible homeowner aged 65 or older up to half of their property tax bill, subject to a maximum. Under the statute, the credit is 50% of the property tax billed on the principal residence in the prior tax year, up to the maximum, less whatever the homeowner received from ANCHOR and Senior Freeze. It does not stack on top of the other two; it fills in behind them.
How much are the programs worth if you stay?
For an eligible homeowner, the combined relief for the 2025 tax year can reach up to $6,500, depending on household income and the tax bill. The Division's Stay NJ page sets the maximum Stay NJ benefit, paid in 2027, by income:
- $100,000 or less: up to $6,500
- $100,000.01 to $150,000: up to $5,000
- $150,000.01 to $200,000: up to $4,000
- Over $200,000: $0
The Division notes that these maximums are presented on an annualized basis assuming no changes to the Stay NJ program in the Fiscal Year 2028 budget.
Here is how that plays out on a typical Bergen County tax bill. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs reports that the average residential property tax bill in Bergen County in 2025 was $13,992. Half of that is $6,996, which is above every Stay NJ maximum. So for a household with income of $100,000 or less paying that bill, Stay NJ would fill the gap between what ANCHOR and Senior Freeze pay and the $6,500 maximum. For a household between $100,000 and $150,000, the combined figure would be up to $5,000, and between $150,000 and $200,000, up to $4,000. Your own figure depends on your bill, your income and your Senior Freeze amount, and the Division's benefit statement is the number that counts.
Above $200,000 of income, the picture is different. Stay NJ pays nothing, the Senior Freeze income limit has already been passed, and ANCHOR pays $1,000 up to $250,000 of income and nothing above it. For these households, the relief programs carry little weight in a decision to stay or sell.
What changed for Stay NJ in 2026?
The program was cut back. The Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Act, signed on June 30, 2026, lowered the income limit for the current cycle to $200,000 and introduced the income tiers above, according to the Division's Stay NJ page, updated November 4, 2026.
The 2026 payments were reduced too. The Division explains that the remaining 2024 benefit was split into two payments, in August and November 2026, and that this change will result in recipients ultimately receiving a lower overall benefit for calendar year 2026. The benefit for the 2025 tax year is scheduled to be paid in February and May 2027.
The statute and the budget do not say the same thing. The Stay NJ statute, as amended in 2024, still refers to an income limit below $500,000. The $200,000 limit and the tiers come from the budget for this cycle. In practice, this means Stay NJ is set one budget year at a time, and the figures above describe the 2025 tax year only. Anyone weighing a decision that runs several years should treat the future amount as uncertain.
The 2025 filing season has closed. The Division's pages state that the deadline to apply for the 2025 PAS-1 was November 2, 2026. The Division had not published filing dates for the next cycle as of this writing.
What happens to the benefits if you sell and buy another home in New Jersey?
ANCHOR and Stay NJ follow you, with some adjustment in the year you move, but Senior Freeze starts over.
Senior Freeze resets its base year. The program statute says that for a claimant who moves from the home where eligibility was established, the base year becomes the first full tax year during which the person resides in the new home. The reimbursement is the difference between that new base year and later years, so whatever increase had built up on your old home since your original base year is gone.
There is also a gap before the new home qualifies. New claimants must have owned and lived in their home for three years. The statute softens that for people who already had Senior Freeze: a prior claimant qualifies again beginning the second full tax year following a move to another home in New Jersey, despite not meeting the three-year requirement. In practical terms, expect at least one full tax year in the new home with no Senior Freeze.
Stay NJ handles a move between two owned New Jersey homes. The PAS-1 instructions include a Schedule 1 for applicants who moved from one main home they owned in New Jersey to another during the year, and ask for the property taxes billed for the period of residency in each. The statute limits the credit for someone with more than one home in a year to the amounts allocable to each home for the proportion of the year they occupied it. The Stay NJ page itself states the requirement as owning and living in a home for the full 12 months of the year, so confirm with the Division how a move in your year will be treated.
ANCHOR goes with the home you occupy on October 1. The Division's FAQ says that if you moved during the year, the benefit applies only to the qualifying property you owned or rented and occupied on October 1.
What happens if you sell and rent?
You lose Stay NJ and Senior Freeze, and keep a smaller ANCHOR benefit if your income qualifies. The Division's FAQ is direct: Senior Freeze and Stay NJ are only for homeowners, and renters may qualify for ANCHOR.
The renter ANCHOR benefit for 2025 is $700 for those 65 or older, with an income limit of $150,000. For a household that was receiving the $6,500 maximum as owners, moving to a rental replaces that with $700, a difference of $5,800 a year at the 2025 tax year amounts.
That difference belongs in the rent-versus-own comparison. Selling and renting frees up the equity in the house and ends the property tax bill, maintenance and insurance on it. The relief programs are one line on the other side of that ledger: a tax bill that, for some owners, the state was already reducing by thousands of dollars a year. Whether renting still comes out ahead depends on the rent, what the equity earns, and what the house costs to keep.
What happens if you sell and leave New Jersey?
All three programs end, because each requires New Jersey residence. The PAS-1 instructions require ANCHOR applicants to have been New Jersey residents living in a New Jersey main home on October 1, Stay NJ applicants to be New Jersey residents who owned their home for the year, and Senior Freeze applicants to have owned and lived in their home on December 31.
The relief you give up is one of several financial changes in a move out of state. The others include the closing costs of the sale and, for a seller who is no longer a New Jersey resident on the day of closing, an estimated income tax payment collected when the deed is recorded, unless an exemption applies. My guide to the New Jersey "exit tax" explains how that payment works and how selling your main home can qualify for an exemption.
How does the timing of a sale affect the benefits?
