Download Official Form IT256 (PDF)
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Form IT-256 is a New York State tax form used to claim the Special Additional Mortgage Recording Tax Credit. This credit exists because New York imposes a special additional mortgage recording tax on certain mortgages secured by real property in the state, on top of the regular mortgage recording tax. Homeowners and businesses who paid this special tax when recording a mortgage may be able to recover part or all of it through this credit when they file their New York State income tax return.
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance issues this form each tax year, and the 2025 version reflects current credit limits and filing instructions. It’s an AcroForm PDF, meaning you can type your information directly into the fields on a computer before printing or attaching it to your return, rather than filling it out by hand.
Who Needs Form IT-256
This credit is specifically for taxpayers who recorded a mortgage on real property located in New York and paid the special additional mortgage recording tax at the time of recording. This typically applies to:
- Individuals who purchased a home and financed it with a mortgage subject to the special tax
- Corporations, partnerships, or other business entities that recorded mortgages on New York property
- Fiduciaries filing on behalf of an estate or trust that incurred this tax
Not every mortgage recording triggers this special tax, and not every county applies it the same way, so it’s worth checking your closing documents or settlement statement to confirm whether the special additional tax was actually charged before assuming you qualify.
When to Use This Form
You file Form IT-256 along with your New York State personal income tax return (or corporate franchise tax return, depending on your entity type) for the tax year in which you paid the special additional mortgage recording tax. If you’re an individual, this usually means attaching it to your Form IT-201 or IT-203 for tax year 2025. Corporations and other business filers attach it to their respective franchise tax returns.
The credit is nonrefundable in some cases but can often be carried forward to future tax years if it exceeds your tax liability for the current year, so it’s worth reviewing the specific instructions tied to your filing category rather than assuming the rules are identical across individual and business filers.
How to Get and Complete Form IT-256
The official fillable PDF is available directly from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website. Because it’s an AcroForm, you can open it in most PDF readers, enter your figures electronically, and then print a final copy for filing or save it for your records.
To complete the form, you’ll generally need:
- The amount of special additional mortgage recording tax you actually paid
- Details about the mortgage and the property, including recording information
- Your prior-year credit carryforward amount, if applicable
- Basic identifying information matching your main tax return
Double-check the recording tax amount against your closing statement or the county clerk’s recording receipt, since errors here are one of the most common reasons this credit gets adjusted or delayed during processing. If you’re unsure whether your mortgage transaction included this special tax, your mortgage lender or the attorney who handled your closing should have that information readily available.
Tax credit forms like this one often get filed alongside other schedules, and taxpayers dealing with multiple credits sometimes find it helpful to understand how state-specific credits work in other jurisdictions too. For comparison, California has its own set of specialized credits, such as the one described in our guide to the California Motion Picture and Television Production Credit, or the more niche Enrolled Tribal Member Certification form. If you also need to manage extension payments while sorting out credits like this one, our breakdown of California’s automatic extension payment voucher covers a similar administrative process on the West Coast.
Once completed, keep a copy of Form IT-256 along with your mortgage recording documentation in your tax records, since the Department of Taxation and Finance may request supporting paperwork if they review your claim.
Download Official Form IT256 (PDF)
Opens the official government PDF in a new tab