Town to opt-in to updated senior citizen and limited income senior tax exemption threshold

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Town to opt-in to updated senior citizen and limited income senior tax exemption threshold
(Photo courtesy of the office of the supervisor)

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena today announced that after repeatedly calling on New York State lawmakers to deliver parity in eligibility requirements for senior citizen tax exemptions, the Town of North Hempstead can now opt-in to legislation that would grant Town residents the same income eligibility levels as New York City. Previously, Nassau County residents were capped at a much lower rate in income on their exemptions than seniors in New York City. Under the new legislation, qualifying senior citizens and persons living with disabilities will be eligible to receive up to a 50% reduction on their assessment if their annual household income is $58,399 or less.

“Opting-in to this legislation represents a huge win for our senior citizens, and I’m so proud to have fought alongside County Legislator Rich Nicolello and Assemblyman Ed Ra, who has been championing this bill for years, to get this done and make sure our seniors and residents with disabilities receive all the help we can possibly give them as they look to remain in their homes on Long Island, especially as inflation continues to skyrocket,” Supervisor DeSena said. “The Town of North Hempstead has always made our senior citizens a priority and delivering this tax relief will go a long way towards helping our residents who are living on a fixed income.”

Supervisor DeSena spoke out in favor of updating the senior tax exemptions at a press conference with Nassau County Legislators Rich Nicolello, Steve Rhoads, and Thomas McKevitt, as well as Town Councilmember Dennis Walsh and local seniors on August 3rd. The legislation was then passed statewide on August 8th allowing local municipalities to opt into the new income eligibility rates. The North Hempstead Town Board will consider a local law to opt into the legislation at a Town Board meeting in early October.

Under the new legislation, qualifying senior citizens and persons living with disabilities will be eligible to receive up to a 50% reduction on their assessment if their annual household income is $58,399 or less. This reduction is reflected in county, town, and school taxes. A reduction of 50% is the maximum allowed exemption and requires an annual household income of $50,000 or less to qualify. The exemption works on a sliding scale depending on annual household income. These exemptions are more important than ever due to rapid inflation, and especially in light of the fact that the last time the income eligibility rates were raised was over a decade ago (2009.)

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