The New York State School Tax Relief Program (STAR) provides homeowners with two types of partial exemptions from school property taxes. Almost all homeowners qualify for the first type, Basic STAR, savings if they apply for it.
For 2011, income for Basic STAR purposes is based on the 2009 tax year, and is the combined income of:
- all owners who reside at the property, and
- any owner’s spouse who resides at the property.
Income is defined as federal “adjusted gross income” minus the “taxable amount” of total distributions from individual retirement accounts or individual retirement annuities (both of which are commonly known as “IRA’s”). For specific line references on your 2009 federal or state income tax returns, see page 2 of the STAR application.
If your assessor notifies you that you’re ineligible for the Basic STAR exemption:
- If you agree that you’re ineligible, you don’t need to do anything. However, if your income drops below the limit in the future, you’ll need to re-apply for the exemption.
- If your household income is below $500,000 and you believe that you’re eligible for the exemption, contact your assessor. The assessor may advise you to file a formal assessment grievance.
If you receive a notice from your assessor requesting more information:
- Provide the assessor with your 2009 federal and state income tax returns.
- If you don’t file a tax return, you’ll need to provide the assessor with all of your 2009 income statements (1099 statements, W-2 forms, etc.).
If you don’t receive a notice from your assessor
- There’s no need to do anything – you’ll continue to receive the Basic STAR exemption.
For more information on the exact STAR Savings Amount, categorized by school district, see:
http://www.retiredassessor.com/STARSavings.html
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