Your NJ ANCHOR check is coming. Here’s when, and how much.

There's a certain week every fall when New Jersey checks the banking app a little more often. Or walks to the mailbox a little faster. If you're waiting on ANCHOR money, that week is almost here.

Patch reports the state has already sent more than $520 million in ANCHOR property tax relief to nearly 400,000 homeowners and renters. That first wave started Sept. 15 and went to residents 65 and older.

Everybody else is next. Marita Sciarrotta, director of the state Division of Taxation, told WHYY that payments for residents under 65 will begin going out around Oct. 15.

A lot of you are in that second line.

How much you'll get

Here's what the Treasury lists for this round, based on 2025 income:

• Homeowners earning $150,000 or less: $1,500
• Homeowners earning $150,001 to $250,000: $1,000
• Renters earning up to $150,000: $450
• Renters 65 or older: $700

Why some seniors got $250 less

If you own your home, you're over 65 and your check came in lighter than last year, it's not a mistake. WHYY reported the $250 senior add-on for homeowners was dropped because of Stay NJ, the newer relief program for homeowners 65 and up. Senior renters kept their extra $250.

Stay NJ changed too. Under the state budget Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) signed this summer, the program now cuts off at $200,000 in income. The top benefit is $6,500 for incomes of $100,000 or less, $5,000 up to $150,000 and $4,000 up to $200,000. That money arrives in February and May 2027.

You still have time to file

The deadline is Nov. 2, 2026. The state auto-filed most homeowners under 65 and most renters. Seniors and people on Social Security disability have to file the PAS-1, one application that covers ANCHOR, Senior Freeze and Stay NJ.

Seniors: that same PAS-1 also covers Senior Freeze, which pays you back for property tax increases. Here's who qualifies.

Also: Stay NJ can cover up to half of a senior homeowner's property tax bill. Here's who qualifies after the cuts.

Don't wait until Nov. 1. Patch notes late filers can wait about 90 days for payment, which pushes you into 2027.

You can check your status on the state's Property Tax Relief Status Checker. 

SEE ALSO: New Jersey slashes Stay NJ benefits for thousands of seniors

AND: Still working at 65? What NJ workers should know about Medicare.

You'll need your Social Security number or ITIN and ZIP code to check your status online. | NJ Division of Taxation screenshot

Free help in person

The Division of Taxation is holding filing sessions around the state. The Asbury Park Press rounded up the Shore dates:

• Asbury Park: Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dr. Robinson Towers, 1000 Third Ave.

• South Toms River: Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Recreation Building, 1 Drake Lane

• Belmar: Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Taylor Pavilion, 500 Ocean Ave. N.

• Lakewood: Oct. 14, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., The Square, 313 Third St., and Oct. 25, 1 to 5 p.m., 36 Shefa Chaim Ave.

Seniors should bring 2024 and 2025 income paperwork (NJ-1040s, 1099-Rs, 1099-SSAs), total billed property taxes for 2024 and 2025, and a photo ID. Under 65, a government photo ID will do.

ANCHOR won't fix a New Jersey tax bill. Nothing will. But it's your money coming back to you. Go get it.