Each program checks a different date, so the month you close can decide whether you keep a full year of benefits. These are the three dates written into the current rules.
December 31 for Senior Freeze. The eligibility page requires that you still owned and lived in the home on December 31 of the application year. A sale that closes before December 31 means no Senior Freeze for that year on the home you sold.
October 1 for ANCHOR. The benefit applies to the property you owned or rented and occupied on October 1. If you sell in the spring and rent from then on, you claim the renter amount for that year; if you sell in November, you claim the homeowner amount for the home you still occupied on October 1.
The full year for Stay NJ. The requirement is to have owned and lived in a home for the full 12 months, with the Schedule 1 route for a move between two owned New Jersey homes. A sale that ends homeownership partway through the year, followed by renting or a move out of state, means no Stay NJ for that year.
Closing in January versus December can matter. For an owner planning to sell and then rent or leave New Jersey, a closing early in the following year rather than late in the current one can preserve a full year's eligibility for Senior Freeze and Stay NJ, subject to the program funding in that year. That is a reason to settle the timeline before the house is listed, alongside the other factors that decide when to sell. Your attorney and tax advisor can confirm how the dates apply to you.
How do you weigh staying against selling?
Put the relief programs on the list with everything else, as a dollar figure, and compare the whole picture both ways. The programs matter most for owners with incomes of $200,000 or less and a substantial tax bill, and hardly at all above that.
Start with your actual benefit. The Division sends each applicant a benefit statement, and its online inquiry system shows the amounts. That is a better number than any estimate, including the ones above.
Then put a value on the house. The other side of the decision is what you would net from a sale. The method I use, a comparative market analysis built on recent sold comparables, is explained in my guide to what your home is worth before you list. If your price could land above $1,000,000, the state's fee on the sale now falls on the seller, as explained in my guide to the New Jersey mansion tax for sellers.
Then compare the paths, not just stay versus go. Selling and buying a smaller home in New Jersey keeps ANCHOR and Stay NJ but restarts Senior Freeze. Selling and renting keeps a smaller ANCHOR benefit. Selling and leaving the state ends all three. If you are selling one home and buying another, the order of the two transactions has its own rules, covered in my guide to buying first or selling first. Current listings across the county are on the Bergen County homes for sale page, and more on how I approach listings is on the selling page.
If you are weighing whether to stay in your home or sell, and want a comparative market analysis to put next to your relief figures, I am reachable through rjc.realestate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check what I have been approved for?
The Division of Taxation sends each applicant a benefit statement showing their Senior Freeze, ANCHOR and Stay NJ amounts, and its Stay NJ page links to an online inquiry system where applicants can check their benefit details and status. That system is the authoritative source for your own figures, and it is the number to use in any comparison of staying against selling.
Does my spouse's age count for Stay NJ?
Yes. The Division's Stay NJ page says that to qualify, you or your spouse must have been age 65 or older during the year, along with the ownership, residence and income requirements. Income is counted the same way as for Senior Freeze, and it must be combined if you were married or in a civil union and lived in the same home.
What if my income goes over the Senior Freeze limit for one year?
You are not reimbursed for that year, but you may not lose your base year. The Division's eligibility page describes a one-time exemption: if you received Senior Freeze last year but exceed the income limit this year, you may retain your base year when applying the following year, if all eligibility requirements are met. If income exceeds the limit again in a later year, a new base year must be established once you are eligible again.
Can the total of all three programs be more than my tax bill?
No. The Division's ANCHOR page states that the total of all property tax relief benefits you receive cannot be more than the property taxes paid on your principal residence for the same year. The cap covers ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, Stay NJ and the property tax deductions for senior citizens, disabled persons and veterans.
I own a mobile home. Which programs can I use?
Senior Freeze includes mobile home owners who lease a site in a mobile home park, according to the Division's eligibility page and FAQ, but Stay NJ does not: the Stay NJ page states that renters and mobile home owners are not eligible. A home subject to a payment in lieu of taxes, or P.I.L.O.T., can qualify for Stay NJ.
I am under 65 but receive Social Security disability. Am I eligible?
For Senior Freeze, yes, if you meet the other requirements: the eligibility page includes applicants actually receiving federal Social Security disability or Railroad Retirement disability benefits on or before December 31 of the application year. Stay NJ is different, because it requires that you or your spouse be 65 or older during the year.
When are the benefits paid?
The Division's Stay NJ page gives three schedules. Senior Freeze payments begin on July 15 and continue on a schedule that depends on when you applied. ANCHOR payments start September 15 and continue on a rolling basis, with most applicants paid within 90 days. Stay NJ is paid in quarterly installments rather than as a single payment.
Do the programs consider where in New Jersey I live?
Not directly. The rules are the same statewide, but the amounts depend on your own property tax bill, which varies from town to town, and on your income. Because Stay NJ is calculated as half of the prior year's tax bill up to the maximum, owners with larger bills are more likely to reach the maximum for their income tier. If you are comparing your current home with a smaller one elsewhere in the county, current listings are on the Bergen County homes for sale page.
How can I find out what I would net if I sold?
Start with a comparative market analysis, which estimates a likely sale range from recent sales of comparable homes near yours, then ask your attorney to estimate the closing costs at that price. Set the result against what staying costs you each year after relief. If you would like a comparative market analysis on your own home, I am reachable through rjc.realestate.
Where do I file the PAS-1 application?
The 2025 PAS-1 instructions give two routes: online at propertytaxrelief.nj.gov, or on paper to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, Revenue Processing Center, Property Tax Relief Programs, PO Box 635, Trenton, NJ 08646-0635. For the 2025 cycle, paper applications postmarked on or before the due date were considered filed on time, and online applications had to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline. Check the Division's pages for the next cycle's dates before filing.