ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is reminding seniors that the deadline to apply for more property tax savings through the Enhanced STAR property tax exemption is March 1. The School Tax Relief (STAR) program offers property tax relief to eligible New York State homeowners.

To be eligible for the 2022 Enhanced STAR property tax exemption:

  • seniors must currently receive the Basic STAR property tax exemption
  • the owner of the property will be at least 65 years old by December 31, 2022
  • they have had 2020 income equal to or below $92,000

“We want every eligible senior to receive the increased property tax benefit,” said Acting Commissioner Amanda Hiller. “To help ensure that seniors don’t miss out on this valuable benefit, we recently sent letters to 27,000 seniors who may be eligible for additional savings.”

Eligible seniors should apply to their assessor’s office by the due date, which is March 1 in most towns and some cities. Seniors should verify the exact due date with their local assessor. To apply, seniors must provide the following:

In 2021, 577,000 seniors received a total of more than $800 million in savings from the Enhanced STAR property tax exemption, according to the Department of Taxation and Finance.

Seniors who receive the STAR credit instead of the STAR exemption don’t need to apply or take any other action. The department will automatically upgrade them to Enhanced STAR if they qualify.

For more information, you can visit the Department of Taxation and Finance website. Seniors can also contact the department’s STAR hotline from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at (518) 457-2036.