February 2019

Enhanced STAR Income Verification Program (IVP) Tool User Guide

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Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................. 3

Accessing the IVP tool ................................................................................ 4

Enhanced STAR Data & Editing ................................................................. 7

Main screen overview ........................................................................ 8

Toolbar functions ............................................................................... 9

Sort options ....................................................................................... 9

Search options ................................................................................... 9

View options .................................................................................... 10

Edit options ...................................................................................... 11

Add a single record ................................................................. 11

Update a single record ............................................................ 12

Delete a single record ............................................................. 13

Split records ............................................................................ 14

Add & split records .................................................................. 15

User tips and notes for editing .................................................................. 16

Status reports ........................................................................................... 17

Edit reports ............................................................................................... 19

View the reports ........................................................................................ 20

Download the reports ................................................................................ 21

Instructions for the Final Eligibility Report for RPS Processing.................. 28

Discarded Transactions file .............................................................. 34

IVP report information for municipalities that do not use RPSV4 ............... 36

Administration, forms, and FAQs .............................................................. 36

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Introduction The Enhanced STAR Income Verification Program (IVP) tool is for use by assessors and other authorized users to add, delete, and edit the records of Enhanced STAR recipients. It is also used for viewing and downloading the reports needed for updating and verifying assessment rolls.

Beginning with 2019 assessment rolls, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance will enter the data from Form RP-425-IVP into the IVP tool. Assessors and their staff will continue to use this tool to:

• delete deceased taxpayers,

• update records where there have been primary residence or owner changes, and

• enter new IVP applicants if the assessor chooses not to send the IVP form to the Tax Department for data entry.

Also new for 2019, the IVP tool will no longer close for reporting purposes. It will be available year-round for editing, and the Tax Department will publish status reports periodically in the Online Assessment Community. The department will make you aware of scheduled outages for system maintenance.

The IVP tool is highly secure. The Tax Department is charged with processing and guarding the personal information of millions of taxpayers. Similar standards and practices are in place for the IVP tool and the data it contains.

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Accessing the IVP tool

1. Go to the Department of Taxation and Finance website: www.tax.ny.gov

2. Select the Government & Researchers link

3. Under the online services column, select Assessment community login

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4. Select the LOG IN TO ASSESSMENT COMMUNITY button

(Note: If you need an account, or to make changes to an existing account, select the REQUEST ACCOUNT button for instructions.) 5. Select the STAR Eligibility bubble

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6. Click on the left box: Click for Enhanced STAR IVP Tool

7. Read the security contract and select Yes, I agree

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Enhanced STAR Data & Editing

Select your municipality so it’s highlighted, then select Enhanced STAR Data & Editing.

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Main screen overview

The Enhanced STAR Income Verification Data & Editing main page is divided into four major sections: the header, the record table, the edit frame, and the toolbar. The header is at the top of the page and contains links for other webpages. The record table is the largest section, and is on the left-hand side of the page. It contains the data from the selected SWIS. The edit frame is on the right-hand side of the page (it is the blank space in the illustration below). This is where you enter data for searching, sorting, adding, and editing a single user. It is also where confirmation and error messages will appear. The toolbar is located at the bottom of the page, and is where you select the function you would like to perform.

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Toolbar functions

Sort options

• The top half of the Sort SWIS button allows the user to sort the records by either Print Key, Owner, or Location in ascending or descending order. (Note if sorting by Print Key: due to the wide range of print key formats in NYS, some non-standard formats may display out of order).

• The bottom half of the Sort SWIS button allows the user to select the municipality they wish to work

in. Only users with multiple SWIS’ in their secure account will have this option.

Search options

• The Owner button allows the user to search for a record by first name or last name. Partial names are acceptable such as “Jo” for “Johnson” or “Jones.”

• The Addr button allows the user to search for a record by house number or street name. Partial street names are acceptable, but not partial house numbers. For example, enter "Pa" as the street name, you will be shown "Payton Ave" as well as "Park Place." But, if you enter "50" as the house number, you will NOT be shown "507."

• The Print Key button allows the user to search for a record by print key. Partial print keys are acceptable. For example, if you enter "100.2" the results will show "100.2-1" and "100.2-2.5.”

• The Prop C button allows the user to search for a record by property class.

• If your search returns no records, the entire list will be reloaded, and a message will appear on the right-hand side of the screen.

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View options

• The Show All Owners button will display all the owners of a selected print key.

