New York's Solar Energy System Equipment Credit gives you back 25% of what you spend on solar, up to $5,000, the largest state income tax credit of any state we serve. If your credit is worth more than you owe in a given year, you can carry the rest forward for up to five years.
On the property tax side, New York layers two protections. RPTL §487 exempts 100% of the added assessed value from your solar system for 15 years. RPTL §487-a goes further for one- to four-family homes: no time limit, and local governments can't opt out of it. Between the two, most New York homeowners are fully covered.
Your system is also exempt from New York's 4% state sales tax outright, and in many areas — including New York City — local sales tax as well. On top of all of that, NYSERDA's NY-Sun program offers upfront per-watt rebates that vary by region, with additional incentives if your household is below 80% of the area median income.