Senior property tax relief available
SPARTA There may be some disadvantages in growing older, but it's not all bad. New Jerseys Senior Freeze property tax relief program is one of the benefits available to the 65-plus crowd. Designed to ease the burden of the states ever increasing property taxes, the Senior Freeze allows seniors to freeze their property taxes at a base year rate, which now would be 2010, and receive a reimbursement from the state each year the taxes exceed that level.
After an application is made, the homeowner would pay the full amount of taxes for the present year. However, if the tax rate is higher than the 2010 rate, the state will issue a reimbursement check for the difference. The tax rebates will not come out of Spartas municipal budget and thus will have no affect on the towns valuation.
But certain restrictions apply. New Jerseys Department of Treasury Web site provides the following instructions, but also includes the disclaimer that all is subject to change by the State Budget.
The requirements for applicants:
Age 65 or older or receiving Federal Social Security disability benefits; and
A resident of New Jersey continuously for at least the last 10 years, as either a homeowner or a renter; and
Owned and lived in present home for at least the last 3 years; and
Have paid the full amount of property taxes (or site fees if a mobile home owner) that were due on home for the base year and for each succeeding year, up to and including the year for which a reimbursement is claimed; and
Meet the income limits for the base year and for each succeeding year, up to and including the year for which a reimbursement is claimed.
Residents applying for the 2011 reimbursement must have total annual income for both 2010 and 2011 that is $80,000 or less. These limits apply regardless of marital/civil union status.
Diane OConnor, Sparta Tax Collector said she is surprised more people dont apply for this because the program has been around since the late nineties. Although it hit a snag when Gov. Christie cut the state budget in 2010, the program has been refunded and seniors can again apply for the rebates. Forms can be downloaded at: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/ptr/printform.shtml .
OConnor said the instructions can be a bit confusing, but advises anyone who is eligible and who has not yet applied, to do so. She added that if anyone does not have access to a computer and wants to access the forms, they can go to the Library to print them out, or they can go to the Sparta Tax Collectors office in the Municipal Building and she will print them out for them.
By Fran Hardy