• The Refresh List / Reset Search button reloads all the updated records in the entire SWIS. This will clear any search parameters and display updates entered. Selecting this option refreshes all the data for the municipality. Keep in mind this may be slow to refresh for large files.

• The View Reports button takes the user to the available IVP Edit Reports.

• The Get HELP button brings the user to this user guide located on the Tax Department’s website.

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Edit options

Add a single record

Use this action to add only one unmarried owner of a parcel.

1. Select Add from the toolbar. 2. Enter data in the required fields*. 3. Select Add Record. A confirmation message will appear if the record was added

successfully. You can also verify the record was added successfully by selecting Refresh List / Reset Search to see the changes reflected in the record table.

*The following fields are required for data entry:

▪ Print Key (S/B/L; Tax Map ID number) ▪ Social Security Number (digits only, do not enter

dashes) ▪ 1st 3 Letters of last name ▪ Last Name ▪ First Name ▪ House Number ▪ Street Name ▪ Property Class ▪ For Nassau & Suffolk Counties only: the 6-digit

SWIS code must be entered. See the user tips and notes on page 25 for additional information.

➢ The Initial and Suffix fields are optional but highly recommended in case of common names. Assessors should encourage taxpayers to enter their names on their IVP forms as they appear on their income tax returns.

➢ The MH or Coop? and Unit/Lot Number fields are for mobile home or coop residences only.

➢ Print Key - the Print Key cannot be edited after the record has been added. If there is a mistake in the Print Key, the entire record must be deleted and a new record created.

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➢ First Three Letters - The first three letters of the owner’s last name will be used by the Tax Department with their social security number to process the owner’s eligibility. It is extremely important that these three letters be correct.

➢ Other First Three Letter Rules:

▪ Apostrophes are eliminated so the three letters for "O'Connor" should be

entered as OCO

▪ The first three letters of the last name will be stored as all uppercase

▪ Names starting with some variation of "Saint" should be entered as "ST ", with a

hard space entered as the third letter rather than a period. Forms of Saint are:

St., St, Ste., Ste, Saint, Sainte

▪ A name such as Saintpaul would be entered as "SAI"

▪ Two letter names such as "Li" should be entered as "Li " with the third character

entered as a hard space

▪ If the "current length=2" error message occurs, enter a hard space after the two

letters in the last name field

▪ Names with a space in the middle (other than a variation of "Saint") such as "La

Guardia" should be entered as "LAG"

Update a single record

There is no button for this action.

1. Select the print key of the individual record to update.

2. Edit the appropriate field(s) and select Update. A confirmation message will appear if the record was added successfully. You can also verify the record was updated successfully by selecting Refresh List / Reset Search to see the changes reflected in the record table.

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Delete a single record

The Del button deletes one owner from the database.

1. Select the print key of the individual record to delete, their record will appear in the right-hand frame.

2. Select Update. There is no “are you sure you want to delete” prompt and this action cannot be undone. If the owner was deleted successfully, a confirmation message will appear. You can also verify the record was deleted successfully by viewing the Records Deleted report.

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Split records

Use this action when you need to split an existing record to add a new owner or non-owner spouse who resides at the property. This action is most often performed due to marriage. The maximum number of splits is 25.

1. Select the desired print key.

2. Select the Split button. The current owner(s) of the selected parcel is displayed at the top of the page.

3. Select the desired number of owners (2 - 25) then select Submit.

4. Enter all owners’ last name, first name, SSN, and first 3 letters of last name (middle initial and suffix are optional but recommended). Select Submit.

5. If the record was successfully split, a confirmation message will appear. You can also verify the record was successfully split by selecting Refresh List / Reset Search to see the changes reflected in the record table.

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Add & split records Use this action when creating new records for more than one owner or non-owner resident spouse for a parcel.

1. Select Add & Split from the toolbar.

2. Enter data in the required fields*. (The same fields

as the Add a Single Record action are required).

3. Select Add and Split Record. The Split Parcel Owners page will open. The current owner of the selected parcel is displayed at the top of the page.

4. Select the desired number of additional owners to add (2 - 25), then select Submit.

5. Enter all additional owners’ last name, first name, SSN, and first 3 letters of last name (middle initial and suffix are optional but recommended). Select Submit.

6. If the record was successfully split, a confirmation message will appear. You can also verify the record was successfully split by selecting Refresh List / Reset Search to see the changes reflected in the record table.

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User tips and notes for editing

• It is important to: ➢ delete the record(s) of deceased taxpayers; and ➢ update records where there have been primary residence or owner changes.

