If you are a homeowner benefiting from reduced property taxes under New York State’s Basic School Tax Relief (STAR) program, you will need to register a second time with the New York State Tax Department by December 31, 2013. By doing so, you will continue to receive the property tax exemption in 2014 and subsequent years. Senior citizens receiving Enhanced STAR are not affected by the new registration requirement.
“The requirement for homeowners to re-register comes as a result of recent legislation that protects New Yorkers against the costs of fraudulent STAR exemptions,” said Christopher J. Sena, CPA, Demasco, Sena & Jahelka (DS&J) CPAs. “According to the State Comptroller, taxpayers were cheated out of money because other individuals fraudulently or inappropriately obtained STAR exemptions for their properties.”
Re-registration can be done by mail, using registration information mailed by the New York State Tax Department to Basic STAR recipients. You can also re-register by visiting the NYS STAR Registration Program page or by calling (518) 457-2036, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
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Basic STAR |
Enhanced STAR |
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| Residency | You must own your home and it must be your primary residence. | ||
| Age |
No age restriction |
65 or olderFor jointly owned property, only one spouse or sibling must be at least 65 by December 31 of the year when the exemption will begin. | |
| Income | $500,000 or less
The income limit applies to the combined incomes of only the owners and owners’ spouses who reside at the property. |
$81,900 or less
The income limit applies to all owners, and any owner’s spouse who resides at the property. Seniors who reside outside of New York City must continue to apply annually or participate in the Income Verification Program. |
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For more information on this topic, please contact Christopher J. Sena at or 516-541-6549 at Demasco, Sena & Jahelka (DS&J) CPAs.