Jersey City launches ‘Senior Freeze’ campaign to help seniors claim tax relief

If you’re a senior in Jersey City, the knock on your door this spring might be from a city employee offering to save you money on your property taxes. No strings. Just help.

That’s the idea behind the city’s new “Senior Freeze” campaign, a push to get eligible residents enrolled in New Jersey’s Senior Freeze Property Tax Reimbursement program. The program, which has been around for years, reimburses seniors and disabled homeowners for property tax increases after a base year. But too many people never apply. They don’t know about it, or the paperwork feels like too much.

Mayor James Solomon says the city is changing that. “For seniors on fixed incomes, the increasing cost of living is a threat to the life they’ve built in Jersey City,” he said in a statement. “Fortunately, the State of New Jersey offers real relief and stability through the Senior Freeze program, and we are going to make sure every eligible Jersey City senior has a chance to apply. We’re going to meet our seniors where they are – at community events, at town halls, and at their front doors – to make sure no eligible resident misses out.”

How the ‘Senior Freeze’ works

The program is exactly what it sounds like. If your property taxes go up year over year, the state reimburses the difference, effectively freezing your tax bill at the base-year level. For a senior living on a fixed income, that can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars back in their pocket each year.

Eligibility depends on three things: residency, income, and age. You must be 65 or older by December 31, 2024, or permanently disabled. Your income in 2024 also has to fall under certain limits — the state sets those each year. And you need to have owned and lived in your home for the past three years.

But here’s the really good news: applying just got easier. The state has combined the Senior Freeze application with ANCHOR and the new Stay NJ program into one form. Fill it out once, and you’re applying for all three. No more juggling separate forms.

What the city is doing

Throughout the campaign, city workers will go door-to-door in neighborhoods, especially where seniors live. They’ll also set up tables at community events and host town halls where seniors can get help completing their applications on the spot.

For those who can’t make an event, the Resident Response Center is open. Call (201) 547-4900. They’ll talk you through it. The city says the information will be available in multiple languages, which matters in Jersey City, one of the most diverse cities in the country.

“America’s most diverse city must be able to speak multiple languages with its residents,” Solomon said.

What it means for Hudson County seniors

For a senior living in Bergen-Lafayette or Greenville, property tax bills can be a real stress point. Rents are up. Groceries cost more. And when your income is fixed, every dollar counts. The Senior Freeze program is one of the few state-level tools designed to keep seniors in their homes — not just in Jersey City, but across Hudson County.

But the program only works if people apply. That’s the whole reason for this campaign. The city estimates that many eligible seniors simply don’t know they qualify, or think the paperwork is too complicated. The goal is to remove those barriers.

“No eligible resident should miss out because they didn’t know,” Solomon said.

What comes next

The city will announce more details in the coming weeks — town hall dates, event locations, and the full canvassing schedule. The application deadline is November 2nd, so there’s time. But the city is starting now to make sure nobody scrambles at the last minute.

In the meantime, seniors can call the Resident Response Center at (201) 547-4900 or visit the state’s Senior Freeze page at nj.gov/treasury/taxation/ptr for eligibility rules and the application form.

It’s a simple idea: get the money you’re owed. Jersey City is making sure seniors don’t have to figure it out alone.