STAR Tax Break for Home Owners
Added August 20, 2015 because I received many questions from new homeowners about the STAR tax break.
1. What is the STAR Tax break?
STAR is a New York State tax relief program that lowers your property taxes. You only need to apply for it once (although we had to apply twice – once in 2009 when we purchased out home and then when the city put their records online, all of NYC had to reapply for STAR in August 2013).
You have to apply by August to get the tax break for that year.
2. Who qualifies for the STAR tax break?
New York State homeowners who haven’t earned over $500,000 that year (so if you made $400,000 and your husband made $100,001 – you don’t qualify). You must live in the home to receive the rebate.
There is no age requirement, but if you are over 65 years old, you qualify for the Enhanced STAR Tax Rebate.
3. How do you apply for the STAR rebate?
You can apply for the STAR rebate online here, call 311 or you can print this paper application and send it in.
3. How do you know you have the STAR tax exemption?
You need your NYC block and lot number. If you don’t know them go here and put in your address to get it.
Then you can go to this NYC Website and put in your block and lot. It will show Exemptions on the left menu and you should see 1 (unless you have more)
The STAR tax rebate also appears on the second page of your paper tax bill. When we had a mortgage, I never saw the tax bill because it went to the bank (it was a condition of the mortgage).
4. What if I didn’t receive the STAR tax break?
Call 311 – tell them you need to speak about the STAR tax break and they will connect you to the NYC Finance Office. The customer service agent there is polite and can tell you if you received the tax break, as well as answer your questions.