2025 Senior Freeze Property Tax Changes
For seniors in 2025 the PTR forms will be replaced with PAS-1 forms which will be mailed out in March . They combine the property tax freeze Anchor and Stay NJ all in one form . Stay NJ quarterly payments will begin in February 2026 then May/August/November . If you opt to file online you will have to register with ID.me which requires 2 forms of ID and a video conference call . All the info is in the link below including non-senior info on number 6 and 8 .
https://hamiltonnj.com/FAQ.aspx?QID=909
97XBAM I have some confusion over one of the instructions on this formif anyone can help me I'd appreciate it. I tried to find the answer on the government site.
On page 8 one of the instructions for Line C says "The amount of any qualified distribution form a Roth IRA or the amount rolled over from a Roth IRA to another Roth IRA. (These amounts are not reported on Form NJ-1040)".
This means if I took money out of my RothI have to enter the amount? And also,
This means if I moved my Roth from one brokerage to another I have to enter the amount in the entire account?
I can't figure out how this makes sense.
In the end if the Stay NJ actually materializes I don't know if it matters whether I qualify for Senior Freeze or not.
Thanks for any insight.
Penny Lane It probably means that Roth IRA distribution wasn't reported as income on the 1040 tax form . I haven't gotten my PAS-1 booklet yet but it is online . It has a hotline listed ( 1 (888) 238-1233) that you can call with any questions .
https://www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/pdf/24-pas1cp.pdf
I thought this was supposed to simplify the process. I haven’t received the booklet yet but now I’m hearing it’s more than 8 pages?
How is that simplified??
Local 
OnTheEdge 
MAN MAN - It looks like renters skip right to the signature section after answering 4b on the first form . But if you're not 65 or disabled the Anchor benefit info will be mailed out this summer .
4b. Indicate your residency status for all 2024.
Homeowner (complete Schedule I) Mobile home owner (complete Schedule II) Renter (complete Signature section)
It looks fairly easy - the worksheets are just to find your income for 2023 and 2024 which you should already know from your tax returns and the 4 pages of municipal codes are there just to find the 4 digit code for your township .
https://www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/pdf/24-pas1cp.pdf
I completed mine in about 10 minutes. You will need your 2023 & 2024 tax returns handybut againit's not complicated. You also need to know the total property tax billed for 2024. That's on the tax bill you received last June/July. If you're organized with your paperwork and keep copies of thingsthis shouldn't be hard.
Lonesome Dove Does anyone know if BOTH my 2023 and 2024 incomes have to be within the listed limits?
My 2023 is over and my 2024 is under the limits.........
the judgethe judge
The instructions indicate that it's both 2023 AND 2024 incomes.
This is the first year we finally qualify for the freezehaving both years within the limits.
I don't know if I should be happy or not to have property taxes frozen at $21K.
I received my booklet but I appear to missing pages. I have pages 1 to 4 and the next page is 13 to page 16. Anyone else have this issue.
mack1019 mack1019 - what about the actual application and mailing envelope? You should also have a second copy of the application in the booklet for your records. The other missing pages I would think you should be able to see them online. As long as you have your 2 copies of the application. So much fraud happening these days.
happiest girl
Thank you for the response. Luckily both applications were in the booklet along with the mailing envelope. I was able go on-line and download a complete set of instruction. Good to go now.
I went to file online. It said to file online you need to create a id.me account. Had so much trouble doing this it 1 1/2 hours. Which included a video conference with someone who reviewed my id's which I had to scan and upload. So once I got that done I decided to try to finally file another day. Hope now it only takes 10 minutes
I had started doing it online then stopped when the ID.me requirements came up along with a wait time of 30 minutes for the video conference . Last year I did it online and all you had to do was upload a copy of your tax bill . Now it's easier and faster to do the physical paper format .
Just received our Senior Freeze reimbursement. First time qualifying. Nice to get $450but wish my prop taxes weren't so high. "Frozen" at $20K.
Babbit Yesfor 2023 $20,039. $20,498 for 2024 (Long Valley). Our house is nothing fancy eitherbelieve me.
But I just wanted to let others know that the reimbursements are arriving. Mine was direct deposit.
My friend lives right near Centenary and he pays almost $18,000. The bigger the house size and lot sizethe higher the tax.
I just received my tax bill yesterdayand wow59% of it is for the schools. I'm not saying that they don't need itI'm just saying that is where most of our money goes.
