NJ Renters' Anchor Rebate Is Still $450 as Rents Climb; the Deadline to Apply Is Nov. 2

New Jersey renters have until Monday, Nov. 2, to apply for this round of ANCHOR property tax relief, which pays eligible renters $450, or $700 if they're 65 or older, according to the state Division of Taxation.

The current round of ANCHOR (Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters) is based on 2025. To qualify as a renter, the rental had to be your main home on Oct. 1, 2025, it generally had to be subject to property taxes, and your New Jersey gross income can't be more than $150,000, the division said. Government-owned and other tax-exempt housing, on-campus college apartments and nonprofit-owned residences don't qualify. Homeowners get $1,500 or $1,000 depending on income, up to $250,000.

The base $450 renter benefit hasn't changed since the program started in 2022, while rents have climbed. The two-bedroom fair market rent in New Jersey rose from $1,628 in 2022 to $2,282 in 2026, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition's annual Out of Reach reports, an increase of more than 40%. About 685,000 tenants received ANCHOR benefits in the last round, according to state budget figures.

The division said it filed on behalf of most eligible renters and mailed letters in August. Eligible renters who didn't get a letter can apply themselves at propertytaxreliefapp.nj.gov. Seniors, and residents who get Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability benefits, have to file the combined PAS-1 application, and the state won't file it for them, the division said.

The application deadline is Nov. 2, 2026. Eligibility rules and benefit amounts are on the Division of Taxation's ANCHOR page. The state's separate Stay NJ program is for senior homeowners and doesn't cover renters.

Source: New Jersey Division of Taxation; National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Photo: The New Jersey Division of Taxation building in Trenton. ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped.