More than 1.7 million New York homeowners have registered for their Basic STAR property tax exemptions. The enrollment deadline for claiming the STAR Tax Exemption is December 31, 2013. More than 900,000 homeowners have yet to register. The Tax Department is sending multiple mailings and participating in hundreds of local events to ensure that everyone who is eligible registers and continues to receive the exemption.
Two types of STAR exemptions:
Basic STAR — available for owner-occupied, primary residences where the resident owners’ and their spouses income is less than $500,000 exempts the first $30,000 of the full value of a home from school taxes
Enhanced STAR — provides an increased benefit for the primary residences of senior citizens (age 65 and older) with qualifying incomes exempts the first $64,200 of the full value of a home from school taxes as of 2014-15 school tax bills (up from $63,300 in 2013-14)
STAR exemptions apply only to school district taxes. They don’t apply to property taxes for other purposes, such as county, town or city (except in cities where city property taxes fund schools – Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers). This registration program is only for those property owners receiving Basic STAR for 2013, and does not apply to recipients of Enhanced STAR who must continue to reapply annually through their local Assessor’s Office as they have done in the past.
If you’d like to help spread the word about STAR registration, the Tax Department has postcards, palm cards and other information available in six languages from its STAR Registration Media Center.
It’s important that homeowners don’t miss out on this important benefit – the average STAR exemption is $700 per year. To learn more about STAR registration, visit the Tax Department at www.tax.ny.gov or call: (518) 457–2036.
STAR materials are available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Italian, Russian and Haitian Creole.
STAR palm cards, fact sheets and posters for use outside of New York City (Available in six languages noted above)
Also available is a step-by-step video tutorial that walks individuals through the entire process in under five minutes:
http://www.tax.ny.gov/e-services/otc/demos/star/starregdemo.htm