• Where a trust or life estate is in place, only the beneficiary(ies) or life tenant(s) are considered owners for STAR purposes and only those owners should have an IVP record. Do not enter trustees, remaindermen, or executors—they are not the current owner(s).

• The Tax Department uses the first three characters of the last name and the Social Security number to make a match. Whenever taxpayers' last names are inconsistent and cause a mismatch (for example, a couple uses married names on their IVP form and maiden names on their income tax return), the Tax Department will resolve the issue manually. To avoid mismatches, assessors should encourage taxpayers to enter their names on their IVP forms as they appear on their income tax returns.

• Do not remove records of taxpayers who receive a “N” determination. Their record must stay in place for the Tax Department to determine their eligibility every year.

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Status reports

There are six Status reports available for viewing or downloading. The eligibility reports will indicate whether the property is:

➢ income eligible for the Enhanced STAR exemption (E), ➢ income eligible for the Basic STAR exemption (B), or ➢ not eligible for the Basic or Enhanced STAR exemptions (N).

Utilize the Status reports as follows:

• The Preliminary Eligibility Report is only for municipalities that publish their tentative roll on or after May 1. This report contains all properties that are enrolled in the IVP and their status determination for the current processing year. This report is for information only.

• The Final Eligibility Report and the Final Eligibility Report for RPS Processing (the latter available as a download only) contains all properties that have been processed and a determination made. Use these reports to update your tentative assessment roll unless you know that the property owner is not eligible due to residency, age, or ownership. In addition, if a property owner received the Enhanced STAR exemption in the prior year and does not appear on this report, leave the exemption in place unless you know that the property owner is not eligible due to residency, age, or ownership. Instructions for utilizing the Final Eligibility Report for RPS Processing are on page 28 of this guide.

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• The Tentative Roll Corrections Report and the Final Roll Corrections Report contain only properties where there is a change in eligibility compared to the final roll. Use this report to update your final roll. These reports are published within 30 days of ORPTS receiving the respective roll.

• The Checks and Bills Issued Report contains properties where the Tax Department has made an income determination that is different than the benefit granted on the school tax roll and after the school taxes have been levied. The Tax Department will issue a check or bill directly to the property owner. This report is for information only and does not affect future eligibility for the Enhanced STAR exemption.

See the status reports publication schedule.

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Edit reports

There are three edit reports available for viewing or downloading:

• The Summary report contains all records for the selected SWIS. Download this report for a list of

all the taxpayer records in IVP for the selected SWIS. It only contains the taxpayer’s record, not

their eligibility status.

• The Daily Work report contains all IVP records entered or edited today. It does not contain any

deleted records. Download this report daily to track your work.

Important note: The Daily Work report in View mode is real time. However, in Download mode, it

is yesterday’s work. This is because the download report is only refreshed once a day at midnight,

so today’s work is not available to download until tomorrow. Today’s work is only in View mode.

• The Records Deleted report contains only the records deleted during the current processing year.

This report is purged at the end of the IVP cycle each year and is no longer available. The last

purge occurred on September 17, 2018. Any records deleted since September 18, 2018 are in this

report.

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View the reports 1. To view the reports, on the Pick Muni Code page, select your SWIS, then select Enhanced STAR

Reports.

2. Select View for the desired report.

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Download the reports

1. Select Download for the desired report.

2. In the pop-up box select Save as.

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3. Designate where you want to store the file. The file will automatically be zipped. Do not change

the Save as type. Select Save.

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4. Before opening the file, you will need to unzip it. Navigate to where you stored the file, right-click

and select Extract All from the list of options.

5. In the pop-up window, select Extract. Close the folder.

Right-click

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6. Open Microsoft Excel.

7. Browse to the file location and single-click on the file – not the compressed type (All Files must be

showing). 8. Select Open. 9. Single-click the file again and select Open.

10. If you get the following message, select Yes.

Single-click

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11. The Text Import Wizard – Step 1 of 3 will open, select My data has headers, then select Next.

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12. The Text Import Wizard – Step 2 of 3 will open, select Next.

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13. The Text Import Wizard – Step 3 of 3 will open, select Finish.

14. Print or save your report.

• If any of the columns have pound signs “#” – widen the column so the digits for date and time appear.

• Remember to keep the report secure if it contains confidential data.

