Calculate your property tax for NY. Enter your home value, apply exemptions, and see your estimated annual tax.
New York's effective property tax rates are among the highest in the nation, commonly 1.7% to 2.2% of market value across much of upstate and Long Island, though the dollar burden varies enormously by locality. New York is unusual in that assessments are handled at the city, town, and village level rather than uniformly by county, and many municipalities do not assess at 100% of market value — the state publishes equalization rates to reconcile the differences. The signature relief program is STAR (School Tax Relief), and seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities have additional exemptions. This guide explains how the pieces fit together and how to challenge an assessment; the calculator below estimates your bill.
The formula is (Assessed Value × Equalization/Level of Assessment adjustments − Exemptions) × Tax Rate = Annual Tax. Your local assessor sets an assessed value, which may be a fraction of market value depending on the municipality's level of assessment. Tax rates are then set separately by the school district (the largest component), county, and city/town/village. Because school taxes are the biggest slice, STAR — which targets school taxes — is the most valuable broad-based relief for most homeowners. New York City is a special case with four tax classes and its own assessment rules; class 1 (one-to-three-family homes) is assessed at a small percentage of market value with strict caps on assessment growth.
Basic STAR is available to owner-occupants of a primary residence whose total household income is $500,000 or less, reducing the school-tax portion of the bill. Enhanced STAR is for homeowners 65 and older who meet a lower income limit (adjusted annually, in the vicinity of the high-$90,000s), and it provides a larger school-tax reduction. Importantly, New York has largely shifted STAR from an up-front exemption to a credit paid as a check or direct deposit: new applicants and those who move generally receive the STAR credit rather than a reduction on the bill itself, while some long-time recipients keep the exemption form. If you buy a home, register for STAR with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance rather than the local assessor.
Beyond STAR, New York offers a Senior Citizens Exemption that can reduce assessed value by up to 50% for owners 65 and older with limited income, adopted at local option with sliding-scale income brackets (this is separate from and can be combined with Enhanced STAR). There is a parallel exemption for persons with disabilities and limited income, also up to 50%. Veterans have three programs — the Alternative Veterans' Exemption (for wartime service, with additional benefits for combat service and service-connected disability), the Cold War Veterans' Exemption, and the older Eligible Funds Exemption. Local governments choose which veteran benefits to offer and at what levels, so amounts differ by jurisdiction. Agricultural, clergy, and home-improvement exemptions round out the list.
Effective rates below are drawn from our county datasets; note that within a county, individual towns, villages, and school districts can differ substantially. Select any county for its dedicated calculator.
| County | Effective Rate | Est. tax on $500,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Bronx | 1.93% | $9,650 |
| Kings | 1.93% | $9,650 |
| New York | 1.93% | $9,650 |
| Queens | 1.93% | $9,650 |
| Suffolk | 2.05% | $10,250 |
| Nassau | 2.15% | $10,750 |
Estimates apply each county's effective rate to a $500,000 market value for comparison only; your actual bill depends on your own assessed value, exemptions, and local levies.
| Date | What happens (typical town) |
|---|---|
| March 1 | Taxable status date; exemption applications generally due |
| May 1 | Tentative assessment roll published |
| 4th Tuesday in May | Grievance Day — deadline to challenge your assessment |
| July 1 | Final assessment roll filed |
| Sept & Jan | School tax bills (fall) and county/town bills (winter) typical |
Dates vary by municipality — New York City and some cities follow different calendars — so confirm your local assessor's schedule. Missing Grievance Day usually means waiting a full year to contest your value.
Two structural rules shape New York bills. First, the state's property tax cap generally limits the annual growth of a local government's or school district's tax levy to 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower, with limited exclusions; a school district can only exceed it with 60% voter approval. This restrains how fast the total levy — and therefore rates — can climb, even though it does not cap your individual assessment. Second, New York City divides property into four classes with different rules: Class 1 (one-to-three-family homes) is assessed at just 6% of market value, and annual assessment increases are capped at 6% per year and 20% over five years, which keeps taxable values for many city homeowners well below true market value. These caps mean the "market value" the city publishes and the "taxable value" your bill uses can differ dramatically.
If you believe your assessment is too high relative to market value (after accounting for the level of assessment), file a grievance with your local Board of Assessment Review by Grievance Day (the fourth Tuesday in May in most towns). Submit Form RP-524 with evidence such as recent comparable sales or an appraisal. If the board denies relief, homeowners can pursue Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR), a low-cost court process for owner-occupied residences. Because a reduced assessment lowers every rate applied to your property, a successful challenge in a high-rate area produces outsized savings.
Consider a $500,000 home in a town assessing at full value with a combined rate near 2.0%. Before relief, the annual tax is about $10,000. Basic STAR reduces the school-tax portion (often several hundred dollars, delivered as a credit check), and if the owner is 65+ with qualifying income, Enhanced STAR plus the local Senior Citizens Exemption can cut the bill substantially more. A veteran with the Alternative Veterans' Exemption would see a further reduction on the county and town portions. Because programs stack and vary locally, estimate your baseline in the calculator below and then subtract the credits you qualify for.
What is STAR in New York? The School Tax Relief program. Basic STAR is for primary residences with household income of $500,000 or less; Enhanced STAR is for owners 65+ with lower income and gives a larger reduction. It is now mostly paid as a credit.
Are New York assessments done by county? No. Cities, towns, and villages assess property, often at a fraction of market value, and the state uses equalization rates to compare across jurisdictions.
How do seniors lower their New York property tax? By combining Enhanced STAR with the local Senior Citizens Exemption (up to 50% of assessed value for limited-income owners 65+), where offered.
When can I challenge my New York assessment? On Grievance Day, the fourth Tuesday in May in most towns, by filing Form RP-524; owner-occupants can then use Small Claims Assessment Review if needed.
Why is my New York property tax so high? High school-district and local rates, combined with full market values in many areas, push effective rates well above the national average, especially on Long Island and in parts of upstate.
Enter your home value, select your state, and see your estimated annual property tax.