Exemption applications must be filed with your local assessor's office. See our Municipal Profiles for your local assessor's mailing address. Do not file any exemption applications with the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance or with the Office of Real Property Tax Services.
To be eligible for SCHE, you must be 65 or older, earn no more than $58,399 for the last calendar year, and the property must be your primary residence. The exemption must be renewed every two years. Learn more and get answers to frequently asked questions.
The exemption is available for your primary residence and up to one acre of land. A mobile home may qualify, even if the land where the mobile home is located is leased or rented.
The exemption is not entered anywhere on your federal income tax return. Homestead exemptions are usually filed at your county courthouse, at the tax assessor's office.
Specifically, homestead laws allow individuals to declare a portion of their property as "homestead" and therefore protected from a forced sale. Under New York's homestead protection law, the amount property owners may declare exempt varies based on county location and range from $75,000 to $150,000.
New Yorkers are eligible for this exemption on their primary residence, regardless of age. Enhanced STAR is available to senior citizens (age 65 and older) who meet the income requirements. For qualifying seniors, Enhanced STAR exempts $65,500 of the full value of their primary residence.