AMERICANS will receive payments this month from a long standing aid program.
More than three million citizens in a major state will get checks worth up to $1,500.
AMERICANS will receive payments this month from a long standing aid program[/caption]
New York‘s School Tax Relief (STAR) program is sending out another round of payments as a form of school tax relief.
STAR provides tax relief to millions of eligible homeowners in New York who pay tax to fund local education in the state.
A total of $2.2 billion is being distributed this summer and fall to ease the strain.
This will be split into different amounts across New York state:
- Long Island: $698.4 million
- Mid-Hudson: $488.5 million
- Finger Lakes: $205.2 million
- Western NY: $178.5 million
- NYC: $158.6 million
- Capital Region: $144.5 million
- Central NY: $131.1 million
- Southern Tier: $109.6 million
- Mohawk Valley: $66.3 million
- North Country: $47.2 million
Gov. Kathy Hochul said on the STAR program: “The STAR program provides needed school tax relief to millions of New York homeowners — and the program is now in full swing.
“…My administration is putting money back in the pockets of families with check and credit deliveries continuing to go out to hundreds of thousands of homeowners statewide.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie added: “Because of the STAR program, more than three million homeowners across the state will receive $2.2 billion in tax relief, easing the financial burden on families and putting money back into our communities.”
HOW MUCH WILL YOU BE PAID?
Those on the basic STAR Credit will receive between $350 to $600, made available to property owners in the state with a combined income of $500,000 or less.
Enhanced STAR goes out to seniors 65 or over by the end of the calendar year.
The total house income must be set at $107,300 or less for the year 2025 to receive the benefits.
Most receiving Enhanced STAR will get payments of $700 to $1,500.
The exact amount will vary based on local school taxes in different districts.
Deadlines for getting the payments will also vary depending on district.
Are ‘responsible tax refunds’ on the rise?
A new survey shows taxpayers are more likely to spend their refunds on rent, groceries and other necessities, rather than luxuries.
The poll of 2,000 U.S. taxpayers found nearly two in three (64%) have either already spent their tax refund money or are planning to soon. And all agree their refunds will be spent on necessary purchases.
Commissioned by TaxSlayer and conducted by Talker Research, the two-part study compared Americans’ initial tax refund ambitions pre-Tax Day to their post-Tax Day realities.
Four in five who have already spent their refunds spent it on essentials; top spends include bills like rent (58%), groceries (48%), paying down credit card debt (29%) and home repairs (13%).
Likewise, 72% who haven’t already spent their refunds are planning to invest it all in necessities.
The study revealed that participants received more than $2,300 on average in their refunds this year — higher than the average $1,700 that was predicted when the first study on this topic was conducted in December 2024.
Six in 10 (61%) said their refunds are an important part of their budgeting plans for 2025; an increase from 52% who felt the same about the role refunds played in their 2024 budgeting.
When asked in December, only 22% of Americans believed they would receive more this year than last, and 26% believed they would receive less. When asked how much they actually received, one-third (32%) said they received more this year than last year, while 28% reportedly received less.
The primary reasons people believe they received more this year were: working more (37%), adjustment of deductions or withholdings (31%), and getting a pay raise or promotion (16%).
Meanwhile, participants who received a smaller refund amount believe it was likely due to losing work (29%), moving to a higher tax bracket (21%) and having dependents age out of eligibility (11%).
Sixty-two percent felt happy and surprised by the amount they received; another major increase from last year, when a mere 40% recalled feeling happy with their 2024 tax refund.
STAR Credit payments began in late June and will continue to be sent out in August through the fall.
Those in NYC, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse already received their payments for the year between late June and mid-July.
For example, in NYC, payments were sent out from June 16, according to the website.
DIRECT DEPOSIT
You can track your payment at ny.gov/STAR and input your district information.
On this website, no exact dates are provided for when you can expect your payments if they have not been sent out yet.
New Yorkers can also sign up to receive their STAR payments through a direct deposit.
This means you receive your payment quicker and saves you having to cash a check.
You can also register for STAR by clicking the link.
New York’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program is sending out another round of payments as a form of school tax relief[/caption]
