In some circumstances, you can avoid a small portion of the transfer taxes. When selling a house or condo with a mortgage, your buyer can utilize a CEMA. Most of the CEMA savings will come from the buyer avoiding the mortgage recording tax but the seller also saves on the NYS transfer taxes.
Finding the right exemption for you Senior Citizen Homeowners' Exemption (SCHE) Eligibility. Disabled Homeowners' Exemption (DHE) Eligibility. Veterans Exemption. Eligibility. Clergy Exemption. Eligibility. Disabled Crime Victim and Good Samaritan Exemption. Eligibility.
To qualify for an exemption that begins on July 1, you must be 65 or older by the following December 31. If you co-own your property with a spouse or sibling, only one of you needs to be 65 or older.
Use the annual gift tax exclusion. Each year, you can give a certain amount of property to a family member without incurring gift taxes. As of 2024, the annual gift tax exclusion is $18,000 per recipient. This means you can gradually transfer property over several years to minimize tax liabilities.
To apply. Visit .tax.ny or call (518) 457-2036. (If you currently receive STAR, you can apply for E-STAR with the Department of Finance: .nyc/star.)
Generally, for New York estate tax purposes, if the value of assets passing to beneficiaries other than a spouse or charity is below a certain threshold ($6.94 million in 2024), the assets are fully exempt from tax and no New York estate taxes will be due.