RichieI don't know how the portion for schools is determinedbut Long Valley (Washington twp. Morris County) has 71.6% to schools.
Long Beach twp.Ocean County has 27.6% of prop taxes that go to schools.
Tis the way schools funded in many states.
Think our schools are number one or two in nation; warren may be in the middle but given nj rankingour middle is great nationally.
Nj pays about fourth or fifth for funding so being one or two in results seems a fair deal. Thusmess with it veryvery carefully as you are fixing what ain’t broken.
Nj pays the highest in property taxes. So high that these patch programs still result in paying the highest property taxes in the nation.
Think our total tax package is again fourth or fifth in nation. IMOit’s not the total tax bill in issuebut the skew to property just drives fixed incomes out of state because we are not competitive for fixed incomes mobile enough to move cross state lines foe huge four digit savings. These programs are like polishing turd. In the endit’s still what it was.
Fyi: I live in Indylarge housea few acresand pay 13k. One difference is I protested re-evaluation and dropped the value a lot. Got luckyhonestly. You can protest once a yearcomparables are crucial.
Did anyone think their property taxes would stay the same or go down after voting for the 8 million dollar increase for the schools in the special election this March ? You don't always get what you vote for but this time the voters did it it to themselves once again .
"Voters in Independence and Liberty appear to have narrowly approved a proposal from the Great Meadows Regional School District to spend $8 million on school alterations286-349; the state will pick up $3.2 million of those costs."
97x: the $8m is really 4.8m after the state covers $3.2m. Pretty good deal imo. Then we wilk get low cost loans from the statefloat bonds and pay down over numbers of years. Not exactly $8m out of pocketyear one.
Thenproperty tax increases cappedcat 2% per yearby law.
But a wrinkle that you want to watch. Bondsdebtscan be paid down by going overcrhe two percent. That hit will be felt soon and then back to 2% hits.
I bet it’s not bad.
I received my senior freeze check. The amount is alot less than the difference between my 2023 and 2024 property taxes. My understanding is that the freeze is soley based on those two numbersis that right? I will call the support number tomorrow.
btwI did confirm my property taxes with the town tax office before submitting the PAS form.
My gap is related to the $250 Veterans deduction. Somehowsomewhereand for unknown reasons the State used a different dollar amount by $250 for my 2023 taxesand they changed what I had entered. The result is that I received $250 less than expected.
Not only had I used the amount(s) from my property tax statementsI also confirmed them with the tax office before completing the form. Support at the 800 # for the program advised me to write a letter and provide the tax statements.
Why do seniors get tax welfare? Let them pay the same as everyone else.
The real question iswhy are taxes so high as compared to other states?
Biff Biff,
It's to keep seniors in NJ rather than them taking their cash to Florida. There is a big loss in state revenue when people leave. It's not a matter of age alonebut the fact that after retirement you have fewer anchors holding you down.
happycamper Yessupposed to start Sept 15th.
btwthe state did correct my $250 discrepancy BUT there remains an issue regarding the base amount for future calculations; waiting on response to my letter.
Biff - Look at your property taxes and see the amount of taxes we pay yearly that are for public schools. Why do Seniors have to pay for Schools and everything else to do with schools like teacher salaries and pensionslike school busses etc. We have been paying more than our fair share of taxes for many many years so now it is your turn. Stop complaining. Somedayif you’re luckyyou may qualify to get a few dollars back for the many that you paid. In additionhow about getting involved in State politics and help straighten out the mess this State has been for a very long time.
Just wondering 
Navy vet Seniors pay for schools because the seniors who came before you paid for your school. That’s how society works to improve. You invest in the education of the children in your community.
Res2 F that.
School costs are out of control.
Even when I was a kid- the quality of public school was a joke.
Go read- learn about how early industrialists planned this- wanting just taught enough to be good employees.
And even if you think 'that's fine' - 'what they are taught is fine'- the cost % VS 50-60 years ago is absurd- yet we aren't seeing more yield for it.
The cream rises to the top- you can throw all you want at 'better schooling' and the vast majority of kids are going to turn out the same.
The ones that are going to try hard- were already going to try hard.
The slackers- are going to do the same.
Invest in the children is B.S. just like most everything else society conforms you to.
Taxes 100% should be use based- across the board.
For everything- EVERYTHING. Not just schools.
Don't use it? (whatever it is) Don't pay.
Don't have kids in school? Don't pay.
