The New York State School Tax Relief Program (STAR) provides homeowners with two types of partial exemptions from school property taxes. If you earn less than $500,000 and own and live in your home, you’re probably eligible for the STAR exemption.
Two types of STAR exemptions:
Basic STAR
- available for owner-occupied, primary residences where the resident owners’ and their spouses income is less than $500,000
- exempts the first $30,000 of the full value of a home from school taxes
Enhanced STAR
- provides an increased benefit for the primary residences of senior citizens (age 65 and older) with qualifying incomes
- exempts the first $62,200 of the full value of a home from school taxes as of 2012-13 school tax bills (up from $60,100 in 2011-12)
STAR exemptions apply only to school district taxes. The exemptions don’t apply to property taxes for other purposes, such as county, town or city.
For a list of tax assessors in Albany County click here. For a list of tax assessors in Saratoga County click. For a list of tax assessors in other counties click here. In case you’re curious how many dollars this 5 minute step can save, for a home assessed at $150,000 in the city of Albany the basic STAR exemption is around $500 a year.