05/11/2026 Assessment Community Weekly

It’s not too late for taxpayers to report their income for the STAR exemption

We recently sent STAR denial letters to taxpayers who failed to report their income to us after we sent them two letters requesting it. However, these taxpayers can still report their income to us. If they act now, before your roll is finalized, they may still be able to retain their exemption. In addition, any income reported to us brings taxpayers one year closer to meeting the new three-year reporting requirement. To read more about this change, visit It's getting easier to qualify for STAR.

If a taxpayer contacts you about this letter, you can direct them to our STAR Resource Center featuring our new Respond to a STAR letter page to report their income. They should follow the directions for the RP-5300-WSC to provide their income information using the Homeowner Benefit Portal or our online STAR Income Worksheet. You may also refer them to the phone number at the bottom of their letter to report their income and ask any questions. As always, if they are in your office, you can call the assessor hotline at 518-457-9053.

RPTL § 925-b requests

When requesting a list of seniors who receive the Enhanced STAR credit per RPTL § 925-b, email your requests to real.property@tax.ny.gov. Please do not send your requests to individual employees.

STAR letters hitting mailboxes

We are continuing to mail the following to impacted STAR recipients across the state:

RP-5300-ENH: Recipients of this letter received a Basic STAR exemption or credit last year, and they are eligible for an Enhanced benefit in 2026. This letter is informational and confirms they are eligible for Enhanced and that they do not have to take any action to receive it.

If you are contacted by a property owner about this letter, please direct them to our STAR Resource Center featuring our new Respond to a STAR letter page. This page is a new resource and as we continue to mail 2026 STAR letters, we'll add them to this page.

You may also contact the Assessor and County Director Hotline by phone at 518-457-9053 or via email at Assessor.hotline@tax.ny.gov for additional assistance. Please remember, assessor hotline resources are for assessors and county directors and should not be shared with taxpayers.