Senior citizens receiving the Enhanced STAR property tax exemption are not affected by this new requirement and do not need to register with the state. However, they are still required to file income information with their local assessor's office by March 1st, as they have in past years.
The STAR exemption is available for owner-occupied PRIMARY residences where the combined income of resident owners and their spouses is $500,000 or less.
The letters have been sent out this week to Shandaken homeowners. You need the code on the upper right hand corner of that letter to file with the state. You will also need the social security numbers of all owners and their spouses and information about any residency based exemptions in other states received by any of the resident owners. The site will also ask the residents to confirm that the combined total income of the owners and their spouses does not exceed $500,000.
The deadline for registration is December 31, 2013. I would advise everyone to register sooner rather than later.
The first link below is a tutorial on how to register for the STAR. The link on the bottom of this page will take you to the website to complete the registration form. Remember, it is better to do this sooner rather than later. You do not want to lose this important tax exemption.
Basic Star Demo-“the how to”
link to star registration