NEVER had kids in school? DEFINITELY DON"T PAY.
Stop subsidizing EVERYTHING.
Earn your keep. Pay for what you use.
Josh I wouldn't mind so much about paying towards school funding (despite not using them)if the spending didn't seem so out of control. I want us to have good schoolsbut high spending doesn't always equal good schools. NJ school funding as a whole needs reworking.
Off topic a bit: We received our Anchor deposit this week.
Got my Anchor benefit today . Looks like the max amount went up 50 bucks - an election year bribe perhaps ?
MTSO That extra $50 represents the property tax credit for seniors who didn’t claim it on their state tax return.
The GOP candidate for governor has called the Anchor rebate a shell game and wants to raise the age for the property tax freeze from 65 to 70 . I can't image that will be popular with the voters in the state .
97XBAM - you are correctthat will not be well received…. don’t vote for him!!
My senior freeze combined with my Anchor Benefit is almost half my property tax. And when Stay NJ kicks in this Februaryit will be exactly 1/2 my taxes saved.
Anchor Benefit is not just for seniorsa couple with less than $250,000 income qualifies for it.
Property Tax Relief letters are being mailed now with the dollar amounts you receive - I got mine yesterday.
SorryI have to disagree. Something needs to be done to overhaul NJ property taxes. Not just trying to pay us off with our own money.
I got the letter from the State Treasury yesterday and calculated my Stay NJ rebate at 18.75 since the Senior Freeze and Anchor rebates came very close to 50% of the total property tax . You just divide the total tax in half and subtract the Freeze and Anchor rebates and the Stay NJ rebate will make up the difference on half of the tax up to a maximum rebate of 6500 .
The Stay NJ program offers property tax benefits to eligible homeowners aged 65 and older. It reimburses applicants for 50% of their property tax bills.
https://www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/staynj/calculation.shtml
I just hate the monkey dance to get some kickback. Different namesgamesrulesjust to get that which should not be charged in the first place.
You start by paying THE highest property tax in the nation; CA laughs at us. You fill out the formsstand on one legbark like a dog at the moon and by the time you get a checkyou can’t remember what it’s for.
And after all thatyou still pay the highest taxes in the land.
NJ; no country for old men. Best to leave by 65.
Here's one reason why NJ property taxes are so high :
Voters in Independence and Liberty appear to have narrowly approved a proposal from the Great Meadows Regional School District to spend $8 million on school alterations286-349; the state will pick up $3.2 million of those costs.
Seems to me somebody here defended that unnecessary expenditure wait a minute THAT WAS YOU BABBO !
97XBAM - was your Stay NJ Benefit not listed in your letter? You said you calculated it.
My letter had the Stay NJ Benefit dollar amount along with the Senior Freeze and Anchor.
It also specified that it would be divided into 4 equal paymentsscheduled for FebMayAugust and November.
Was that a typo when you said $18.75 or did you mean $1875.
97x: really not a defensemore an explanation as follows: "the $8m is really 4.8m after the state covers $3.2m. Pretty good deal imo. Then we will get low cost loans from the statefloat bonds and pay down over numbers of years. Not exactly $8m out of pocketyear one. Thenproperty tax increases capped at 2% per yearby law. But a wrinkle that you want to watch. Bondsdebtscan be paid down by going overcrhe two percent. That hit will be felt soon and then back to 2% hits. I bet it’s not bad."
We have not seen the 2025 rate.
As to property taxesit's complexbut NJ pays a higher rate than anyone.
NJ pays like number four per studentbut returns number 1 or 2 in student outcomes.
NJ covers education with a higher percentage of property tax than most states in the Unionexcept states that don't have income or sales tax for example.
SoIMOwe should be very careful to muck with school spending because we get the best outcomesdon't want to mess with that unless you are sure. We seem to have done something right. AlsoI believe highly in education as the best defense in the nation. No problem fundingeven with kids flown the coop.
NJ's high property tax makes us uncompetitive for younger folks coming in as well as retaining older retired folks very mobile to move out. That's stupid.
Sodear bamI have no issue in paying for schoolI have a huge issue with paying it all from property taxes to the point of property taxes being uncompetitive.
It's the processnot the pricethat offends me. NJ needs a tax-system overhaulnot freaking band aids on an opengushingwound.
That clarify?
