Deadline to Re-Up for STAR

    Property owners who have been receiving New York State’s Basic STAR exemption, relieving them of a portion of their school taxes, must register with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance by Dec. 31 in order to continue to receive the exemption in 2014 and subsequent years.

    Until now, a one-time registration assured that the exemption would be applied year after year. The new requirement to reregister was instituted after the state comptroller found that numerous taxpayers had fraudulently obtained STAR exemptions for their properties.

    The Basic STAR exemption property tax relief, which exempts the first $30,000 of the full value of a house from school taxes, is available to owner-occupied primary residences where the annual income of resident owners and their spouses is less than $500,000.

    The new requirement does not apply to those receiving the Enhanced STAR exemption, which is available to senior citizens with qualifying incomes.

    The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has sent notices to all property owners who must reregister for the Basic STAR exemption; it contains a STAR code and information about how to complete the registration process. It can be done online at tax.ny.gov or by calling the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance in Albany.

    Questions should be directed to that department, and not to local assessors.