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Bloomfield residents should be aware that they will soon receive mailers from the NJ Division of Taxation with filing information and an application for the 2019 ANCHOR – Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters – property tax relief program, according to Mayor Michael Venezia.
“We want to make sure the residents of Bloomfield are checking their mailboxes, whether virtually or physically, for their ANCHOR filing information. 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,” said Mayor Venezia. “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. 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.”
The ANCHOR program replaces the Homestead Benefit program. It expands the amount of property tax relief while boosting eligibility to twice as many homeowners and including 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, including Bloomfield, on September 14th. 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 (primary home) on October 1st, 2019; and paid the 2019 property taxes on their primary home; and had a 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 (primary home) on October 1st, 2019; and lived in a unit with its separate kitchen and bath facilities (if the building had more than one dwelling unit); and paid rent on their primary 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 30th.
The online application, eligibility requirements, filing instructions, and paper applications can also be accessed at nj.gov/treasury/taxation/anchor.