Tuesday is STAR registration deadline

Online registration at www.tax.ny.gov; seniors getting Enhanced STAR exemption aren't affected by the registration program

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today issued a final reminder: Homeowners must register for the Basic STAR property tax exemption by tomorrow.

"More than 2.2 million New Yorkers have used our fast and easy online registration process to ensure they don't lose their STAR exemptions," said Commissioner Thomas H. Mattox. "But we want every homeowner who qualifies for this important benefit to get it. So if you haven't registered, do it now."

During the past few months, to ensure that every eligible homeowner registers by the Dec. 31 deadline, the Tax Department's outreach campaign has included telephone reminders to hundreds of thousands of people, participation in more than 275 local registration events, fielding more than 500,000 incoming phone calls at its service center, and sending out multiple mailings directly to all 2.7 million eligible homeowners, as well as to local officials in every city, town and school district.

The average homeowner saves $700 each year on the local school property tax bill as a result of the Basic STAR exemption. By registering with the Tax Department - a one-time only event - homeowners will continue to be eligible for the benefit in 2014 and beyond.

The Tax Department said the registration facilitates Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 2013-14 budget initiative to save New York taxpayers millions by eliminating inappropriate exemptions.

The Basic STAR exemption is available on the primary residence of homeowners with incomes under $500,000. The new registration stems from a Tax Department investigation that found thousands of taxpayers receiving STAR exemptions on more than one property.

The new registration program does not impact senior citizens receiving the Enhanced STAR exemption.

Homeowners who haven't registered can visit www.tax.ny.gov and register online; for those without Internet access, call the Tax Department's STAR hotline at 518-457-2036 (translators stand ready to assist speakers of all languages).

Map of registration by county

List of registration by municipality