Assessment Community Weekly 06/03/19
Thank you to all of you who participated in the STAR webinar last week. We appreciate the positive feedback we’ve received. Below are instructions for tomorrow’s webinar, as well as some of your questions and answers from the May 29 webinar.
We will be making the PowerPoint and a recording of the webinar available for those of you who will be unable to participate in either session.
Questions and answers from the May 29 webinar
Q. If a senior submitted their Enhanced STAR renewal and IVP form late to the assessor, is there still a way for them to get the Enhanced STAR exemption?
A. Yes, until the school tax due date, they can submit the forms and a brief letter to us for consideration of a good cause deadline extension. If we grant the exemption, we will notify you of our determination. For more information: Late Enhanced STAR applications due to good cause.
Q. Is the STAR credit check taxable income?
A. No. A homeowner who takes the standard deduction (as most do) would disregard the STAR credit check altogether when preparing his or her tax return. A homeowner who itemizes deductions would need to reduce his or her deduction for property tax payments by the amount of his or her STAR credit check. The net effect is the same as if the homeowner had received a STAR exemption that lowered the amount of property taxes he or she had paid in the first place. Note that in any case, the total federal itemized deduction for state and local taxes is now limited to $10,000. For more information: How to report your property tax credits.
Q. What if a homeowner with income under $250,000 voluntarily switches to the STAR credit from the exemption after the deadline?
A. The homeowner would receive the 2019 STAR exemption and begin receiving the STAR credit in 2020, unless he or she renounces his or her 2019 exemption (see next Q).
Q. Can a homeowner use Form RP-496 to renounce their STAR exemption and register to switch to the STAR credit after the deadline?
A. Yes, but the further past final roll date that the homeowner renounces, the less likely it will be that they receive their check for the STAR credit by the school tax due date.
Q. Can homeowners without access to the Internet call the Tax Department to switch to the STAR credit from the exemption?
A. Yes. While homeowners can register for the STAR credit online, they can continue to call 518-457-2036 to register over the phone. If they register prior to the deadline, we will include them on the Switch to the Credit Report prior to your final roll date.
How to access tomorrow’s STAR Program Update webinar
- When: Tuesday, June 4 - 1:30—2:30
- Password: (case-sensitive): hello1
- Event number: 643 576 065
To join the online webinar, select this link or copy and paste it into a browser: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=ec878a801f66b593fbbe4eea85da7a6c5
Once you access the webinar, connect to the teleconference by clicking Call me. After you enter your direct telephone number, you’ll receive a call at that number.
To receive a call-back, you must have a direct telephone line. You can’t receive a call-back if:
- a receptionist will answer the call, or
- you use a recorded greeting for incoming calls.
If you are unable to receive a call-back, or you will not be in front of a computer during the webinar, access the teleconference directly by calling:
- US Toll Free: 1-844-633-8697, or
- Local: 1-518-549-0500
Judicial cases
New Judicial cases:
- NYCTL 2015-A Trust v 731 Bergen, LLC
- Volpe v County of Suffolk