Legislation to officially extend the property tax exemption deadline written by state Senator Leroy Comrie and Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Property tax exemption applications, including those for Senior Citizen Homeowners Exemption, Disabled Homeowners Exemption, and Veterans Exemption, submitted after the original deadline can be processed ahead of the 2020-2021 tax year.
“New Yorkers and businesses all across the state have suffered both personal and economic hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cuomo said. “Extending the deadline for filing property tax abatements to July 15 will help provide these individuals and businesses with some much-needed assistance to help recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic as we begin to enter a new normal.”
The original deadline, scheduled for March 16, fell during a week when startling developments on the pandemic’s impact on New York became more apparent. Property owners will now have until July 15 to complete their applications.
“This is a common-sense, fiscally responsible and fundamentally fair proposal that will benefit the greater good,” Comrie said. “As New Yorkers summon their incredible strength to recover, we must make certain that our government is a proactive and understanding partner that provides difference-making tools and effective assistance. By working with my Assembly co-sponsor Alicia Hyndman, our legislative leaders and colleagues, we are ensuring that all New Yorkers have an extended opportunity to apply and re-certify for important property tax abatement programs and will provide a stable safeguard for our hardworking families, seniors, and homeowners.”
Hyndman said she knows how important the property tax legislation is not just to her constituent homeowners in her district, but to those across New York.
“As the state reopens, many are still feeling the financial impacts of COVID-19 and deserve some relief at minimum,” Hyndman said. “This bill will ensure that no property owner misses out on a real property tax abatement or exemption on their 2020-2021 assessment due to the pandemic by extending all deadlines for the filing of applications and renewal applications for real property tax abatement or exemption program to be extended to July 15 at the discretion of local authorities. It also allows for an apparel procedure for appeals regarding denial of exemption or abatement in relation to applications submitted in accordance with the deadline extension of July 15, 2020.”
