Property taxes are too high; what can I do?

 If you feel your taxes are too high, please contact your town board, school board, or other governing authority that is setting the tax rates. If you feel your assessment is too high, there are administrative and judicial processes to have your assessment lowered.

For most of the State, the form RP-524 is the correct one to use and is the form that is shown as part of ORPTS’s taxpayer guide, How to File For a Review on Your Assessment. More information on the grievance process is available from your assessor's office. (This information does not pertain to New York City, which has its own assessment-grievance form, and Nassau County, which also uses a different form.)

Assessments should be based on market value, so you will need to determine your property's market value. To do this, look at the sale prices of similar properties in similar neighborhoods. If you still feel that your assessment is too high, we recommend that you informally discuss your concerns with your assessor.

Property owners often blame the assessor for high property taxes even when their property assessments are fair and correct. The assessor has no control over spending by the local government or school district. If you believe budgets are too high, please contact the appropriate local taxing authority (i.e., the town board, school board, city council, etc.), not your assessor.

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Contest your assessment
URL: http://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/default.htm
Contact: ORPTS Solutions Center
E-mail:ORPTS.Mail@tax.ny.gov
Phone: (518) 591-5232