New Jersey’s ANCHOR property‑tax rebate program is leaving many residents without a check because the program’s $250,000 gross‑income eligibility threshold has not been adjusted for inflation since it was set using 2019 income data.
- The rebate, first issued in 2023, is calculated on a household’s 2019 gross income.
- Inflation has risen roughly 26 % between 2019 and 2025, so a family whose income kept pace with price increases may now exceed the $250,000 limit by only a few dollars and become ineligible for the rebate.
- The same lack of inflation indexing applies to New Jersey’s graduated‑rate income‑tax brackets, which also remain fixed at their pre‑pandemic levels.
Because property taxes are the single largest source of state and local revenue in the United States—funding schools, roads, police and other services—missing the rebate compounds the impact of rising living costs on New Jersey households. Residents who previously received a rebate and whose incomes have risen with inflation will see their net tax burden increase, while those who never qualified receive no relief at all.
Source article: taxfoundation.org
