the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The October 31st deadline for eligible residents to apply for the Property Tax Reimbursement Program, or Senior Freeze, is quickly approaching.
What is the “Senior Freeze” program?
It offers a limited reimbursement for property taxes or mobile home site fees paid by eligible Senior Citizens & Disabled residents on their primary residences.
It is exceedingly important to take advantage of programs like Senior Freeze which may offer some financial relief. This is especially true for families/individuals on fixed or limited incomes. We highly encourage everyone to share information for this & other programs which can be found on our website.
Am I Eligible?
Each year, the NJ Department of Treasury updates its qualifications based upon State Budget allocations. For this base year’s application (2017) you must meet the following requirements:
Restrictions:
Must be at least 65 years old as of December 31, 2016
-or-
Actively receiving federal Social Security Disability Benefit payments on or before December 31, 2016, & on or before December 31, 2017.
*Applications for vacation, second homes, and/or those with more than 4 units will not be accepted. You are also not eligible if you are completely exempt from paying property taxes or made P.I.L.O.T. payments to your town.
Residency Requirements:
You must have lived in New Jersey continuously since 2006 either as a homeowner or a renter.
Homeownership:
Homeowners must have owned & lived in their current home since December 31, 2013 or earlier.
Mobile Homeowners must have leased a placement site within a mobile home park where you placed a manufactured or mobile home you have owned since December 31, 2013 or earlier.
Income Limits:
Must be at or below the following whether single, married, or in a civil union:
2017-$87,268
2016-$87,007
How Can I Apply?
If you have not received an application already from the New Jersey Division of Taxation, you can obtain one here.
For questions and status updates, please use the following:
Senior Freeze Hotline
1-800-882-6597
Monday-Friday
8:30am-5:30pm
New Jersey Division of Taxation
609-292-7974
This should be presented at the BOE meeting