New York homeowners got property tax rebate checks in 2022

In 2022, New York sent a one-time check to help homeowners with their school property taxes. Eligible homeowners had to own and primarily live in a home receiving Basic or Enhanced STAR, have 2020 qualified gross income of $250,000 or less, and owe more in 2022–2023 school taxes than their STAR benefit. A calculated credit below $100 was not paid. Renters were not eligible.

No separate application was generally required because the state Tax Department used STAR and tax records to identify eligible homeowners. Most checks went out in June, with some following later as school-tax information became available. By February 2023, the department said it had delivered about 2.4 million checks and only a couple thousand remained. A later state report put total payments at $1.936 billion. Before mailing began, the state estimated average checks of nearly $970 outside New York City, about $425 in the city, and nearly $1,050 statewide for homeowners earning under $75,000.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) proposed the rebate in her January 2022 Executive Budget, and the Legislature enacted it in the final budget. The financial plan estimated a $2.2 billion cost and showed a nearly $5 billion base surplus, driven mostly by tax receipts projected above earlier estimates. It also increased state-operations funding to restore service capacity while financing new commitments. Hochul signed the budget on April 9, 2022. The credit applied only to tax year 2022.