15 Mar How long do I have to live here to get the Senior Freeze?

Q. Do you need to have lived in your home since Dec. 31, 2011 to apply for the Senior Freeze?
— Homeowner

A. The New Jersey Senior Freeze property tax benefit reimburses eligible senior citizens and disabled persons for property tax increases.

New changes in the program will make more people eligible because of changes that include a higher income limit and revised residency requirements.

To qualify, 2022 income must be $150,000 or less and 2023 income must be $163,050 or less, the state said.

There is also no longer a requirement that you be a New Jersey resident for 10 years in a row, it said.

The Senior Freeze website says you must have owned and lived in your home since Dec. 31, 2019, or earlier and you still owned and lived in that home on Dec. 31, 2023.

Also, you or your spouse or civil union partner must have been 65 or older on or before Dec. 31, 2022, or receiving federal Social Security disability benefit payments (not benefits received on behalf of someone else) on or before Dec. 31, 2022 to qualify, the Treasury Department said.

You must also have paid 2022 property taxes by June 1, 2023 and 2023 property taxes must be paid by June 1, 2024, the agency said.

Second or vacation homes, homes that have more than four units or have more than one commercial unit, and those that are exempt from paying property taxes are not eligible.

The state started to mail the applications in the middle of February. If you didn’t get one, you can call (800) 882-6597 to request an application, file online or print a copy of Form PTR-1 from the state’s website.

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This story was originally published in March 2024.

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