The Certificate of Continuing Use Season Opens This Fall: File by January 5, 2027

Updated September 17, 2026. The certificates for the 2027/28 tax year are due January 5, 2027. As of this date, the Department of Finance filing links still open the 26/27 renewal, and no opening date has been posted for the new season.

Each fall, the Department of Finance (DOF) opens the renewal filing that determines whether thousands of New York City property tax benefits continue into the next tax year. The filing is the Certificate of Continuing Use, and for the tax year that begins July 1, 2027, it is due on January 5, 2027. Owners with the ICAP abatement, the ICIP exemption or the not-for-profit exemption must file it to confirm that the property still qualifies. If the filing is missed, DOF can suspend the benefit pending the filing, and the property is billed the full tax.

What is the Certificate of Continuing Use?

The certificate renews a property tax benefit already in place rather than applying for a new one, and it does not reopen eligibility. On DOF’s schedule, the filing confirms that the property is still used as the benefit requires. That use is eligible commercial or industrial use for ICAP and ICIP, and exempt use by the organization for the not-for-profit exemption. Each program has a separate filing in the DOF SmartFile portal, and the schedules are different:

1. ICAP (Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program): A certificate is due every two years until the abatement ends.
2. ICIP (Industrial and Commercial Incentive Program): A certificate is due every year. No new applicants have been accepted since 2008, so a lapsed benefit cannot be applied for again.
3. Not-for-profit exemption: Each borough-block-lot with a full or partial exemption is renewed annually.

When does the season open and when is it due?

The renewal season opens in the fall. SmartFile typically begins accepting filings for the coming cycle in late September or early October, and the certificates for the 2027/28 tax year are due January 5, 2027. Each certificate is due January 5 for the tax year that begins the following July 1.

DOF has also accepted late renewal filings until March 1. However, the late period should not be relied on, because a filing in the regular period is reviewed on time and the benefit continues without interruption.

Who has to file this season?

Based on DOF’s FY2026/27 final assessment roll, approximately 3,800 tax lots have an active ICAP abatement and roughly 2,800 still have a pre-2008 ICIP exemption. Every ICIP property must file this season. For ICAP, the two-year cycle continues while benefit years remain, and an owner with several buildings in the program files a certificate for each.

Not-for-profit organizations renew each year, including synagogues and other houses of worship, schools, hospitals and charities. If a building with an existing benefit is sold, the filing obligation passes to the buyer.

Why does it matter so much?

The benefit is a large part of the tax bill. For more than a quarter of the buildings with ICAP, the abatement is worth over $100,000 a year, and a not-for-profit exemption can cover the entire bill. If the certificate is not filed, DOF can suspend the benefit pending the filing and tax the property in full for that year.

A suspended benefit appears on the next roll as a higher taxable assessed value, and restoring it is slower and harder than renewing on time. For an ICIP property the consequence is greater, since the program accepts no new applicants and a lost exemption cannot be obtained again.

What does DOF ask for?

DOF takes the renewal online through SmartFile, and access requires an NYC.ID account linked to the property. The filing covers the following:

1. Continuing use: The improved property is still in qualifying use.
2. Changes: The owner discloses any partial lease-out, alteration or change in use.
3. Certification: The filing is certified by the owner.

A change in use must be reported accurately, since the certificate is the owner’s certification rather than a formality.

How does MGNY handle it?

MGNY Consulting keeps each client’s renewal calendar across all three programs, prepares the SmartFile submissions and files them before the deadline. If a property has other DOF obligations, including the annual RPIE filing, MGNY handles them under one compliance calendar. The renewal service is described on the Exemption Renewals page, and the underlying benefits on the ICAP and not-for-profit exemption pages. To add a property to the calendar for the January 5, 2027 deadline, call (212) 343-1111.

Frequently asked questions

When is the NYC Certificate of Continuing Use due?

The certificate is due January 5 for the tax year that begins the following July 1. The 2027/28 certificates are due January 5, 2027. In addition, the Department of Finance has accepted late renewal filings until March 1.

Is the ICAP certificate of continuing use annual or every two years?

The ICAP certificate is due every two years until the abatement ends. However, ICIP and not-for-profit renewals are due each year.

What happens if the certificate of continuing use is not filed?

The Department of Finance can suspend the abatement or exemption pending the filing. In that year the property is taxed in full, and restoring the benefit takes longer than a renewal filed on time. An ICIP exemption that lapses cannot be applied for again.

Does a new owner have to file?

A new owner must file, since the obligation to renew stays with the benefit. A buyer of a building with an active ICAP, ICIP or not-for-profit benefit files the next certificate when the property’s cycle requires it.

Can MGNY file the renewal?

MGNY prepares and files ICAP, ICIP and not-for-profit renewals through the Department of Finance SmartFile portal and keeps track of each property’s cycle. The number is (212) 343-1111.

What does it cost to ask MGNY?

Nothing. A real person answers at (212) 343-1111, right away, and the consultation is free. You engage us only if you want the filing handled for you. MGNY has worked NYC property tax since 2008, with $50M+ in tax refunds secured for owners, 900+ developments with tax abatements secured and $30B+ represented in appeals.

Sources, all read September 17, 2026: NYC Department of Finance, Industrial & Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP), Industrial & Commercial Incentive Program (ICIP), the SmartFile filing descriptions for the ICAP and ICIP certificates of continuing use, the not-for-profit Renewing Your Benefit page, the online renewal guides for ICAP and ICIP and How to Create an NYC.ID; and MGNY’s count of ICAP and ICIP tax lots on DOF’s FY2026/27 final assessment roll. MGNY Consulting is a private consulting firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Department of Finance or the NYC Tax Commission.

Get our updates first on Google. Deadlines move: the 2027/28 certificates of continuing use are due January 5, 2027, and the renewal season opens once the Department of Finance posts the new filings. Tap the button and Google adds MGNY Consulting to your preferred sources, so our coverage surfaces first in your results. No signup and no email, and one tap undoes it.

Share on: