The STAR benefit checks and tax exemptions reflected in school property tax notices are gradually filling New Yorkers’ mailboxes and letter boxes and will continue to do so through the end of the year.
The federal School Tax Relief (STAR) program provides eligible homeowners with a tax rebate on school property taxes. Depending on where the household lives, taxes are due annually in the summer, fall, or winter months, which is also when homeowners receive the tax rebate.
Here’s what you should know about the STAR program and how it might be relevant to you.
When can you expect your STAR benefit?
If you qualify for a STAR exemption, it will be reflected on your tax bill, which may appear anytime between late August and December, depending on where you live.
According to the U.S. Department of Taxation and Treasury, the majority of STAR benefits will be paid in the fall, beginning in September.
If you get a STAR loan check instead, you’ll get one soon in most areas of the state, unless you’re one of the “very few” eligible New York homeowners who get the check in the summer. Those residents live in school districts that require school taxes to be paid during the summer months, hence the early benefit, according to a state spokeswoman.
Want to know when your check should arrive? Use this New York State tool to look up the delivery schedule for your area at www8.tax.ny.gov/SCDS/scdsStart. Eligible homeowners in Monroe County, for example, are expected to receive Star benefits between late August and mid-September.
Different municipalities have different property tax due dates. To find out when your property taxes are due, contact your city, township, village or school district.
If your STAR check has not arrived and you have passed your due date to pay your school property taxes, contact the Finance and Taxation Office through your online service account or by phone at (518) 457-2036 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
STAR Credit Direct Deposit Program
In June, the STAR Credit Direct Deposit program was launched nationwide after being piloted last year in Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island.
“STAR Credit Direct Deposit is the fastest and easiest way to get your STAR credit payment,” says Amanda Hiller, acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. “It goes hand in hand with other changes we are making to improve the STAR program for homeowners.”
If you choose to participate in the voluntary program, you will receive your STAR credit faster than those who do not.
However, if you register less than 15 days before your STAR credit is issued, that year’s credit will be mailed to you via check at the mailing address on file.
Learn more about the STAR Direct Deposit program.
What is the difference between the STAR exemption and the STAR check?
The STAR Benefits Program offers eligible homeowners a property tax reduction in the form of an upfront savings deducted directly from their tax bill (called the STAR exemption) or a “credit” that comes in the form of a check or direct deposit.
The state requires that new homeowners be issued a check in lieu of an exemption. To currently qualify for an exemption, homeowners must have owned their home since 2015, according to state law.
Homeowners can switch from an exemption to a check or direct deposit, and those who choose to do so can see the value of their STAR savings increase annually because the law allows the STAR credit to increase by up to 2% each year, according to the state. The value of STAR exemptions cannot increase.
STAR benefits are also broken down by demographic groups.
Recipients of the Basic STAR Program must:
- Owning and residing in a primary residence in New York
- Earn less than $500,000 per household for the STAR credit and less than $250,000 for the STAR exemption.
Seniors are eligible for Enhanced STAR if they:
- 65 or older
- Owning and residing in a primary residence in New York
- Earn $98,700 or less in the 2024-25 school year
According to the state Department of Finance and Taxation, in 2022, about 2.26 million New Yorkers benefited from Basic STAR and 670,000 received Enhanced STAR benefits.
To enroll in STAR or change the type of benefit you receive, go to tax.ny.gov/star.