06 Jun How many years of Senior Freeze can I have?

Q. I have missed several years of getting the Senior Freeze on my real estate taxes. I see there are several years available to print on the website. How many years can I apply for now?
— Senior

A. You will have to navigate some very strict rules.

The good news is that missing several years of the Senior Freeze will not exclude you from attempting to claim these past benefits.

There are two potential methods to access prior year benefits, said Michael Green, a certified financial planner with Wechter Feldman Wealth Management in Parsippany.

“You are able to appeal each individual year that you were eligible but did not apply, or you can use the current year’s form to lock in your earliest eligible year as the base,” Green said. “While each individual year can be appealed, the process can be lengthy because each one is done separately.”

Locking in your base year is dependent on several requirements, he said.

According to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, you may be eligible for a reimbursement if you meet several requirements.

First, your age. You (or your spouse/civil union partner) were 65 or older; or actually receiving federal Social Security disability benefit payments (not benefit payments received on behalf of someone else).

Then, residency. You must have lived in New Jersey continuously for at least the last 10 years, as either a homeowner or a renter, and have owned and lived in your current home for at least the last three years.

You must have paid your property taxes in full.

Then you have to meet an income limit. Only applicants whose total income (including Social Security and Medicare) did not exceed $87,268 in 2017 and $87,007 in 2016.

Your base year will also be impacted by your most recent string of continuous years of eligibility.

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