- By Marcia E. Lynch
- News
Print 
For those without the ability to access the online application, the Department of Taxation and Finance has set up a call center where a property owner can re-register by answering a few questions.
The deadline to apply for the re-registration is November 30, 2013. Approximately 19,500 Tompkins County property owners who receive the Basic STAR exemption will need to reapply by that date to continue to receive this benefit on future assessment rolls.
Property owners who do not reapply by the deadline will lose the exemption on their 2014 School Tax bills, which will increase their bills by $500-$600. In early 2014, the Department of Taxation and Finance will notify the Department of Assessment of those who have not re-registered for the exemption, and the exemption will be removed from the 2014 Assessment Roll. This decision is not contestable at the local level, and any disagreement the property owner has with the state’s decisions must be taken up with the Department of Taxation and Finance.
The Basic STAR exemption is open for the property owner’s primary residence. The exemption does not include vacation homes, and a property owner may receive only one Basic STAR exemption. To qualify, the property owner’s Adjusted Gross Income must be less than $500,000.
For all new Basic STAR applicants (those who might have purchased a house after March 1, 2013 or moved into a house they had owned), the application must be filed with the Tompkins County Department of Assessment. This re-registration process does not affect the Enhanced STAR exemptions that are for property owners over 65 years of age with an income under $81,900. The Enhanced STAR recipients will apply in the same manner they have in the past.
v9i30