08/10/2020 Assessment Community Weekly

That’s a wrap – 2020 standard calendar edition

ORPTS has finalized the following 2020 rates and values for all localities where school tax bills are issued on or around September 1:

agricultural assessment values per acre
certified change in level of assessment factors
equalization rates
oil and gas unit of production values
railroad ceilings
special franchise assessments
special rates state-owned land assessments
STAR exemptions
STAR Reports 1 through 8
telecommunication ceilings

Questions? Email real.property@tax.ny.gov.

Basic Training Reminder

For those who have yet to complete basic certification, the deadline has been extended an additional year. For example, if your original deadline to complete basic certification was September 1, 2020, you now have until September 1, 2021.

No expected updates to senior exemption forms this year

Now that the 2021-2022 STAR forms are available, some of you have asked when updates to Form RP-467, Application for Partial Tax Exemption for Real Property of Senior Citizens, and the RP-467-Rnw, Renewal Application for Partial Tax Exemption for Real Property of Senior Citizens, will be available. There were no legislative changes to either form this year so we are not expecting to update them.

However, ICYMI last week, here are links to the new STAR forms and the new Enhanced STAR good cause form:

Reminder: Review your sales reports by August 30

It’s crucial that you review your sales reports before the deadline because we use that data to begin the process of calculating 2020 equalization rates and RARs. The reports are available in the Online Assessment Community. For the details, see the July 20 Assessment Community Weekly.

FYI – ORPTS requesting school tax rates from school districts

Ever feel like you’re the only one that has to provide data to ORPTS every year? If so, we want you to know that this is the time of year when we turn to school districts for information – particularly those that issue school tax bills on or around September 1.

We’ve already begun requesting their final school tax rates; if the final rates aren’t available by 8/17, we ask for their expected tax rates first. But that’s not all: after school tax bills go out, we request the school tax bill data files from the districts.

Q. What is the deadline to renounce a prior year STAR exemption and switch to the STAR credit for that year?

A. Due to a law change in June, 2019, homeowners who wish to switch to the STAR credit for prior years can do so up to three years from the income tax filing due date of the year for which they wish to switch. (Prior to the law change, the deadline was the end of the calendar year.) They must register for the STAR credit, renounce the STAR exemption, and repay the amount of the STAR exemption benefit plus interest.

Note: Because taxpayers who renounce the STAR exemption must also pay interest on the exemption savings they received in 2019, it may be more beneficial for taxpayers to not renounce the exemption and, instead, switch prospectively for the 2020 school tax bill and thereafter.

For example, Mr. Baxter received the 2019 STAR exemption but wishes to receive the 2019 STAR credit instead. Technically, he has until April 15, 2023 to:

file Form RP-496, Application to Renounce Previously Granted Exemption(s) and repay the benefit he received plus interest; and
register for the STAR credit.

As long as Mr. Baxter is eligible, we will issue a check for the 2019 STAR credit to him after we process the STAR registration and receive Form RP-496 and the payment from the county.

New judicial case

We’ve added Town of Ramapo v. Dept. of Taxation and Finance to Judicial cases.

Updated: September 11, 2023