Last year the Oswego County Legislature adopted Local Law Number 1 of 2022 which increased senior citizens’ eligibility for the county’s partial tax exemption. The law raised income guidelines and adjusted the sliding income scale to make thousands of seniors newly eligible for the exemption. The law goes into effect on Wednesday, March 1.

“Residents will be able to see the effects of this local law later this year,” said Oswego County Legislator David M. Holst, District 4, chairman of the Legislature’s Government, Courts and Consumer Affairs Committee. “Qualified households that apply by March 1 will see the change on their assessments beginning July 1. Then, when the County tax bills come out next January, they will see the exemption.”

According to Oswego County Director of Real Property Tax Services Corey Metz, a potential 2,500 new senior households may be eligible for this partial exemption now that the income limits have been increased. “That number comes from a New York State report on taxable income for persons aged 65 and older,” she said. “As the exemption uses gross income, not taxable income, it’s probably a lower number than that, but certainly, more people are now eligible than ever before.”

Originally adopted in 1968, Oswego County’s partial tax exemption for senior citizens has seen multiple increases in the income eligibility scale over the years. The last time the income limit was raised was in 1999 when the maximum income was set at $24,425. Last year’s local law increased that maximum income level to $37,400.

The partial exemption works on a sliding scale. The lower a household’s income, the higher the percentage of savings will be on its county tax bill. Under the new law, households with a gross income less than $29,000 would see a 50% reduction in the County’s portion of their January tax bill. If the income is higher, the sliding scale gives a partial benefit using the chart below:

Exemption Percentage          Income Range (in dollars)

                                                More than                  Less than

50%                                         $0                                $29,000

45%                                         $29,000                       $30,000

40%                                         $30,000                       $31,000

35%                                         $31,000                       $32,000

30%                                         $32,000                       $32,900

25%                                         $32,900                       $33,800

20%                                         $33,800                       $34,700

15%                                         $34,700                       $35,600

10%                                         $35,600                       $36,500

5%                                           $36,500                       $37,400

0%                                           $37,400 and over

“To me, the greatest benefit is for folks who already had the exemption but didn’t receive the full benefit based on the previous sliding scale, which capped out at $24,425,” said Metz. “Now, those households will all get the 50% exemption when they renew in March. Also, anyone who might have been denied before due to a high income level, can now reapply and possibly receive a benefit.”

Exemption forms are available on the New York State Department of Tax and Finance’s website, www.tax.ny.gov, by searching for Form RP-467. They are also available at local assessors’ offices. New applicants and those renewing their exemptions are reminded to have their applications filed with their local assessor by Wednesday, March 1.

Anyone with questions concerning eligibility for exemptions should contact their local assessor. A full list of assessors, along with their contact information, is available online at www.oswegocounty.com/rpts or by calling the Oswego County Department of Real Property Tax Services at 315-349-8315.