FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you think you qualify for a property tax reduction because you are overpaying your property taxes? More importantly, if you are overpaying, don’t you deserve a reduction?! The fact is that Property Assessments have not kept pace with the downturn in the housing market. You shouldn’t have to pay for that delay!! Fortunately, there is something you can do about it -- you have the right to challenge the county imposed property taxes and assessment! With our expertise, you can ZAP your taxes down to a fair and equitable amount. That means more money in your pocket!

You bet! We have a successful track record of over 20 years of experience fighting for our clients and winning property tax reductions for their homes. Tax grievances are ALL we do! We know how to win and we’ve won tens of millions in property tax reductions for our clients. We know your neighborhood; we are experts in the process. We fight for our clients -- case by case -- and we’ll even appeal your case if your grievance is denied the first time.

The Property Tax Assessment process applies a standard formula to all houses. ZapmyTax forces your town to consider your home individually. It’s your right to fight unfair property taxes, assessments arrived at using incorrect or outdated information, and other unreasonable tax assessment methods. Plus, there is no risk for trying.

(Here’s something other services don’t tell you -- you can go through this process yourself. It is doable, but it can be time-consuming and somewhat intimidating. Given our expertise, we think your best chance of winning is with us!)

No. No. No. This is a NO RISK proposition. You don’t pay us if you don’t win. For every case that goes through the appeal process, the court imposes a $30 appeal fee, which you pay only if your appeal is successful. Oh, and in case you are worried about your house being “under-assessed”, the court cannot charge you any additional taxes based on this process. No worries.

If you win a property tax reduction, our fee is 50% of the first year of savings. To fight each case, we need an appraisal of your property (outside only). If you don’t have an appraisal of your property that was done within one year prior to this year’s tax grievance application deadline, then we must do that for you and you’ll reimburse us the $75 appraisal fee – if we win you a reduction (no reduction = no fee!). If we have to appeal a negative decision, you will be responsible for paying the court-imposed $30 fee. We’ll lay out the money at the time of the appeal and you will pay us back after the process is over.

Simply compete our Authorization form and click “submit.”

A Property Tax Assessment is based on the market value of your home as determined by your Assessor. The assessment is usually a percentage of your home’s determined value.

Your property taxes (assessment) which appear on your tax bill, are multiplied by the tax rate to determine what you pay in taxes. Tax rates generally increase every year, so even if your assessment remains unchanged, your taxes increase.

As a homeowner, you are entitled to file a Tax Grievance. A tax grievance allows your assessment to be reviewed by the Assessor to see if a reduction is warranted. If the Assessor does not reduce your assessment, an appeal can be filed to have an impartial hearing officer determine if your house is overvalued for tax purposes.

Your STAR exemption provides a reduction from a portion of your School Taxes. It has no bearing on your assessment and your General Taxes.

No. One has no bearing on the other.

Absolutely not!! It is against the law.

No.

School and general taxes can be reduced by filing a tax grievance. A separate grievance must be filed to grieve village property taxes.

In Suffolk County, a grievance can be filed every year, unless you received a reduction in the prior year. In that case, a homeowner must wait one year to file another tax grievance. So, for example, if a Suffolk County homeowner was successful in their tax grievance for the 2007/08 tax year, they can not file a grievance until the 2009/10 tax year.

In Suffolk County, the tax grievance deadline is May 18, 2010 to file for the 2010/11 tax year. Every village has their own tax grievance deadline.

Yes. You only have a once a year opportunity to file a tax grievance. Once a tax year’s tax grievance deadline passes, there is no recourse to file for that year. Filing a tax grievance each year ensures that you will not miss an opportunity for a property tax reduction.

The tax grievance process is a long one. It could take over a year from beginning to end. However, regardless of when your case is settled, the results will always be retroactive to the beginning of the tax year for which you filed.

The Suffolk County tax year is a fiscal year that runs from December through November.

Yes, you can. However, if the case goes to an appeal, the law states that the home must be owner occupied.

We generally do not file Village tax grievances. If you want to file, you must contact your Village in early January to obtain the form and to ensure you file by the proper deadline.