Getting ready for tax season well before tax season

Few people like when tax season rolls around. What needs to be shared? What is exempted? How can I avoid an audit?

There is no need to wait for April. In fact, many of those questions were answered this past week as Nassau County Legislator Siela Bynoe partnered with the Nassau County assessment department to host one of a series of property tax exemption workshops, including the most recent one in Uniondale.

There, anyone who showed up were given help determining what they might be able to exempt from their future taxes — everything from veteran status, being a senior citizen, limited-income disability, even volunteer firefighter and ambulance workers. The goal? To draw senior citizens and others who may qualify for those exemptions, and to learn about them by doing no more than stopping by their local library instead of hoofing it to Mineola.

“These workshops are a valuable tool for ensuring that Nassau property owners get the level of tax relief that are entitled to receive and have earned through their service to our community,” Bynoe said, in a statement.

Those who attended one of the workshops also had the opportunity to get their Enhanced STAR applications processed — the state’s school tax relief program.

“We have constituents sign in, we give them a number, and then from there we call them one by one, and give them individualized help,” said John McQuade, assistant to the county assessor. “We have our computers here that provide us with internal resources that can verify a lot of the information that the constituents may not be fully aware of, such as the processing or the status of different forms, as well as just answering general questions about assessment.”

One couple, Rufino and Gloria Razu, said they were thankful and pleased with their experience.

“It was helpful, it was resourceful, and we’re just glad that they made themselves available and gave us this opportunity to come and get this done,” Gloria Razu.

Bynoe also expressed her own gratitude for the staffers from the assessment department “who assisted my constituents during our Uniondale event, and strongly encourage Second District residents to avail themselves of upcoming opportunities to potentially reduce their tax obligations to the county.”

Unhappy to have missed this workshop? There are more already scheduled. Get more information at NassauCountyNY.gov/assessment for future dates and locations.

For more information — or to receive a list of necessary documentation needed for the tax exemption workshop — call the Nassau County assessment department at (516) 571-1500.