If you have a question or concern with your application, please send an email to ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov and include your name, application ID, and contact information.

Yes, assistance is available in Spanish. Both on the website, where you can click on Translate on the top right of the webpage to translate the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund website or accessing the portal directly which also has the option of translating the webpages into Spanish. 

If you received a message that your application is expired and would like to re-open it, please send an email to ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov. 

• First, visit the Check Application Status webpage to review your uploaded files. You may be able to identify the missing document by reviewing the Required Documents webpage. Required Documents webpage.

• If you have a question or concern with your application, please send an email to ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov and include your name, application ID, and contact information.

  
  
  

• All applicants have received information about their application via email, phone and/or text. Information includes application status and a list of documents needed in order to complete our review.
  
  
• If you have NOT received an email, phone call and/or text message regarding your application, we may not have your most updated or correct contact information.
  
  
• If you changed your e-mail or phone number or you believe the contact information you provided is incorrect because you have not heard about your application, please update your contact information by clicking here.
  
  
• You can also visit the Check Application Status webpage to make sure all the required documentation have been uploaded correctly. You can review the Required Documentation webpage to ensure accuracy.
  
  

If you believe your application was wrongfully denied, please send an email to ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov. In your email, please include your full name, application ID and contact information. Someone will reach out to you shortly after. 

An application in Conditionally Approved status is in the final stages of the approval process. No action is needed, you will be notified when your application is approved so you can select your payment method.

If you believe your application was closed in error, please send an email to ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov. In your email, please include your full name, application ID and contact information. Someone will reach out to you shortly after. 

Eligible households can receive $2,000 per eligible adult household member, with a $4,000 maximum benefit amount per household. Individuals whose applications are approved will be able to select their preferred method of payment.

Once an application has been approved, applicants will receive log-in information with a personalized username and password to access a secure payment portal to select their payment option. Applicants must enter the username and password exactly as it is provided, inclusive of all characters to enter the payment portal.

• The methods of payment include:
• Check
• Direct Deposit
• Applicants who select direct deposit will need to provide their bank account and routing number. Please do not enter your debit card number as the bank account number. Instead, we recommend you check with your bank to confirm the correct routhing number for ACH payments, the correct account number and whether the account is a checkings or savings account.

Please review our Payment Information webpage for step-by-step instructions in English and Spanish. 

The payment portal does not allow edits or changes once a payment method has been selected. If you’d like to change your payment method, please contact us at ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov. In your email, please include your full name, application ID and contact information. Please do not share banking information via email.

If you are having trouble logging into the payment portal, please confirm that you are using the right username and password that was sent to you via email or text message after your application was approved. This is not your application ID number.

If your username and password are not working, please email ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov to request that your login information be reset. In your email, please include your full name, application ID and contact information. Please do not share banking information via email.

Please email ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov. In your email, please include your full name, application ID and contact information. Someone will be in contact with you soon after receiving your email.

Applications in Approved-Payment Pending status are required to submit their payment preference through the payment portal in order to receive their payment.  Please see the instructions on the Payment Information page.

After submitting your payment preference, please allow 2 - 3 weeks to receive the benefit.

Applications in Approved - Payment in Progress status, are being processed for payment.  Please wait to be notified that your payment was disbursed before inquiring about your application.

If your application status is Closed - Payment Disbursed, and you have not received your payment, please send an email to ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov with your name, application ID and contact information. 

Rental assistance itself would not impact their eligibility. However, the ENJF applicant will need to demonstrate a hardship due to COVID-19 and were excluded from both the federal stimulus checks and COVID related unemployment assistance. For more information on what is needed for the application please visit the Required Documents webpage.

We encourage the applicant(s) to review the list of documents they could present as proof of income in the Required Documents webpage under the subheading Income that is at or below $55,000. The list includes a letter from an employer, with an optional template available. Applicants who do not have any of these documents may still be eligible. An application reviewer can assist you identify other ways to demonstrate your annual household income.

If you are self-employed, you could provide 2019 or 2020 tax returns or bank statements to demonstrate your annual income. There may be other ways to demonstrate your annual household income. An application reviewer can assist you identify other ways to demonstrate your annual household income.

• All applicants must provide proof of identity and New Jersey residency, proof that household income is at or below $55,000, and exclusion from federal COVID relief.
  
  
• There may be other ways to demonstrate your annual household income. An application reviewer can assist you identify other ways to demonstrate your annual household income.

• For a list of helpful documents that can help demonstrate income please visit the Required Documents webpage. There may be other ways to demonstrate your annual household income. An application reviewer can assist you identify other ways to demonstrate your annual household income.
  
  
• You can also reach out to a community based organization for assistance in gathering documents to finalize your application. 

Applicants are required to provide some proof of residency through various options as listed in the Identity, Residency, Age section in the Required Documents webpage. The NJ Department of Human Services has made a template available, which can be used along with a document from List B and completed and signed by a representative from a place of worship, medical provider, landlord, service provider, or shelter.

If you are having trouble logging into the payment portal, please confirm that you are using the right username and password that was sent to you via email or text message after your application was approved. This is not your application ID number.

If your username and password are not working, please email ExcludedNJFundQuestions@dhs.nj.gov to request that your login information be reset. In your email, please include your full name, application ID and contact information. Please do not share banking information via email.

No. The Excluded New Jerseyans Fund is a one-time only cash assistance program.

Assistance from this fund is considered one-time emergency relief assistance and should not be considered under the public charge rule.

No, all payments are made as grants and classified as emergency relief under the IRS and should not be included as taxable income.

The money used for ENJF is from Federal Coronavirus Relief Funding. This money is considered emergency funds. Therefore, it will not impact immigration status, immigration applications, taxes, and will not have to be repaid back to the government. ENJF is a one-time, direct cash benefit to eligible households who have suffered a hardship due to COVID-19 and were excluded from both the federal stimulus checks and COVID related unemployment assistance - including undocumented individuals, residents re-entering from the justice system, and any other individuals otherwise excluded.

Office of New Americans Resources

The ENJF program is different from the ITIN Holders Direct Assistance Program. The ENJF benefits are for $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for households. If you have any questions about the ITIN Holders Direct Assistance Program, visit https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/itinfaq.shtml