27 Sep When can I apply for the Homestead Rebate?

Q. How do I apply for the Homestead Rebate? The website only talks about 2017. What about 2020 and 2021?
— Confused

A. Ah, the Homestead Rebate.

The first thing to understand is that it works on a delay. The current benefit year is for 2018.

First, let’s see if you’re eligible.

You need to be a New Jersey resident and have owned and occupied a home in the state — your principal residence — on Oct. 1, 2018, said Chen Lu, an enrolled agent with Peapack Private Wealth Management in New Providence.

Property taxes for 2018 must have been paid on the home, Lu said.

Also, there are income requirements.

Your income must be $150,000 or less for homeowners age 65 or over, or blind or disabled, or $75,000 or less for homeowners under age 65 and not blind or disabled, Lu said.

*If you were not a homeowner on October 1, 2018, you are not eligible for a Homestead Benefit, even if you owned a home for part of the year.

You are not eligible unless you are required to pay property taxes on your home.

If you are eligible, but you did not file an application for the 2017 benefit, you were a new homeowner in 2018, or your property was new construction in 2018, contact (888) 238-1233 for help, Lu said.

If you have filed in the past for 2017, you can see the mailing schedule for information packets that should go out to you here.

The filing deadline for the latest application, which is for tax year 2018, is Nov. 30, 2021.

You will need the assigned Identification Number and PIN of your principal residence you owned and occupied on Oct. 1, 2018 to file by phone at (877) 658-2972 or online, Lu said.

“2018 Homestead benefit payments should be paid to eligible taxpayers beginning in May 2022,” Lu said.

Most people will get the benefit as a credit on their property tax bills, Lu said.

It’s important to note that some homeowners are required to file a paper Homestead Benefit application.

You must file a paper application if:

· You shared ownership of your principal residence with someone who was not your spouse/civil union partner and your percentage of ownership is not preprinted on your worksheet.
· Your principal residence was a unit in a multiunit property that you owned and your percentage of occupancy is not preprinted on your Homestead Benefit filing information.
· You received Homestead Benefit filing information for the correct property, but the name on the packet is not yours or needs to be changed due to marriage, death, etc.
· You are a widow(er)/surviving civil union partner and your Homestead Benefit filing information came in both names.
· You are an executor filing on behalf of a deceased homeowner.
· You occupied a newly constructed home on October 1, 2018, that has not yet been assigned a Homestead Benefit Identification Number and PIN.
· You are considered a homeowner through life estate rights or hold a lease for 99 years or more as of Oct. 1, 2018, but your Homestead Benefit filing information did not come in your name.
· You are filing for a property held in trust. (You are considered an eligible owner of a property owned by a trust if you are a beneficiary, or the deed or trust agreement explicitly states that you have a life estate in the property.)

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This story was originally published on Sept. 27, 2021.

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