The short answer
Some can. New York State’s real property tax credit (Form IT-214) treats 25% of the rent you pay as property tax and gives low-income renters a refundable credit of up to $75, or up to $375 if someone in the household is 65 or older. The limits are tight: federal adjusted gross income of $18,000 or less and average rent of $450 a month or less. The separate NYC enhanced credit (Form NYC-208) was last available for tax year 2019.
At a glance
- Income limit (2025)
- $18,000 FAGI
- Rent limit
- $450 / month
- average, after removing utilities and board
- Max credit
- $75 / $375
- under 65 / 65 or older
- Refundable?
- Yes
How the IT-214 math works
Starting with tax year 2025, the credit is a fixed amount from a table, but you still have to pass a test on the form. First, if your rent included utilities, furnishings or meals, the form scales it down: you count 85% of rent that included heat (or heat and gas), 80% if it also included electricity, 75% with furnishings and 50% with board. That is your adjusted rent. Divide by the months you paid rent; if the average is over $450, you don’t qualify.
Next, 25% of adjusted rent counts as the property tax you paid. Compare it with your income multiplied by a rate between 3.5% and 6.5%. If the rent figure is bigger, you get the table amount.
| Federal AGI | Rate (Table 1) | 65+ credit (Table A) | Under-65 credit (Table B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 – $3,000 | 3.5% | $375 | $75 |
| $3,001 – $5,000 | 4.0% | $330 | $75 |
| $5,001 – $7,000 | 4.5% | $300 | $70 |
| $7,001 – $9,000 | 5.0% | $260 | $70 |
| $9,001 – $11,000 | 5.5% | $230 | $60 |
| $11,001 – $14,000 | 6.0% | $200 | $60 |
| $14,001 – $18,000 | 6.5% | $150 | $50 |
Worked example
A 70-year-old Bronx renter has federal AGI of $14,500 and paid $4,800 in rent for 2025, with heat included. Adjusted rent is $4,800 × 85% = $4,080, an average of $340 a month, under the $450 limit. Twenty-five percent of $4,080 is $1,020. Her income times the 6.5% rate is $943. Because $1,020 is more than $943, she qualifies and Table A gives her $150. As a full-year NYC resident she can also claim the $63 NYC school tax credit, for $213 in total, even if she owes no income tax.
Change one fact and the answer flips. At $600 a month in rent with nothing included, the average adjusted rent is $600 and the $450 test fails, whatever the income.
What happened to NYC-208?
The NYC enhanced real property tax credit gave NYC residents with household gross income under $200,000 up to $500. It counted 15.75% of rent as property tax. The newest version of the form on the Tax Department’s website is for tax year 2019, and the 2025 IT-201 now uses line 70a for a different credit. If you missed claiming NYC-208 for 2019, the deadline in its instructions was April 17, 2023, so it can no longer be claimed.
Edge cases
- Subsidized rent. Only count the part you paid yourself, not a voucher or other subsidy.
- Moving. Add adjusted rent for each apartment and divide by the months you paid rent.
- Married couples filing jointly file one joint IT-214 using combined federal AGI.
- Late claims. The window for 2022 closed on April 15, 2026. You can still file for 2023 until April 15, 2027, for 2024 until April 17, 2028 and for 2025 until April 16, 2029.
- Nursing homes. Residents usually don’t qualify because the charges exceed the limits. If you live in one, the form asks for a statement showing you are within the $18,000 income and $450 rent limits.
Seniors with higher rents should check the rent freeze with the SCRIE/DRIE checker. To see what you take home after NYC taxes, use the take-home pay rent budget calculator.