Form AA56: Americans with Disabilities Act Complaint Form (NY Tax Department)

Form AA56 is the Americans with Disabilities Act Complaint Form used by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. It gives the public a formal, documented way to report a problem related to accessibility when dealing with the department — whether that’s a physical barrier at a tax office, an inaccessible document, a website issue, or a communication barrier that prevented someone from getting the same level of service as everyone else.

The form exists because the ADA requires state agencies to provide equal access to their programs and services for people with disabilities. When that doesn’t happen, Form AA56 is the official channel to flag it, rather than an informal phone call or email that might not get tracked properly.

Who Needs to File Form AA56

This form is meant for anyone who has interacted with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and experienced a barrier connected to a disability. That could include:

• Taxpayers who couldn’t access a tax office due to physical limitations (stairs, lack of ramps, no accessible parking, etc.)
• People who needed an accommodation — like a sign language interpreter or documents in an alternative format — and didn’t receive one
• Individuals who found the department’s website or online forms difficult or impossible to use with assistive technology
• Anyone who feels they were treated differently, or denied a service, because of a disability

You don’t need to be the person directly affected to file — someone can submit the complaint on behalf of another individual if that person needs assistance doing so.

When to Use This Form

Form AA56 should be filed as soon as possible after the incident or barrier is identified. The department, like other state agencies, generally wants complaints submitted promptly so the issue can be reviewed and addressed while details are still fresh and, if needed, corrective action can be taken quickly. This isn’t a form tied to a specific tax season or filing deadline — it can be submitted at any time throughout the year, whenever an accessibility issue comes up.

It’s worth noting this form is unrelated to tax return filings or payment issues. If you’re dealing with something like a real estate transfer, you’d be looking at a completely different set of paperwork, such as Form TP-584 or, for property located within the five boroughs, Form TP-584-NYC. Form AA56 sits in a separate category entirely, focused strictly on civil rights and accessibility complaints.

How to Complete and Submit Form AA56

The form is available as a fillable PDF (AcroForm), which means you can type your information directly into the fields on a computer before printing or saving it, rather than filling it out by hand. Typically, you’ll need to provide:

• Your name and contact information (or the name of the person you’re filing on behalf of)
• A description of the barrier or incident, including the date and location
• The specific office, program, or service involved
• Any accommodation that was requested and, if applicable, denied

Being specific helps. Instead of a general statement about poor accessibility, describe exactly what happened — the date, the office or webpage involved, and what accommodation was needed versus what was provided. That level of detail makes it much easier for the department’s ADA coordinator to investigate and respond appropriately.

Once completed, the form is submitted to the department’s designated ADA coordinator, following the submission instructions printed on the form itself. Keep a copy of what you submit for your own records, along with any supporting documents like photos, emails, or notes from the interaction in question.

Since the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance also issues a wide range of unrelated forms — from exemption certificates like Form FT-123 to various tax filings — it’s easy to end up on the wrong page while searching. Form AA56 is specifically the civil rights and accessibility complaint form, not a tax document, so double-check you have the right one before filling it out.