New Homeowner Information

Congratulations, and welcome to the Town of Hempstead! Whether you have recently purchased a new home in the Town of Hempstead, or are considering making a new home purchase, below are some resources we hope you will find helpful.

Changes

New homeowners must notify the town's Receiver of Taxes and their Incorporated Village (if applicable) of any ownership and billing address/mortgage information changes to ensure tax billing records are updated. Do not assume your attorney or financial institution will notify this office. The form to do so can be found in the Tax Forms section of this website.

Restored Taxes

When purchasing property, you should ask the real estate agent and/or owner if the property has any tax exemption(s). As the new owner, you may not be entitled to an exemption(s), and upon title transfer, the exemption(s) will be removed by the Nassau County Department of Assessment. Accordingly, the total amount of taxes you may pay could be significantly different from the amount paid by the previous owner.

Tax Bills

Tax bills are issued twice a year, once in January for the General Tax Bill and once in October for the School Tax Bill. Consult the Tax Payment Schedule for payment dates and information, and consider signing up for email/text Payment Reminders as a convenient and easy way to ensure making your tax payments on time to avoid being assessed a penalty for late payment. For information regarding General and School taxes, visit the Tax Information page. Questions regarding Village taxes should be directed to your village as the Town of Hempstead does not collect taxes for Incorporated Villages.

Payments

In addition to visiting the Town of Hempstead's Receiver of Taxes Office in-person to pay your tax bill, the office provides an array of convenient payment options, including Satellite Offices, Extended Office Hours, an EZ-pay Drive-Thru Payment Window and Online Tax Payments as well as our new environmentally friendly e-Billing program.

Exemptions

Exemptions can lower the taxes for certain properties. Make sure you are taking advantage of every exemption for which you may be eligible. The town participates in several tax exemption programs; Senior Citizens, Veterans, Disability/Limited Income, STAR, Home Improvement, and/or Volunteer Firefighters and Ambulance Personnel exemption. Please refer to the Tax Exemption section of our website for information on each of these exemptions along with applications and filing instructions.

Reassessment

Nassau County, not the Town of Hempstead, sets your home's assessment, which is the basis of your property taxes. If you feel that your property's tax assessment is out of line (too high) compared to neighboring homes with similar characteristics, exercise your right to challenge it. Refer to the Challenge and Lower Your Taxes section of our website for important information on how to go about challenging your home's assessment.

Forums

Throughout the year, Receiver of Taxes Jeanine C. Driscoll holds Tax Forums at various locations across the town. During these sessions, residents will learn how to lower their tax bills by taking advantage of tax exemptions, assessment challenges, tax discounts for early payments, as well as keeping abreast of any changes in local or state legislation that may affect their tax bills. Information concerning upcoming tax forum dates and locations can be found on the website, in the news, and in your mailbox.