What the PAS-1 Is
Until recently, New Jersey's relief programs each had their own paperwork: an ANCHOR application, the PTR-1/PTR-2 forms for the Senior Freeze, and a planned separate process for Stay NJ. Starting with the 2024 benefit year, all of that collapsed into a single combined form: the PAS-1 (Property Tax Relief Application).
You file it once, and the Division of Taxation determines your eligibility for all three programs, ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ, then sends you a letter itemizing what you'll get from each. You don't choose programs; you can't accidentally apply for the "wrong" one. One form, every benefit you qualify for.
Who Must File, and Who's Automatic
| Your situation | What you do |
|---|---|
| Homeowner 65 or older | File the PAS-1 every year |
| Receiving federal Social Security disability benefits | File the PAS-1 |
| Homeowner under 65, got the ANCHOR confirmation letter | Nothing, the state files for you, unless your address, bank, or household changed |
| Renter, got the confirmation letter | Nothing, automatic |
| Under 65 and didn't get a letter (new homeowner, first-time filer, moved) | File an application so you enter the system |
The confirmation letters for this season went out August 10, 2026. If yours arrived and everything on it is correct, your filing is done; payments follow the payment schedule automatically.
The Deadline
November 2, 2026, for the 2025 benefit year. The benefit is based on your situation during 2025: your income that year and the home you owned and occupied on October 1, 2025. If you've moved since, you apply based on where you lived then, not where you live now.
Filing, Step by Step
- Choose online or paper. Online (through the Division of Taxation's property tax relief portal on nj.gov) is faster to process and is the only way to get direct deposit; paper filers receive checks.
- Gather what you'll need:
- Your ID/PIN from the mailing, or identity verification online
- 2025 NJ gross income for you and your spouse (line 29 of the NJ-1040); the Senior Freeze uses total income of both spouses combined
- Your property tax amounts billed (for Senior Freeze: current year and your base year, repeat filers have the base on record)
- Proof of age or disability status the first time (birth date; SSA award letter if filing as disabled)
- Bank details for direct deposit
- Answer the residency questions carefully. Senior Freeze requires having owned and lived in the home since December 31, 2022 or earlier and still living there; ANCHOR only cares about October 1, 2025. The form handles the difference, your job is just accurate dates.
- Submit and save the confirmation number. It's what the status lookup and the hotline will ask for.
What Happens After You File
The state processes the application, runs it against all three programs, and mails a determination letter breaking down your ANCHOR amount, Senior Freeze reimbursement, and Stay NJ benefit (calculated last, topping you up to at most 50% of your bill). Payments then follow each program's calendar: ANCHOR from September 15, Senior Freeze per the filing-date schedule, Stay NJ quarterly. If the letter's numbers look wrong, respond to the letter, don't wait for the payments.
The Mistakes That Delay or Shrink Payments
- Missing a spouse's income. The Senior Freeze limit ($172,475 for 2025) counts all income for both spouses. Underreporting triggers reviews and clawbacks.
- Filing from the new house. Benefits key off your October 1, 2025 residence. New buyers often file for the wrong property.
- Skipping a year. Senior Freeze reimbursements build on your base year; not filing doesn't lose the base forever, but it costs you that year's check. If your income exceeded the limit one year, you can skip and return with your base intact, but you must actually file again.
- Assuming you earn too much. ANCHOR reaches $250,000 of income; Stay NJ now reaches $200,000. Plenty of people who "obviously don't qualify" do.
- Paper filing in October. Legal, but you're choosing the December payment window; see the payment calendar.
Bottom Line
If you're a New Jersey homeowner 65+ (or on Social Security disability), the PAS-1 is the single most valuable form you'll file all year, one application, up to half your property tax bill back across three programs. File online, before November 2, with both spouses' income correct, and choose direct deposit. For what each program actually pays, see our guides to the three NJ programs, Stay NJ, and the Senior Freeze.