The NYS School Tax Relief (STAR) Program provides an exemption from school taxes for owner-occupied, primary residences where the combined income of the owners and spouses who reside on the property does not exceed $500,000. This is known as the Basic STAR exemption.

Historically, already-registered homeowners did not have to re-register year after year to receive the Basic STAR exemption. However, in order to receive the exemption in 2014 and subsequent years, new legislation requires all homeowners receiving a Basic STAR exemption to re-register with the NYS Tax Department.

Homeowners will not have to re-register every year. Based on the information provided in the new registration process, the Tax Department will monitor homeowners’ eligibility in future years.
Beginning this month, the NYS Tax Department will be sending letters advising homeowners how to keep their STAR exemptions for next year. The mailings will go out to homeowners at different times depending on where their property is located. For homeowners in Suffolk County, those letters are scheduled to be sent during the week of September 30.

For more information on the new legislation and how to register, you can visit the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance’s website by clicking here. You can also find a recent article that provides relevant questions and answers by clicking here.