Tioga County Real Property announces changes to the Senior Citizens Property Tax Exemption

Tioga County senior citizens are advised that in 2023 the New York State Legislature made changes to the Senior Citizens Exemption (Real Property Tax Law 467). The Senior Citizens Exemption is based on income. Key changes to the law are in which income tax year information is used in income calculation, and in how specifically income for exemption eligibility is calculated.

In Tioga County, the income tax year to be used is the second-previous calendar year. For example, to calculate income for the exemption for 2024, the 2022 income tax information would be used.

Income calculation begins with the Federal Adjusted Gross Income (FAGI) from an individual’s tax return. Note – for seniors who do not file their taxes, the Town Assessors have a worksheet provided by the State to calculate income. 

From FAGI there are five adjustments: Taxable IRA distributions are deducted; Social Security benefits not included in FAGI are added; medical and prescription drug expenses not covered by insurance may be deducted if the taxing jurisdiction had previously opted into this provision; tax-exempt interest and dividends are added; and losses claimed on income taxes are limited to $3,000 per category of loss, with the total not to exceed $15,000.

Each taxing jurisdiction – the County, municipalities, and School Districts – has a scale that shows the percentage of the exemption granted based on the property owner’s income. It is recommended that individuals review these scales before applying for the exemption. 

Scales can be found on the Tioga County website at https://tiogacountyny.gov/departments/real-property-assessment-rolls/. This information also applies to the Persons with Disabilities and Limited Income Exemption (Real Property Tax Law 459-c).

Applications for these exemptions must be submitted to your Town Assessor by March 1 in order to be applied to the upcoming assessment roll. Contact your Town Assessor for further assistance. 

Assessor contact information can also be found on the Tioga County Real Property website.