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Instructions for the Final Eligibility Report for RPS Processing

Note: Before executing this update program, you must have already downloaded the appropriate Final Eligibility Report for RPS Processing from the IVP tool in the Online Assessment Community. For download instructions, see page 21 of this guide. Use this program to update STAR exemptions for properties listed on the Enhanced STAR eligibility status reports. This program will only act on properties with an existing Enhanced STAR exemption, where the income eligibility determination differs from the property’s STAR status on the assessment roll. Properties with either a Basic STAR exemption, no STAR exemption, or a STAR credit marker will not be acted on. Instead, income eligibility determinations that differ from the property’s STAR status will be included on the discarded transaction report, and subject to review and manual update. Similarly, parcels in a cooperative or mobile home park, or other parcels with multiple STAR exemptions, will be included on the discarded transaction report and subject to review and manual update. Upon completion, exemptions and taxable values within the municipality will automatically be updated. **Before running this program, you should backup your database. 1. Select Administration on the Navigation Screen to open the Administrative Toolbar. 2. Select Update Programs. 3. Scroll down and select STAR Management, then select OK.

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Note: If you do not see the STAR Management option, verify that your User Update Rights are set for STAR Management. You may need to check with your Security Group Administrator.

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4. On the STAR Management screen, select Enhanced STAR IVP Exemption Update. 5. Enter the Roll Year used for Levy and select OK.

6. On the confirmation message, select Yes to proceed or No to cancel.

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7. On the Enhanced Star IVP Update Selection screen, select Import Enhanced Star IVP File and browse to where the file is stored.

8. Select the file you would like to import and select Open.

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After the file is imported, the contents of the file will appear on the Pre Update View screen. If there are numerous parcels, you must select OK before you can scroll through the list. Selecting OK does not update any data, and if necessary, you can select Reset to choose a different file or close out of the program without consequence. The number of parcels on the file will be summarized at the end.

9. If the file appears appropriate, select OK.

If the file does not appear appropriate, “x” out of the confirmation message and go back to the Import Enhanced STAR IVP File and select the appropriate file. If you continue to have an issue, contact your ORPTS Customer Service Liaison.

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10. Select Update Exemption Codes to update the database.

This program will automatically run a recalculation of taxable values for all parcels in the municipality. The program can take from five to thirty-five minutes depending on the size of the municipality. After processing is complete, a report of the updated exemptions will display in the Transactions tab.

All three report tabs are accessible for comparison. You should print and/or save the reports as a PSR file before closing. If you close the utility without saving the report(s), they will no longer be available for accessing. If you will be processing a file for another municipality, select Reset. This will clear all reports and initialize the program so you can import the next file.

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Discarded Transactions file

• If a parcel listed on the imported transaction file is either a cooperative building (owner code = ‘P’ or ‘Q’) or a mobile home park (property class = 416), no action will be taken and the parcel will be listed on the Discarded Transactions report. The following message will display in the Reason column: Parcel was not processed. MH or Cooperative transaction

• If a parcel listed on the imported transaction file already matches to the exemption type on the roll, no action will be taken and the parcel will be listed on the Discarded Transactions report. The following message will display in the Reason column: Parcel was not processed. IVP Ex Type is equal to Roll Ex Type

• If a parcel listed on the imported transaction file has either a Basic STAR exemption, no STAR exemption, or a STAR credit marker (88888 or 99999), no action will be taken and the parcel will be listed on the Discarded Transactions report. The following messages will be displayed in the Reason column: Parcel was not processed. Parcel has a Roll Ex Type that is Basic (B) Parcel was not processed. Roll Ex Type is blank

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• If a parcel listed on the imported transaction file is not found, no action will be taken and the parcel will be listed on the Discarded Transactions report. The following message will display in the Reason column:

Parcel not found in municipality

Parcels in the Discarded Transactions tab with any of the four above-mentioned reasons should be updated manually at the parcel level.

• If you will be processing a file for another municipality, click on the Reset button. This will clear all reports and initialize the program so you may Import the next file.

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IVP report information for municipalities that do not use RPSV4 As a user of assessment administration software other than RPSV4 (such as PAS, iasWorld, and others), download the Enhanced STAR IVP Status Reports available in the Online Assessment Community, then see the processing rules for the RPS V4 Enhanced STAR IVP Exemption Update Utility and the accompanying downloadable Eligibility Report layout. These may be helpful to develop similar functionality in your software. Questions? Contact your ORPTS Customer Service Liaison.

Administration, forms, and FAQs

For additional information regarding Enhanced STAR IVP such as:

• Administering the IVP

• Forms

• Questions and Answers

See STAR information for local officials.