Form RP-6800: Transmittal Tape and Diskette Information Report Explained

Form RP-6800 is a technical filing used by New York State local assessors when they submit assessment roll and assessor’s report data to the state on tape or diskette rather than through direct electronic upload. Issued by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, this form documents exactly what kind of media was used, what data it contains, and how that data is formatted, so the Office of Real Property Tax Services (ORPTS) can properly read and process the submission.

The full title, “Transmittal Tape and Diskette Information Report for Use in Filing Assessment Roll and Assessor’s Report Data,” tells you most of what you need to know about its purpose. It’s not a form that individual property owners or taxpayers ever need to touch. Instead, it’s an administrative tool used internally by municipal assessment offices to keep their electronic data submissions organized and traceable at the state level.

Who Needs to File This Form

Form RP-6800 is intended for local assessors, assessment office staff, or the data processing personnel who prepare assessment roll files for a town, city, or county. If an assessing unit is transmitting its assessment roll or assessor’s report data to New York State using physical storage media, this transmittal form accompanies that shipment. It essentially acts as a cover sheet or manifest, letting ORPTS staff know what’s on the tape or diskette before they load it into their systems.

This form is closely tied to the broader family of assessment reporting requirements that municipalities handle each year. Assessors who also deal with special franchise activity reporting may already be familiar with related filings like the Municipal Report of Special Franchise Activity, since both fall under the same general umbrella of state-mandated assessment data submissions that keep property tax rolls accurate and current.

When Form RP-6800 Is Used

This transmittal report comes into play whenever an assessing unit’s data submission method involves physical media rather than a fully electronic upload process. Even though many jurisdictions have moved toward direct digital transmission over the years, some offices still rely on tape or diskette formats for compatibility with older systems or specific data structures. In those cases, Form RP-6800 is required to accompany the media so the state can log the submission correctly and match it against the assessing unit’s records.

Typically, this happens during the annual assessment roll filing cycle, when municipalities across the state report updated property valuations, exemptions, and other roll data to ORPTS. Timing generally aligns with each municipality’s own roll filing deadlines, which can vary depending on local assessment calendars.

How to Get and Complete the Form

Form RP-6800 is available as a fillable PDF directly from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website. Because it includes AcroForm fields, assessment office staff can type information directly into the document on a computer before printing it for submission, rather than filling it out by hand.

When completing the form, you’ll typically need to provide identifying details about the assessing unit, the type of media being submitted (tape or diskette), a description of the data format and file layout, and contact information for whoever prepared the submission. Accuracy here matters because ORPTS staff use these details to process the data correctly and to reach out if there’s a discrepancy or technical issue with the file.

Assessors managing multiple types of state filings each year often find it useful to keep a checklist of related forms handy. For instance, offices dealing with utility exemptions might also need to review Form RP-7012-W for water company reporting exemptions, or handle telecommunications ceiling complaints through Form RP-7143 depending on the property types within their jurisdiction.

Once completed, the form should be submitted along with the physical media to the appropriate ORPTS office, following whatever submission instructions apply for that filing cycle. Keeping a copy on file locally is a good practice in case questions arise later about what was transmitted and when.