Treasurer Muoio Urges Residents to Take Advantage of the Extended Deadline to Apply for the Senior Freeze Property Tax Reimbursement
Treasurer Muoio Urges Residents to Take Advantage of the Extended Deadline to Apply for the Senior Freeze Property Tax Reimbursement
Eligible Applicants Now Have Until December 31st to Apply for Relief
TRENTON – State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio is reminding residents that the deadline to apply for New Jersey’s Senior Freeze property tax reimbursement has been extended until the end of the year and is urging all eligible residents to take advantage of the additional time to apply for the relief.
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. Last week Governor Murphy announced that Treasury’s Division of Taxation has extended the application deadline from November 2, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
“The pandemic has presented serious challenges to everyday life, affecting many people’s personal finances and the ability to go about their ordinary business,” said Treasurer Muoio. “That means there may be many eligible seniors who have not taken advantage of the Senior Freeze this year because they were not able to obtain the required documentation in order to complete their application on time. 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:
- Income Standards
Treasurer Muoio also encourages residents to learn more about the many other New Jersey property tax relief programs available.
