Eligible Applicants Now Have Until February 1, 2021 to Apply for Relief

State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio announced that New Jersey property owners who are eligible for the Senior Freeze property tax reimbursement program will have an additional month to apply for the relief program, with the application deadline now being extended until February 1, 2021.

New Jersey’s Senior Freeze program reimburses eligible senior citizens and disabled individuals for increases in property taxes or mobile home park site fees on their principal residence. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented ongoing challenges in obtaining the paperwork needed from local governments in order to complete the application, prompting Treasury’s Division of Taxation to extend the deadline for a second time. In October, Treasury initially announced that the deadline was being extended from November 2, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

“We have heard from concerned residents that obtaining the required documentation in time has been a challenge due to the pandemic,” said Treasurer Muoio. “That means there may be many eligible seniors who have not taken advantage of the Senior Freeze this year. We want to make sure, now more than ever, that eligible taxpayers have access to this vital resource.”

The Senior Freeze program is designed to “freeze” the burden of increasing real estate taxes for qualified applicants by establishing a base year of eligibility and comparing that base with any subsequent year. The difference is then refunded by the State annually. In order to qualify for the reimbursement, taxpayers must meet all the eligibility requirements for each year from the base year through the current application year. Eligibility must be continuous otherwise a new base year must be established.

Applications for the current 2019 Senior Freeze were mailed in February to the last address taxpayers filed with. Anyone who did not receive a booklet should contact the New Jersey Division of Taxation’s Senior Freeze Property Tax Reimbursement Information Line for assistance at 1-800-882-6597 (The U.S. Postal Service does not forward application booklets).

The Division of Taxation began issuing payments on October 15 and will continue to do so on an ongoing basis as applications are received. Applicants can check the status/amount of their Senior Freeze reimbursement for 2017, 2018, and 2019 online.

Other pertinent information on the Senior Freeze program can also be found online:

• Eligibility Requirements
• How to Apply
• Reimbursement Amounts for:
  • Homeowners
  • Mobile Home Owners
• Income Standards

Treasurer Muoio also encourages residents to learn more about the many other New Jersey property tax relief programs available.