New Jersey’s Senior Freeze property tax reimbursement checks start going out this week, with the first wave scheduled for Wednesday, July 15.
The Senior Freeze program reimburses eligible senior citizens and disabled residents for increases in their property taxes or mobile home park site fees on their primary residence. Rather than actually freezing your tax bill, the program locks in your tax amount from the year you enroll and reimburses you for any increases beyond that baseline each year, according to Kiplinger.
Here’s the payment schedule based on when you filed your application:
- Filed before May 1: Payment issued as early as July 15, 2026
- Filed May 1 – June 1: Payment issued as early as September 1, 2026
- Filed June 2 – September 1: Payment issued as early as November 1, 2026
- Filed September 2 – October 31: Payment issued as early as December 1, 2026
To qualify, you must be 65 or older as of the end of 2025, or receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability benefits as of the end of 2023. You must have owned and lived in your home since December 31, 2022 or earlier, and your total annual income must not exceed $168,268 for 2024 or $172,475 for 2025. Vacation homes, secondary residences, and rental properties do not qualify.
Applicants now use a single “PAS-1” application to apply for Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and the new Stay NJ program simultaneously. The deadline to file for the 2025 application is November 2, 2026—though filing earlier means receiving payment sooner.
To check the status of your application, visit the state’s online portal or call the Senior Freeze Property Tax Reimbursement Information Line at 800-882-6597.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.