Property tax in Ulster County, New York
In Ulster County, the property tax bill comes from your town tax collector; in the City of Kingston, the City Comptroller. The 2027 general taxes bill is due January 31, 2027. Taken from Ulster County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Ulster County, New York is $6,238 a year, which is about 1.77% of the county's median home value of $352,500. That effective rate is lower than the typical New York county (2.04%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Ulster County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from your town tax collector; in the City of Kingston, the City Comptroller. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, your town or city assessor (each municipality in Ulster County assesses its own properties), which is who to ask if the value looks wrong.
Most Ulster County homeowners get two property tax bills a year. The general bill, with county, town and special district taxes, is sent in January and paid to your town tax collector. School taxes come on a separate bill in September: central school districts are due by September 30 without penalty, and the Kingston City School District bills September 15, with the first payment due October 15. Residents of the villages of Ellenville, New Paltz and Saugerties also get a village bill June 1, due before July 1. City of Kingston property owners pay their general taxes to the City Comptroller, not a town collector. The county does not take current tax payments, so ask your town collector how to pay. The county does not assess homes: your town or city assessor sets values and takes exemption applications.
When are property taxes due in Ulster County?
For the 2027 general taxes (county, town and special district bills sent January 1, 2027) bill, Ulster County has one due date: January 31, 2027. Paid to your town tax collector. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday. State law moves a deadline that falls on a weekend or holiday to the next business day, so the last day without interest is Monday, February 1, 2027. After that, the town collector still takes payment with interest until June 1, 2027. In the City of Kingston, general taxes are paid to the City Comptroller in two equal installments, due within 45 days and within 120 days after the Common Council sets the tax levy; the city bill prints the dates. From February 1 interest is added at 1% a month. Your town collector takes payment until June 1, or the next business day if June 1 falls on a weekend or holiday. After that the taxes are delinquent and must be paid to the Ulster County Department of Finance, which offers a monthly installment plan for late taxes under a signed contract; overdue taxes are applied newest first, and property with taxes three years overdue faces foreclosure. The City of Kingston collects its own delinquent taxes.
From Ulster County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Ulster County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Ulster County's average effective rate of 1.77% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $6,239 / year
Property tax in Ulster County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $6,238 |
| Median home value | $352,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.77% |
| Typical New York county rate | 2.04% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Ulster County compare in New York?
Among New York's 62 counties, Ulster County has the 42nd highest effective property-tax rate: 41 rank higher and 20 rank lower. That is on the lower side for New York. Nationally, it ranks 161st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every New York county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Ulster County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Ulster County's 51,924 owner-occupied homes, 76% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 84.3% pay at least $2,000, and 2.5% pay under $800. Another 5.2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,314 | 2.5% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,030 | 3.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,083 | 4% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 4,301 | 8.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 39,485 | 76% |
| No property tax paid | 2,711 | 5.2% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $6,622 and owners without one pay $5,654. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Ulster County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $6,238 is about 5.8% of the median income of Ulster County homeowner households, $107,312 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 69.9% of Ulster County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Ulster County?
Yes. The median bill went from $5,456 in 2015-2019 to $6,238 in 2020-2024, a 14.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 52.9%, from $230,500 to $352,500. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Ulster County
Ulster County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, NY | 2.19% | $8,494 | $387,900 |
| Sullivan County, NY | 2% | $4,969 | $249,000 |
| Dutchess County, NY | 1.89% | $7,562 | $400,600 |
| Ulster County, NY (this county) | 1.77% | $6,238 | $352,500 |
| Delaware County, NY | 1.72% | $3,145 | $183,100 |
| Greene County, NY | 1.49% | $4,056 | $271,600 |
| Columbia County, NY | 1.4% | $4,852 | $347,100 |
How is a home assessed in Ulster County?
New York sets the assessment rules and Ulster County applies them. How New York assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Ulster County?
Not as a flat dollar amount. New York's main owner-occupancy benefit is STAR, which reduces school taxes for owners with income up to $500,000 (STAR credit) or $250,000 (STAR exemption). That is the New York rule, and it applies in Ulster County. New York's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the New York programs, Ulster County runs its own:
- County senior citizens exemption: Ulster County gives homeowners 65 and older a 50% exemption from county taxes with income up to $29,000, and a smaller exemption on a sliding scale down to 5% with income up to $37,399.99. Towns, the City of Kingston and school districts set their own limits for their own taxes. Apply to your town or city assessor. Apply by March 1 (the taxable status date).
- County exemption for persons with disabilities and limited incomes: Ulster County gives homeowners with a qualifying disability a 50% exemption from county taxes with income up to $29,000, and a smaller exemption on a sliding scale down to 5% with income up to $37,399.99. Many towns and the City of Kingston offer no such exemption for their own taxes. Apply to your town or city assessor. Apply by March 1 (the taxable status date).
- Cold War veterans exemption: Adopted by the Ulster County Legislature in 2008, this exemption takes 15% off the assessed value of a qualifying Cold War veteran's home for county taxes, up to $45,000, plus a further reduction for a service-connected disability of up to $150,000. Apply to your town or city assessor. Apply by March 1 (the taxable status date).
How to appeal your Ulster County property assessment
In Ulster County you appeal to the Your town's or city's Board of Assessment Review. The deadline: File a written complaint (state Form RP-524) with your assessor or Board of Assessment Review so it is received by Grievance Day, which in Ulster County is the fourth Tuesday in May (May 25, 2027); the date can vary, so confirm it with your assessor. The tentative roll is filed May 1. If the Board denies your complaint, you can file for Small Claims Assessment Review or a tax certiorari case within 30 days of the filing of the final assessment roll. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How New York's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
New York rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the New York page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Ulster County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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New York income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what New York actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Ulster County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Ulster County, New York: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.