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School Tax Relief Program
Lower your property taxes with the STAR credit
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What this program is
The School Tax Relief Program (STAR) credit lowers property taxes for eligible New York State homeowners.
Who can get it
You're eligible for Basic STAR if you:
- Own your home
- Live in it as your primary residence
- Have a combined household income of $500,000 or less
You're eligible for Enhanced STAR if you also:
- Are age 65 or older
- Have a combined household income of $107,300 or less for 2025 benefits or $110,750 or less for 2026 benefits
New York State uses your tax return from two years earlier to determine eligibility. For 2026 STAR, that's your 2024 return.
See additional eligibility details (https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/star/eligibility.htm#residence) for married couples, surviving spouses, and other special cases.
Heads up
- You must register with the New York State Tax Department (https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/homeowner-benefit-portal.htm) to receive a STAR credit
- You only need to register once to automatically receive your credit each year as long as you remain eligible
- Get your STAR savings in the form of a check or direct deposit directly from New York State
- If you already receive the STAR exemption, you can switch to the STAR credit in the Homeowner Benefit Portal (https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/homeowner-benefit-portal.htm)
- There are two benefit levels based on your household income:
- Basic STAR is for homeowners with total household income of $500,000 or less and reduces your taxes by about $293
- Enhanced STAR is for homeowners 65 and older with total household income of $98,700 or less and reduces your taxes by about $650
- Older adults who get Enhanced STAR may also qualify for the Senior Citizens Homeowners' Exemption (SCHE) (https://access.nyc.gov/programs/senior-citizen-homeowners%CA%BC-exemption-sche/), which provides additional property tax savings.
How to apply
Visit the New York State Tax Department's Homeowner Benefit Portal to register for the STAR credit.
- Log in (https://my.ny.gov/LoginV4/dtfportal.xhtml) to your Individual Online Services account or create one.
- Select the Services menu in the upper-left corner of your screen, then choose Real property tax.
- Select Homeowner Benefit Portal from the expanded menu
- Select Register and follow the prompts to register for the STAR credit.
Online
Visit the New York State Tax Department's Homeowner Benefit Portal to register for the STAR credit.
- Log in (https://my.ny.gov/LoginV4/dtfportal.xhtml) to your Individual Online Services account or create one
- Select the Services menu in the upper-left corner of your screen, then choose Real property tax
- Select Homeowner Benefit Portal from the expanded menu
- Select Register and follow the prompts to register for the STAR credit
By phone
Call 518-457-2036 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
What to bring
You'll need the following to register:
- Names and Social Security numbers for all property owners and spouses
- Your school district name
- Property purchase date and seller names
- Your tax returns from two years ago (i.e. 2023 for the 2025 STAR credit or 2024 for the 2026 STAR credit)
- Most recent school tax bill (if you have one)
- Address of any out-of-state residential property you own
- Legal trust name (if applicable)
Get help
- Visit the STAR website (https://www.tax.ny.gov/star/) for more information.
- Email the NYC Department of Finance (http://www1.nyc.gov/site/finance/about/contact-by-email/contact-exemptions-inquiries.page) if you have questions about STAR.
- Find a DOF center (http://www1.nyc.gov/site/finance/about/contact-us.page) to get help in person.
- Call the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance at 518-457-2036 for more information about the New York State STAR tax credit.
- Call 311 to find out more.
Visit the website
See the STAR resource center (https://www.tax.ny.gov/star/) to learn more
Attend an in-person event
Attend a STAR income worksheet event (https://www.tax.ny.gov/star/events/) to get help from Tax Department staff
Call 311
Ask about the School Tax Relief Program (STAR)
Source and last updated
- Source
- NYC Benefits Platform (kvhd-5fmu) View dataset
- Agency
- NYS Department of Taxation (NYS DT); NYC Department of Finance (DOF)
- Updated
- Source: January 6, 2026 · Synced August 18, 2026
How we verified this
Source record ID: P012en · S2R012
WayMakr shows only what this source publishes. Program details are not attached to specific facility listings unless a relationship has been verified.