New problem with NJ tax rebate: Don’t deposit that ANCHOR check!

💲 ANCHOR payments continue to hit mailboxes and bank accounts

💲 Residents have until early December to apply for the relief

💲 Not all checks should be deposited, due to a technical error

There's another hiccup affecting New Jersey residents as the state attempts to distribute property tax relief payments to every household that deserves one.

Now some New Jersey taxpayers are being told to return their ANCHOR check without depositing or cashing it.

The latest round of confusion comes about two weeks after countless New Jerseyans saw their ANCHOR payments reversed — in most cases, temporarily — as officials investigated potential fraud.

The taxpayers who had their payments taken away and truly deserved them were sent replacement checks in the mail, according to the New Jersey Division of Taxation.

Latest error

The newest issue is being blamed on a "technical error."

According to the Division, "a small number of taxpayers" received duplicate payments for property tax relief this year.

New Jersey 101.5 was made aware of the issue by listeners and readers who had received payments both through direct deposit and through the mail.

"Anyone who received a duplicate payment is asked to return the check, without cashing it," a spokesperson told New Jersey 101.5.

Anyone with a duplicate payment can mail the check to:

NJ Division of Taxation
P.O. Box 266
Trenton, NJ 08695-0266

This year's ANCHOR payments

ANCHOR payments going out this year are connected to the 2021 tax year. This is the third year for the ANCHOR (Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters) program.

Payments began hitting mailboxes and bank accounts in the middle of October.

SEE ALSO: Behind on your gas bill? Try applying for this program

Folks who owned or rented a primary residence in 2021 and brought in $250,000 or less for the year are eligible for ANCHOR benefits, from $250 to $1,750.

For many beneficiaries, the payments were automatic this year. Those who are newly eligible or haven't yet applied for the program have until Dec. 6 to do so.

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