STAR is the tax break everyone knows. Nassau County has four more, and they come off your bill on top of STAR. If you get Enhanced STAR, the senior one is the first to check. All four are free to apply for, and all four go to the Nassau County Department of Assessment by January 4, 2027 for next year's bill.
| Exemption | Who it's for | Cut |
|---|---|---|
| Senior citizens | 65 or older, income $58,399 or less | 5% to 65% of county, town and school taxes |
| Limited income disability | Any age, on disability, income $58,399 or less | 5% to 50% |
| Veterans | Served in wartime or the Cold War | 15% of county and town taxes, more for combat or disability |
| Volunteer firefighters and ambulance | 2 or more years of service | 10% |
Seniors with limited income
This is the big one. It cuts up to 65% off your county, town and school taxes. Special district taxes stay the same.
To qualify, you turn 65 or older in 2027. If you're married or own with a sibling, only one of you has to be 65. You've owned the home for at least a year, and every owner lives there. Your 2025 income, counting Social Security, was $58,399 or less. Income means money from every source, taxable or not, but IRA withdrawals are left out. You can also deduct medical and prescription costs that nobody reimbursed.
The lower your income, the bigger the cut:
| 2025 income | Cut |
|---|---|
| $47,000 or less | 65% |
| $47,001 to $47,999 | 60% |
| $48,000 to $48,999 | 55% |
| $49,000 to $49,999 | 50% |
| $50,000 to $50,999 | 45% |
| $51,000 to $51,999 | 40% |
| $52,000 to $52,999 | 35% |
| $53,000 to $53,899 | 30% |
| $53,900 to $54,799 | 25% |
| $54,800 to $55,699 | 20% |
| $55,700 to $56,599 | 15% |
| $56,600 to $57,499 | 10% |
| $57,500 to $58,399 | 5% |
The 55%, 60% and 65% rows are new this year. Last year the top cut was 50%.
You renew every year. After five years in a row, Nassau lets you file a short sworn statement instead of the full form. Getting this exemption doesn't sign you up for Enhanced STAR. That's a separate, free registration with the state.
People with disabilities and limited income
This one has no age rule. You need an award letter showing you get SSDI, SSI, a Postal Service disability pension, a VA disability pension, or a certificate from the State Commission for the Blind. The income cap is the same $58,399, and the cut runs from 5% to 50%. If the letter says the disability is permanent, you don't have to prove it again.
You can't hold this and the senior exemption at the same time. When you turn 65, the county switches you to the senior one on its own, as long as your income still fits.
Veterans
There are three kinds, and you can hold one at a time:
- Wartime service. 15% off county and town taxes. Add 10% if you served in a combat zone. Add half your VA disability rating on top.
- Cold War service, from September 1945 to December 1991. 15%, up to a county cap, plus half your disability rating.
- Eligible funds. For homes bought before 1985 with military pension, bonus or insurance money. The cut equals the money you put in.
School taxes are cut only in districts that chose to join. Special district taxes are never cut. You'll need your DD-214 showing honorable service. The county has a dedicated email for veterans: vetsexemption@nassaucountyny.gov.
Volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers
Two years of service earns 10% off. After 20 years, it's yours for life. Your department has to serve the town or village where the home is, and it has to send a letter each year confirming you're active until you reach 20 years. School taxes join in only where the district opted in. This is the one exemption Nassau lets you file online.
Three more worth a line
The unremarried spouse of a police officer, firefighter or ambulance worker who died can get up to 50% off. Members of the clergy have their own exemption. And if you've renovated, the Home Improvement Exemption phases the new value in over eight years. We cover that one next.
How to apply
1. Pick up the form. Every form is on the county's exemption forms page. Each one says on its face that there's no fee.
2. Gather the proof. Your 2025 tax returns, Social Security statement, deed, and proof you live there, plus the letter or discharge papers the exemption needs.
3. Mail it or bring it in by January 4, 2027. Nassau County Department of Assessment, 240 Old Country Road, 4th Floor, Mineola, NY 11501. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone 516-571-1500, or 516-571-2020 in Spanish.
Three things people get wrong:
- Exemptions don't follow a sale. When you buy, the seller's exemptions come off and you apply fresh. The county can add back the seller's share on a later bill.
- Villages are separate. If you live in a village, or in Glen Cove or Long Beach, the county form covers county, town and school taxes. You file again with the village or city for its taxes.
- Check what you already have. The county's Land Records Viewer lists every exemption on your home and what each one is worth.
Nobody needs to charge you for any of this. The county reviews the paperwork and decides.
Every rule here comes from the Nassau County Department of Assessment's 2027-28 brochures and forms, posted on its exemption forms page, and the state's senior exemption page.