Your August Stay NJ payment is for 2024. The 2027 rules are a different benefit year

If you are waiting for a Stay NJ payment this August, there are two different sets of numbers floating around right now. They are both real, but they apply to different benefit years.

The August 2026 installment is part of the 2024 Stay NJ benefit. New Jersey scheduled that benefit in four installments during 2026: February, May, August and November. The state's FY2027 budget, signed June 30, funded the remaining August and November installments.

At the same time, that budget changed Stay NJ for the 2025 benefit year, which will be paid in 2027. That is where the new $200,000 income limit and tiered maximum benefits come in.

The August 2026 check is still a 2024 benefit

The most important thing to know is the year attached to the benefit. A check arriving in 2026 can still be based on an earlier tax year.

For Stay NJ, New Jersey says the remaining 2024 benefit will be paid in August and November 2026. Those payments are not a new 2026 calculation and they are not using the new 2027 income tiers.

If you want to check the amount or status of your 2024 Stay NJ benefit, use the state's official Stay NJ status page.

The rules changing for 2027 apply to the 2025 benefit

For the 2025 Stay NJ benefit, which New Jersey says will be paid in February and May 2027, the FY2027 budget set a $200,000 income ceiling and three maximum-benefit tiers:

• $100,000 or less: maximum annual benefit of $6,500
• More than $100,000 through $150,000: maximum annual benefit of $5,000
• More than $150,000 through $200,000: maximum annual benefit of $4,000
• More than $200,000: no Stay NJ benefit under the FY2027 rules

The state describes those maximums on an annualized basis and notes that future Stay NJ benefits remain subject to later state budgets.

Why this gets confusing so quickly

Stay NJ now has three different dates homeowners need to keep straight: the tax or benefit year, the application year and the payment year. They are not always the same.

The payment being sent in August 2026 belongs to the 2024 benefit cycle. The PAS-1 application being filed now is for 2025. The Stay NJ portion of that 2025 application is scheduled for payment in February and May 2027.

That is why a homeowner can correctly hear that Stay NJ has a new $200,000 income limit and still receive an August 2026 payment based on the earlier 2024 program.

What seniors should do now

If you already qualified for the 2024 Stay NJ benefit, check the state's online inquiry system for your August installment rather than reapplying for that payment.

Separately, eligible seniors should make sure their 2025 PAS-1 is filed by November 2, 2026. The current PAS-1 is the combined application used for Senior Freeze, ANCHOR and Stay NJ for applicants in the senior-property-tax-relief filing group.

The Division of Taxation also says total property tax relief cannot exceed the property taxes paid on the principal residence for the qualifying year, so the final Stay NJ amount should not be viewed in isolation from ANCHOR and Senior Freeze.

The Watchdog takeaway

Do not use the new 2027 Stay NJ tiers to judge whether an August 2026 payment looks right. They are different benefit years. For the August check, look at your 2024 Stay NJ record. For the benefit you are applying for now, use the 2025 rules and the November 2 filing deadline.

You can also review our Stay NJ, ANCHOR and Senior Freeze explainer or use the Watchdog property tax relief estimator to understand how the programs fit together.

Sources: NJ Division of Taxation, Stay NJ; NJ Division of Taxation, Property Tax Relief FAQs; NJ Treasury, FY2027 budget summary.