Where do you think the state gets the money from ? Ain't nothin free somewhere someone is paying for it or it's running up a budget deficit for the state . And there is no end in rising property taxes in sight especially if that socialist clown gets elected mayor in NYC then NJ will see a huge influx of new residents with more housing and the higher taxes that come with all that .
Six school budgets got rejected by voters in March and 2 towns refused to spend more than the cap so are those kids getting a lesser education ? We could probably all agree schools should be funded by something other than property taxes then they wouldn't need any of these convoluted rebate methods .
https://newjerseyglobe.com/education/results-of-todays-special-school-elections/
97x: You seem a bit all over the place; the mayor in NYC will cause NJ to have an influx. And somehow those folks with higher paying jobs are going to make our schools go tilttax wise? Even Independence? That's a rich one. Especially since the topic was our property taxesGMRSDand the various tax kickbacks for oldsters.
Then you listed the school budget election with the GMSRD approval and expect surprise that other people vote down school budgets? Come onit’s America. Americans love to dump on school budgetsmakes them feel powerfulin the knowand making a difference.
Not sure Indy can run up a deficit for the state give the balanced budget requirementnot sure what you are talking about. Not sure what you are assuming?
The state gets money from taxes. That's what I think. I'd like to say we get it from the FED toobut you knowto give is better than to receive. Tis a blessing. GeeI thought everyone knew that. All kinds of taxes we pay to the state. My point is it’s time to scrap it alland bring it back with a better load balancing that lowers the property load to make NJ more competitive with the rest of America. Think you and I agreeschool funding may need to extend beyond property if we do that.
And to those who feel we spend too much and could even have better results for lessgreat!!! Be careful since NJ ranks 3rd or 4th in per pupil spending and NJ ranks 2nd or 3rd in overall school performance. Personallythat seems a pretty good deal and something not to muck with unless you are really sure for a better bang for the buck. PS: FL is a good place to startthey DO get a better bang for the buck for some reason. And personallyI would rather overspend for our kid’s education. I think it supports our nation’s defense better than bombs. After allneed brains to build bombs and todayneed big brains to drop em.
Property tax wise where you seem to feel gouged: Indy in 2018dropped PT by .27%that’s rightwe went negativego figure. Did you buy them a dinner? In 2019/+1.34%2020/.36%2021/2.71%2022/1.11%2023/2.45%2024/2.2%. We set the NJ property cap at 2% because we are stupidwe can’t manage money welland we vote for people worse than us. So whether needed or notschools will shoot for around 2% every yearneeded or not. The additional beyond the decimal is voter approvedI thinkbut not sure why exactly. While a cap curbs the spendinga cap is like handing out free money too. Always 2%. And now our representatives don't have to thinkjust add 2% and see what you can spend it on. Nowas I saidthere are other tricks to beat the capI think fixed assets may be oneanother is “banked” taxes (that might explain 2018. Point is --- give me a break on being gouged every year. You voted for 2% and that’s what you get. FYI: when it comes to NJ highest taxesINDY is like 130 out of 500 so seems our taxes are higher than average across the entire statebut not that much.
Just google “independence nj property tax rarte by year” and the entire state unfolds.
Because schools are under local controlus locals pay big attention to this thing we know little about. PersonallyI hate local control and would make it county-wide so we could afford more centralized resources to help guide and plan our future. Us locals stink at it.
Hope that helps you find a way to make education better for the kids and not just consistently advocate for less spending. Especially when it appears that we don't spend that muchcompared to top ranked public educational systems OR even over 125 local jurisdictions in NJ.
FYI: I just reviewed my STAY NJ andindeedit's 50% off and that seems a pretty good deal. Nowthey have "feathered" out the payments over a yearbut in my casecoolI can waitmight even survive that long :>)
Still hate the gamesmanship where now I get a better dealthat younger folks will cover my proverbial'sand that we have to have this jerky work-around to do the right thing.
But at 50%: I'm stayin in NJ!!!!!!!!!!! thanks everyone for pointing this out.
Gotta feel for jurisdictions with a preponderance of oldsters; those kids are screwedmoneywise.
The jerky work around is because StayNJ is dependent on the annual budgetthe amount could vary year to year.
Babbitt:
The Anchor plus Senior Freeze are subtracted from whatever 50% of your property tax is. The net amount is what makes up StayNJ.
Regarding the StayNJ rebate:
You'll only be getting 50% of your prop taxes if they're $13K or less. (Mine are over $21K).
The total amount is $6500.
