10 Apr Who is eligible for the Stay NJ benefit?

Q. Who is eligible for the Stay NJ benefit?
— Homeowner

A. You’re probably seeing a lot of headlines about changes to Stay NJ, so you’re right to ask the question.

Nothing has changed — yet.

Lawmakers in Trenton are negotiating the state budget, which is due July 1.

When Gov. Mikie Sherrill gave her budget speech, she pointed to the state’s dwindling resources. Among her proposals to get a handle on spending was to lower the total benefit amount for Stay NJ while also lowering the eligibility.

But for now, people who are eligible for the benefit year must be 65 or older before Dec. 31. You also must have owned and lived in a home in the state for the full 12 months of the year and have income below $500,000.

You are also eligible if you made P.I.L.O.T. (Payments-in-Lieu-of-Tax) payments to your municipality, but mobile homeowners are not eligible.

What will happen next? The governor suggested lowering the income cap from $500,000 to $250,000, and then lowering the benefit maximum from $6,500 to $4,000.

We are keeping an eye on the negotiations and we’ll let you know what happens.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published in April 2026. 

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