NYC Affordability

STAR (School Tax Relief) exempts a portion of a primary residence’s assessed value from the school-tax share of its property tax bill. It comes in two tiers: Basic STAR, available to most owner-occupants regardless of age, and Enhanced STAR, a larger exemption for owners 65 or older whose combined household income falls under a limit that’s adjusted most years. Eligible property types explicitly include condos and co-ops, not just houses, so NYC unit owners can and should confirm they’re enrolled.

For the 2026-27 school year, the Enhanced STAR income limit is $110,750 or less (up from $107,300 for 2025-26), and the base exemption applies to the first $88,500 of a home’s full value (up from $86,100). Two rules changed starting with the 2026 benefit year: income now counts only owners who live in the home and their resident spouses (a co-owner who lives elsewhere no longer counts toward the limit), and STAR exemption recipients who turn 65 are upgraded to Enhanced STAR automatically (the state notifies the assessor) instead of having to apply. Most current recipients get STAR as a credit or check rather than a bill-line reduction, depending on when they enrolled; the program has changed delivery mechanisms more than once.

Worked example

A condo owner over 65 with $95,000 in combined household income qualifies for Enhanced STAR for 2026-27 (under the $110,750 limit) rather than only Basic STAR, exempting a larger share of the unit’s assessed value from school tax and meaningfully lowering the property tax line in a monthly common-charges or maintenance estimate. The exact dollar savings depends on the local school tax rate, so check your own assessment and enrollment status with the NYS Tax Department rather than assuming a flat savings figure.