31 Jul Will we be eligible for the Senior Freeze?

Q. My husband and I, lifelong New Jersey residents, are both retired and in our early 70s. We’ve been in our current home since October 2021. Will we be eligible for the Senior Freeze?
— Homeowner

A. The Senior Freeze Program reimburses eligible senior citizens and disabled persons for property tax or mobile home park site fee increases on their principal residence.

Vacation homes and second homes are not included.

To qualify, you must meet all the eligibility requirements for each year from the base year through the application year.

The base year is the first year you’re eligible.

It seems you’ve owned your home long enough to be eligible, so assuming you meet the other eligibility requirements, you’ll get the benefit.

There are two important changes beginning with the 2023 filing season. The income limit for the program has been increased to $150,000, and the requirement that an applicant must be a New Jersey resident for 10 consecutive years was eliminated.

That will make more people eligible.

Senior Freeze payments for the 2022 year started to be mailed on July 15, the Treasury Department told us.

“Checks are distributed based on when residents submitted their applications,” a spokeswoman said. “Generally speaking, applications that were submitted before May 1 will be mailed this summer.”

Specifically, those who filed before May 1 should get the checks this week.

If you filed between May 1 and June one, you should get your benefit by Sept. 1.

Those who file between June 2 and Sept.1 should get payments by Nov. 1, and those who file between Sept. 2 and Nov. 1 should receive the checks by Dec. 1, the agency said.

You can check the status of your application online or by calling 1-800-882-6597.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published on July 31, 2023.

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