Nassau County, N.Y.Good GrievesSources reviewed September 20, 2026
How grievance savings are paid: lower bills, refunds, and escrow
A successful grievance does not arrive as a check in the mail. For most homeowners it arrives quietly, as a smaller bill more than a year later. Knowing the calendar helps you tell whether a reduction was applied, and when a refund is the right thing to ask about.
An ARC reduction usually shows up as lower bills, not a refund. The County uses the final roll published in April for school bills that October and general bills the following January. Refunds generally arise when a reduction comes after the taxes were paid.
Follow one grievance through the calendar
Nassau County publishes a tentative assessment in January, reviews appeals over the following year, and bills from the final roll after that. The County’s FAQ puts it this way: “Assessments tentatively published in January become final on the first business day in April of the following year and are used for school tax bills in October of that year and for general tax bills in January of the next following year.” Applied to the current filing window:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| January 4–March 1, 2027 | You file with ARCThe published filing window for the 2028–29 assessment year. |
| By March 31, 2028 | ARC issues its final determinationThe County states final determinations are issued by March 31 of the year after filing. |
| First business day of April 2028 | The final assessment roll is publishedA reduction from ARC appears on this roll. |
| October 2028 | School tax bills use the final rollThe first bill calculated from the reduced assessment. |
| January 2029 | General tax bills use the final rollCounty, town, and special district taxes from the same roll. |
The bills you pay in the meantime are calculated from earlier assessments, so they will not reflect this appeal. Keep paying them in full and on time; see our guide to property tax due dates.
Why an ARC reduction is usually not a refund
Because ARC decides before the final roll is published, a reduction is part of the roll the tax receiver bills from. The receiver multiplies each district’s rate by the reduced assessed value, and the saving is simply the difference between that bill and the one you would otherwise have received. There is nothing to refund, because you were never billed on the higher figure.
This also means there is no single “savings” line on the bill. Tax rates change every year, so the bill after a reduction may still be higher than the year before. The saving is the gap between what you paid and what you would have paid at the old assessment. Our guide to how the bill is calculated explains why.
To confirm a reduction was applied, check the final roll on the Department of Assessment’s site after April 1, as the County’s FAQ suggests, and compare the assessed value on your next school and general bills with your decision.
When a refund is paid instead
A refund is due when you have paid tax on an assessment that is later reduced. The usual example is Small Claims Assessment Review: a SCAR petition is filed after the final roll is published, and the County’s SCAR page states that the referee must answer within thirty days after the hearing. Depending on timing, some bills calculated from the challenged assessment may already have been paid.
New York law covers what happens next. Section 726 of the Real Property Tax Law provides that when a final order finds an assessment excessive, unequal, or unlawful, taxes collected on it are to be refunded. For small claims, section 734 sets a 90-day period for the refund, with interest of 1% per month for each month or part of a month beyond it. In Nassau County, the Treasurer’s Tax Certiorari unit processes small claims refunds. Ask the Treasurer how your refund will be issued and to whom.
Common questions
When will I see savings from a Nassau County tax grievance?
On the bills calculated from the reduced assessment. Nassau County states that assessments published in January become final on the first business day in April of the following year and are used for school tax bills that October and general tax bills the following January. For an appeal filed in the January 4–March 1, 2027 window, that means school bills in October 2028 and general bills in January 2029.
The mapping is on the County’s assessment FAQ. Dates can shift from year to year, so confirm them for your assessment year.
Will I get a refund check after an ARC reduction?
Usually not. ARC’s final determinations are issued before the final roll is published, so a reduction is built into the roll your later bills are calculated from and shows up as a lower bill. A refund comes into play when you have already paid taxes on an assessment that is reduced afterward, for example through Small Claims Assessment Review.
If you believe you paid tax on an assessment that was later reduced, ask the Nassau County Treasurer how and when the difference will be returned.
How long does a SCAR refund take in Nassau County?
New York’s Real Property Tax Law provides that taxes collected on an assessment found excessive or unequal in a small claims proceeding are to be refunded within 90 days, and that interest of 1% per month is added for each month or part of a month after that. The Nassau County Treasurer’s Tax Certiorari unit processes small claims refunds. Confirm the timing for your case with the Treasurer.
The rule is in section 734 of the Real Property Tax Law. The Treasurer’s office describes its Tax Certiorari unit as processing petitions, judgments, and small claims refunds.
What happens to grievance savings if I pay through escrow?
A lower bill is sent to whoever pays it. The Town of Oyster Bay states that if you have a mortgage with an escrow account, your tax bills are sent directly to your lending institution. Your servicer then adjusts your escrow payment on its own schedule. If a refund is due, ask the Treasurer who it will be paid to, and ask your servicer how it will be credited.
Keep a copy of the decision so you can show your servicer why the bill changed. This is a question of your mortgage terms as much as tax law; your servicer is the one to confirm how it applies to you.
If you pay through escrow
If your lender pays your taxes, the lower bill goes to the lender; the Town of Oyster Bay states that escrowed tax bills are sent directly to the lending institution. The saving reaches you when your servicer recalculates your escrow payment, which happens on the servicer’s schedule rather than the County’s. Send your servicer a copy of the decision, and check your next escrow statement for the new tax amounts. If a refund is due on taxes the lender paid, ask the Treasurer who the refund will be made out to, and ask your servicer how it will be credited.
How long the saving lasts
A reduction applies to one assessment year. Read each new tentative assessment and appeal it on its own if it is too high; our guide to your ARC decision explains how a reduction carries into the next year.
Savings and fees
Many representatives charge a percentage of the first year’s savings, so the timing above also decides when their fee falls due. Read your agreement for how it defines savings and when payment is owed; our cost guide lists the questions to ask. Good Grieves charges a flat $200 service fee and takes no percentage of your tax savings. Savings are not guaranteed: ARC may leave your assessment unchanged, and village and city taxes are assessed separately. Check your property and see property taxes by area before deciding whether to file. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Keep reading
Your ARC decision: what to do next
When ARC decides, what an offer of reduction or an unchanged assessment means, how accepting affects SCAR, and the short deadline that follows.
How your tax bill is calculated
Taxable assessed value times the rates of every district you live in: how school, general, and special district taxes combine, and what a grievance changes.
See how it applies to your home
Review your available County record alongside what you’ve learned.
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