If you have Basic STAR, you will be  receiving a notice to reapply by December 31,       2013. The reapplications will be mailed out this  September and homeowners can register by   telephone or online. Recipients of Basic STAR  will need to verify their salaries, Social  Security numbers, and primary residence.                                 Enhanced STAR will not be affected. Senior  citizens who receive Enhanced STAR are already  required to register each year; unless they have                                 authorized income verification for automatic  verification and registration, therefore,  verification under this program is not   necessary.

STAR     is the New York State Tax Relief Program which     provides qualified New York homeowners with   partial exemption from New York Property Taxes.  Basic STAR is available on owner-occupied    primary residences where the combined income of      the owners is less than $500,000. Basis STAR   will exempt the first $30,000.00 of the value of     a home from school taxes Enhanced STAR is    available to seniors, age 65 and older whose   combined earnings were less than $81,900.00.                                 Those who are eligible for Enhanced Star will   receive a benefit equal to the first $60,100.00   of the full value of their home being exempted     from school taxes, a potentially considerable      savings. Where a property is owned by spouses or      siblings only one owner need satisfy the age     requirement. Both Basic and Enhanced STAR are    available for all owner occupied residences,     including condominiums, co ops.

Like   recipients of Enhanced STAR, after this year’s  reapplication, homeowners will not have to     re-register each year. The re-application    process is to ensure that homeowners are only     claiming this tax break on their primary                                 residence and not at multiple residences, as has  been the case for some. The registration  requirement will not affect this year’s tax     bills, but will apply to tax bills for 2014 and  beyond.

You can register for the STAR exemption   online. You’ll need to:

1.                                 Provide a STAR code (you can use  the STAR code                                 lookup)

2. Provide                                 the names and social security numbers for all                                 owners of the property and                                 spouses

3. Confirm                                 that the property is the primary residence of                                 one of its owners (married couples with multiple                                 residences may only claim one STAR                                 exemption)4.                                 Confirm that the combined income of                                 the owners and their spouses who reside at the                                 property does not exceed $500,000

5.                                 Confirm that no resident owner                                 received a residency-based tax benefit from                                 another state.

You can also register by                                 calling (518) 457-2036

Monday – Friday:  8:30                                 am – 8:00 pm

Saturday:  9:00 am                                 – 1:00 pm