17 Apr My mom is 80. Should she apply for ANCHOR, Senior Freeze?

Q. My mother-in-law is over 80 and owns her own house. She collected $30,000 in Social Security and $5,000.00 in interest income.
— Trying to help

A. Absolutely.

This year, for the first time, there is a combined application for ANCHOR, Senior Freeze and the new Stay NJ benefit, for which she may qualify.

The application was made available earlier this year and has a deadline of Oct. 31. She may have already received one in the mail. If not, she can apply online.

To be eligible for the programs, she would have to be a resident of the state as of Dec. 31 of the benefit year. For eligibility as a senior citizen, people would have to be age 65 by Dec. 31 of the benefit year.

The three benefits together are designed to cut property taxes by up to 50%, capped at $6,500, for residents 65 and older in New Jersey who earn less than $500,000 a year.

The state will consider first the total of ANCHOR and Senior Freeze benefits. If those add up to less than 50% of the property tax bill capped at $6,500, you’d get an extra payment under the Stay NJ name to bring your total benefit up to that level.

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This story was originally published in April 2025.

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