Gov. Murphy, Treasurer Muoio highlight historic property tax relief for nearly 1.7 million New Jerseyans

NEW JERSEY – Governor Phil Murphy and Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio Wednesday announced that approximately 1.7 million New Jersey homeowners and renters applied for the first year of the State’s historic ANCHOR property tax relief program. Of the applications, more than 1.1 million were filed by homeowners and more than 480,000 were filed by renters, who were eligible for property tax relief for the first time in a generation.

“My Administration has once again responded to the concerns of hard-working families not by offering empty words and promises, but by delivering on the promise of affordability and real property tax relief,” Murphy said. “Thanks to the historic and unprecedented ANCHOR program, almost 1.7 million more New Jerseyans are now better positioned to pursue their own American Dream, a pursuit that has been too often hindered by high costs of living and affordability constraints. As I indicated during my Budget Address yesterday, that number is merely the beginning and only motivates us to re-double our efforts to support hard-working families throughout the next fiscal year.”

“Since ANCHOR’s launch in September we have prioritized ensuring every New Jersey taxpayer is aware of this program through print, television and billboard advertising, in-person outreach, and social media,” Muoio said. “The success of those efforts is evident in the huge number of eligible taxpayers who have applied. This is an enormous step in our continuing efforts to ensure New Jersey remains affordable for those who call our state home.”

The Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) property tax relief program was announced in the Fiscal Year 2023 State budget, replacing the Homestead Benefit program and expanding the number of eligible taxpayers. While originally slated for a three-year phase-in, the $2 billion ANCHOR program was fully funded in the FY2023 appropriation. Governor Murphy announced in his FY2024 Budget Address Tuesday that the program would again be fully funded.

To be eligible for this year’s benefit, homeowners and renters must have occupied their primary residence on October 1, 2019, and file or be exempt from NJ income taxes. Homeowners who earned between $150,000 and $250,000 in 2019 may be eligible for a $1,000 rebate, homeowners who earned up to $150,000 in 2019 may be eligible for a $1,500 rebate, and renters who earned up to $150,000 in 2019 may be eligible for a $450 rebate.

The deadline for applying for the ANCHOR property tax relief program was extended twice to accommodate the remarkable interest in the program, as well as to provide time for an extensive marketing campaign to reach newly eligible taxpayers.

Payments will be issued in the form of checks or direct deposits sent no later than May 2023 and will not be subject to State income tax.

Governor Murphy today also highlighted proposed FY2024 budget initiatives to expand upon the 18 tax cuts the Administration has delivered to date.

The proposed budget includes:

• Doubling the Child Tax Credit, enabling families with young children to receive up to $1,000 per child;
• Expanding the Senior Freeze property tax relief program to those with incomes up to $150,000 and reducing the residency requirement from 10 years to three years; and
• Extending eligibility for the popular Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) and Senior Gold programs to further cut the costs of prescription drugs.

In just the first two years of his second term, Governor Murphy has partnered with the Legislature to provide nearly $2 billion more in direct property tax relief to New Jersey homeowners and tenants — $6.027 billion – than the prior administration did during its entire second term ($4.140 billion).

In addition to efforts to provide direct property relief, the Murphy Administration is also directing more money back into the hands of local taxpayers through expanded funding for schools and municipal aid.

Out of the $53.1 billion in proposed appropriations in the FY2024 proposed budget, nearly 74 percent is put back into New Jersey’s communities through Grants-In-Aid and State Aid. This includes the sixth step in the K-12 funding formula, which puts an additional $832 million into our leading public school system.

Other proposed budget initiatives to improve affordability in the Garden State include no fare increases for NJ TRANSIT for the sixth straight year, as well as increased supports across health care, higher education, and housing.