If New York has over-valued your home, you overpay property tax every year until you fix it. Filing a grievance is a standard, homeowner-friendly process — here is exactly how it works in New York, including the deadline, the governing law, and the five steps to file.
The New York deadline
The grievance window in New York is typically May - June, and the filing deadline is Grievance Day (fourth Tuesday in May in most towns). Miss it and you generally wait a full year, so check your assessment notice the moment it arrives. See the national deadline calendar for how this compares.
How New York values your home
New York assesses property at 100% of market value, so the value on your notice is what the county believes your home would sell for. Compare it directly to recent sales. New York municipalities assess at varying percentages of market value; the residential assessment ratio is used to convert market value to a comparable assessed value. The process is authorized under N.Y. Real Prop. Tax Law § 524 (administrative review).
How to grieve your property taxes in New York
Step 1. Review your assessment and the municipality's residential assessment ratio (RAR).
Step 2. File Form RP-524 with the local Board of Assessment Review before Grievance Day.
Step 3. Provide comparable sales or an appraisal supporting a lower value.
Step 4. Appear before the Board of Assessment Review on Grievance Day.
Step 5. File a Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) or Article 7 petition within 30 days if denied.
Build your evidence
The strongest case is a tight set of comparable sales — 3 to 5 similar homes near you that sold for less than your assessed value — plus any property-record errors you can document. You can also make an unequal-assessment argument if comparable homes are assessed for less than yours.
Don't forget exemptions
A grievance lowers your value, but a homestead exemption cuts your taxable base directly — and the two stack. Confirm you're enrolled with your county before you file.
The shortcut
Checking comps and building the packet is where most homeowners give up. TaxAppealAgent does it for you: check your New York property for $4.99 (credited), and if you're over-assessed we assemble the comparable-sales evidence and a New York-specific grievance letter for a flat $29. You file it and keep 100% of the savings. See the full New York appeal guide.