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NYC's first quarterly property tax payment is due July 1. That's Wednesday.

Most homeowners set up autopay and forget about it. That's usually fine — until you realize the city has been charging you full rate for years while your neighbor pays a few hundred dollars less per quarter for the exact same reason: they applied for an exemption.

NYC has four major homeowner tax exemption programs. Most eligible residents don't have all of them. A few have none at all. And the city isn't going to call you.

Here's what to check before Wednesday — and what to do if you've been leaving money behind.

First: Pull Up Your Account Right Now

Go to nyc.gov/finance, click into the Property section, and search your address. You'll see your annual property tax total, your assessed value, and — the important part — which exemptions are currently applied to your account.

It takes two minutes. If you see "STAR" in your exemptions line, you've got at least one. If there's nothing listed, you may be overpaying by several hundred dollars a year and don't know it.

The Four NYC Exemptions Worth Knowing

1. STAR (School Tax Relief)

The most common exemption — and still the most missed by newer homeowners.

Basic STAR reduces your assessed value by $30,000 for school tax purposes. For most NYC homeowners, that's roughly $300–400 off your annual tax bill. Requirements: you must own and live in the property as your primary residence, with household income under $500,000.

Important catch: if you bought your home after 2015, you probably don't have a STAR exemption applied to your bill. New owners receive a STAR Credit (a check from New York State) instead of an on-bill reduction — and you have to register for it separately at tax.ny.gov/pit/property/star. If you've never done this, you've been leaving that money uncollected every year since you bought.

2. Enhanced STAR (for Homeowners 65+)

If you're 65 or older, Enhanced STAR triples the value of the basic exemption — worth roughly $600–700 a year off your bill. The income threshold sits at approximately $99,000 combined household income for the 2026 cycle.

The catch most people don't know: your birthday matters. If you turned 65 before March 15 of this year, you can apply now for next year's July 1 bill. Many homeowners wait years after they qualify simply because no one told them. Check the portal. Check your age. Apply if you haven't.

3. Senior Citizen Homeowners' Exemption (SCHE)

This one is entirely separate from Enhanced STAR — and you can stack them.

SCHE gives eligible senior homeowners up to 50% off the taxable assessed value of their home. At least one owner must be 65 or older, with combined income under $58,399. A homeowner saving 50% on a property assessed at $250,000 could see $1,000–1,500 in annual savings.

Thousands of eligible NYC senior homeowners have never applied, because it requires a separate application to the NYC Department of Finance — not the state, not the IRS. If you or a parent owns a home in the five boroughs and qualifies, this is the single biggest unclaimed benefit in the city.

4. Veterans Exemption

NYC offers three tiers of property tax reduction for veterans: basic service, combat zone service, and disabled veteran. Savings range from roughly $200–400 per year on the basic end to $600–1,000+ for disabled veterans.

Here's what trips people up: it's not automatic. You served, you bought a house, you assumed someone in the city connected the dots. They didn't. You have to apply. The application deadline for this year's bill already passed (March 15), but you can apply now and it takes effect on next July 1's bill. Application: nyc.gov/finance → "Property Tax Benefits."

How to Check Your Status in Two Minutes

1. Go to nyc.gov/finance → Property → Search for Property

2. Enter your address and pull up your record

3. Find the "Exemptions" section — it lists every active reduction on your account

If you see gaps compared to what you qualify for, the application deadlines are mostly March 15 of each year, for the following July 1 bill. That means you have more than eight months to get squared away before next year's payment.

If Your Assessment Looks Wrong

This is separate from exemptions. Your assessed value is the number NYC uses to calculate your entire bill. If your home is assessed significantly higher than comparable properties on your block, you have the right to appeal — but there's a window.

NYC's Tax Commission accepts appeals in late January through March 1 for most 1–3 family homes (Class 1 properties). If you missed this year's window, put January 15, 2027 in your calendar now.

In the meantime, use the Finance portal to pull your "Annual Notice of Property Value" — it shows comparable properties and their assessments in your neighborhood. If your numbers look high relative to neighbors with similar homes, that's your evidence for next year's appeal.

Use Free AI to Draft Your Request

If you want to formally contest your assessed value or inquire about a missing exemption, a letter to NYC Finance is the right first move — and you don't need a tax attorney to write one.

Open ChatGPT or Claude (both free). Paste in the key details from your property tax bill: assessed value, current exemptions listed, your home's size and type, and your borough. Then ask:

"Help me write a formal letter to the NYC Department of Finance requesting a review of my property assessment. My property is a [2-bedroom co-op / 2-family home / etc.] in [borough]. The assessed value is $[X]. I believe it may be higher than comparable properties in my area. Tone should be professional and factual."

You'll have a clean, professional draft in under a minute. Add your specific details, print it, and mail or email it to NYC Finance's correspondence address. Total time: 10 minutes. Cost: nothing.

One More Angle: Rising Assessments Work Both Ways

If your NYC property is being assessed significantly higher than it was three or four years ago, that's actually a signal your home equity has grown. Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx have seen substantial appreciation — and many homeowners are sitting on $100,000 or more in equity they've never put to work.

A HELOC or cash-out refinance lets you access that equity without selling. If you want to understand your options, MRC Mortgage offers free rate quotes with no impact to your credit score.

What to Do Before Wednesday

1. Go to nyc.gov/finance and check your exemption status — takes 2 minutes

2. If STAR is missing, register at tax.ny.gov/pit/property/star

3. If you're 65+, check whether Enhanced STAR or SCHE applies — deadline to apply for next year is March 15

4. If you're a veteran, apply for the Veterans Exemption now for next July 1

5. If your assessed value looks high, note the comparables and set a January 2027 calendar reminder for the appeal window

Wednesday's payment isn't going anywhere. But the exemptions you've been missing? Those are real dollars — every quarter, every year, permanently.

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