Also the $6500 includes whatever amount your Anchor rebate + Senior Freeze rebate.
Of course I won't say no to getting some of my money backbut something should be done to NJ's property taxes for all property owners.
Where's the money for this coming from anyway? Do you think we'll really see it?
Is Penny Lane your nameor is it the street you live on? The homes on that street are mansions valued well over a million dollars. Of course their taxes are in the mid 20k range.
I didn't know there's an actual Penny Lane nearby. That's funny LOL. NoI don't have one of those mansions and I don't live on Penny Lane. I do have a normal (older) colonial type house though.
PL: if u got $6,500your effective property tax rate is getting pretty competitive.
Sounds like some house. Congrats.
But btw: since the footnote states “if we have the budget,” and they are paying quarterlymy bet is we don’t even get it all.
I filed back on April 2nd 2025 and haven't gotten my anchor rebate. previously I got the rebate in october. Any one else with this issue.
YeaI'll believe it when I see it tooBabbit.
My home is nothing fancyas I said it's an old colonial. I love where I livebut property taxes will never make sense to me. I've lived in NJ all my lifeand here 40 years. I no longer have a mortgagebut pay a chunk of my SS for prop tax.
I'm sorryit's just very frustrating.
Better to pay property tax on a appreciating asset than over 20K in rent for an apartment or house that belongs to someone else . Unless you're completely destitute you are going to pay one way or another .
97x; having sold three homes lived in for thirty years and all returned 3%: better to buy a cd OR you really need to flip faster than 3 decades. Weird but true. At ten yearseven a doubling of purchase price gets wiped out. But as Mom saidleast you had a nice place to stay and no rent. Although in NJno mortgage plus property tax means $1k or more a month anyways.
U r rightin nj you pay to stay one way or another. But 50% off the tax is reasonable to me; I’ll stay a bit longer. I love it here with the deerbearsand birds. Had a hawk on my deck railing the other day. Three bears wandering bya flock of turkeysit’s great.
PL; unless you have 5k sq ft or many acresseems like running comparables might pay off. My 1866 farm house with much modernthree car garage with second floorgood size barnthree rail fence horse fields comes in at far less. Hard to find comparables for these oldsters and I have protested much even lowering my taxes twice in 30 years. Probably won’t helpbut worth a shot. Can only formally protest once a year in many placesbut if they ever reevaluatethe process allows for reconciliation; that’s where I got the drop. It’s all about the process rules. Did the same for Mom in another state. My mil passed and she paid a lot.
Good luck and here’s hoping we get the whole enchilada and thanks 97x for bringing this to light. I filled out the forms but really didn’t look at the payout after so many decades of frustration.
They still need to fix the tax system to end the workarounds. Same bottom line but change where they tax and lower the property at least for the retired.
Applied July 62025. Still waiting. Checked status all of Oct and everytime I called the State's telephone numberI was in a loop where at the end I got "all of our operators are busyplease try again at another time"and the phone would disconnect. Finally got tired of run around and sent an email to Assemblyman DiMaio's office. After a couple of daysI received the following response:
I am happy to inform you that your PAS-1 application has been approved! This is what the Division of Taxation had to say: Please advise your constituents to allow time for the website to update and for the benefits to be distributed.
Two days later (this am)I checked the status and it says that payment will be Dec 12025.
Hopefullythe "anchor money" will be more than the "Senior Freeze" of $128. Trying to be patient.
Nancy @Nancy - Hopefully by now you received your Anchorwe are still waiting and we filed 3/25/2025. “Still Processing.”
@Just Wondering Applied July 6Received senior freeze on 12/1 and received Anchor on 12/3. I honestly believe we would still be waiting if not for Assemblyman DiMaio's office. Once they got involvedit was days. I was "still processing" for months. I would contact his office. Good Luck.
Nancy good to hear. I am in a different town than you but I am going to pursue this as you did with our Assemblyman. Thank you.
Both mine came no issue. Did not get full value but enough to slow my move away from the highest property taxes in America.
I honestly am not feeling the 2026 payments will come due to that “if we have the budget” dodgebut I will wait.
Just received a letter from NJ.
Anchor payment of $1750 already received and $4750 from STAY coming in 4 installments in 2026. $6500 total which is the Max. possible. I may STAY after all!
Janice Leave a Reply
To comment on this topicfill out the form below. If you would like to comment directly to one personyou may click on the envelope next to the posters name if they provided their email.