Mayor To Bloomfield Homeowners, Renters: 'NJ Tax Relief On The Way'

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Tax relief from the state for many Bloomfield homeowners and renters is on the way, the town’s mayor says.

Earlier this week, Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia urged local residents to be on the lookout for mailers from the NJ Division of Taxation. The mailers will have important filing information and an application for the state’s new property tax relief program, which has been dubbed the Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR).

The average New Jersey property tax bill in New Jersey was $9,284 in 2021 — among the highest in the nation. Rough figures from the ANCHOR program average a $971 annual benefit for two million residents. Read More: NJ's $2B Property Tax Rebate Program Opens (How To Get Paid)

While Gov. Phil Murphy has touted the new program as a key component to making New Jersey more affordable, some Republican lawmakers have called it a gimmick that doesn't go far enough amid high taxes and inflation. But according to Bloomfield's mayor, there may be significant savings for local residents, whatever their political background is.

“We want to make sure the residents of Bloomfield are checking their mailboxes, whether virtually or physically, for their ANCHOR filing information,” Venezia said.

“Receiving mail from the NJ Division of Taxation isn’t usually something any of us look forward to, but in this case, there are some majorly expanded property tax relief options available that I encourage eligible residents to apply for,” Venezia said.

“We also want residents to know that this program will now also include more of our residents who rent their homes so be sure to check whether you are newly eligible for these direct payments,” the mayor added. “My hope is that this larger investment in tax relief will help put more money into the pockets of the working people and families of Bloomfield in a year that has been fiscally stressful for so many of us.”

Bloomfield town officials provided some information about the ANCHOR program, which can be seen below.

HOW IT WORKS

The ANCHOR program replaces the Homestead Benefit program and expands the amount of property tax relief while also boosting eligibility to twice as many homeowners, and also includes tenants renting their homes. The Division will be emailing ANCHOR program filing information to homeowners who had requested their application be sent through email when they filed their 2018 Homestead Benefit application at the same time the physical mailers are sent out.

The NJ Division of Taxation mailers began arriving to tenants and homeowners in Essex County, which includes Bloomfield, on September 14th and the department has asked that residents not call about a missing mailer until at least two weeks after the expected delivery date for their county.

To be eligible, homeowners must have:

• Been a New Jersey resident; and
• Owned and occupied a home in New Jersey that was their principal residence (main home) on October 1, 2019; and
• Paid the 2019 property taxes on their main home; and
• Had 2019 New Jersey gross income of not more than $250,000.

To be eligible, tenants must have:

• Been a New Jersey resident; and
• Rented and occupied an apartment or residence in New Jersey that was their principal residence (main home) on October 1, 2019; and
• Lived in a unit with its own separate kitchen and bath facilities (if the building had more than one dwelling unit); and
• Paid rent on their main home, which was subject to local property taxes; and
• Had 2019 New Jersey gross income of not more than $150,000.

Applicants will choose to receive their benefits either as a check or direct deposit and must file their application by Friday, December 30, 2022.

The online application, eligibility requirements, filing instructions, and paper applications can also be accessed at nj.gov/treasury/taxation/anchor. The automated telephone filing system, which will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during the filing period, can be reached at 1 (877) 658-2972.

Text Telephone Service (TTY/TDD) for hearing-impaired users: 1 (800) 286-6613 or (609) 984-7300.

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