Across the state of New York, residents who are qualified for the School Tax Relief (STAR) property tax credit have began receiving checks in the mail about their eligibility. The purpose of this effort is to offer homeowners immediate financial relief in regard to the school taxes that they are responsible for paying.
A web-based application has been made available by the state Department of Taxation and Finance in order to facilitate the process of streamlining it. Residents have the ability to consult this resource in order to determine whether or not cheques have already started to be sent to their particular municipality or school district. There is a significant amount of variation for the mailing date based on the location.
One of the original ideas behind the STAR program, which is an acronym that stands for “School Tax Relief,” was to provide homeowners with a decrease in the amount of property tax that they were required to pay to their local school districts. A fundamental shift, however, has been adopted by the state in recent years, and that change is the transformation of STAR into a tax credit.
What exactly are the plans that STAR has proposed?
You can pick between two different schemes for the STAR credit:
- Under the Basic STAR program, the first thirty thousand dollars of a home’s total assessed value are free from paying school property taxes. This program is applied to principal residences that are occupied by the sole owner. There is a minimum income requirement of $500,000 in order to qualify for the Basic program.
- Individuals who are 65 years of age or older are eligible for an additional benefit known as Enhanced STAR. Beneficiaries must have salaries of between $107,300 and less for the school year 2025-2026 in order to qualify for the program.
How do I know if I’m eligible for the STAR 2025 credit?
In order to qualify for the STAR credit on their principal house, homeowners must have incomes that are less than $500,000 per year.
When can you expect to receive your Star 2025 credit?
By using the official website, residents are able to determine whether or not checks have already begun to be issued to the municipality or school district that has jurisdiction over them.
In the city of Syracuse, for instance, it is anticipated that checks will start being distributed in the middle of July. On the other hand, taxpayers in the Jamesville-DeWitt school district, which is located in the town of DeWitt, will have to wait until the end of August or the middle of September to receive their checks.
