Yonkers, Mount Vernon and Peekskill Transfer Taxes: Rates, Who Pays and the Stamped Receipt

Three Westchester cities charge their own transfer tax when a property sells: Yonkers (1.5% of the price), Mount Vernon (1.5% of the price above $50,000) and Peekskill (1% of the price). In each city the seller pays unless the contract says otherwise. Buyer and seller both sign a city tax return, and the tax is paid straight to the city.

The Westchester County Clerk won’t record the deed until it gets the city’s stamped receipt, even when no city tax is due. These city taxes are on top of the New York State transfer tax and, on homes selling for $1 million or more, the state mansion tax.

The three city taxes at a glance

City Rate Due after deed delivery
Yonkers 1.5% of price 7 days, and before recording
Mount Vernon 1.5% over $50,000 30 days, and before recording
Peekskill 1% of price 30 days, and before recording
  • Yonkers: no tax on sales of $25,000 or less. Pay the Comptroller, City Hall, 40 South Broadway, Room 108, Yonkers, or by email and wire (City of Yonkers).
  • Mount Vernon: the first $50,000 is not taxed. Pay the Comptroller, Department of Finance, City Hall, Roosevelt Square, Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon City Code).
  • Peekskill: no dollar threshold in the City Code. Pay the Comptroller, Department of Finance, City Hall, 840 Main Street, Peekskill (Peekskill City Code).

On a $600,000 sale, the city tax would be $9,000 in Yonkers, $8,250 in Mount Vernon ($550,000 × 1.5%) and $6,000 in Peekskill. The state transfer tax of $2,400 is owed on top of each.

Yonkers

Yonkers charges 1.5% of the price, and the city says the seller must pay it. Sales of $25,000 or less owe no tax, but buyer and seller must still file a return. Co-op sales are not subject to the Yonkers tax.

Yonkers has the shortest deadline of the three. Under the Yonkers return, the tax is due within seven days after the seller hands over the deed, and before recording.

The return goes to the Comptroller of the City of Yonkers. The city’s information sheet accepts certified, cashier’s, title company or escrow account checks payable to the City of Yonkers, or a wire. It suggests emailing the return and receipt to transfertax@yonkersny.gov as the fastest way to get the stamped receipt back. Processing can take up to 48 hours.

Paying late costs 8% of the tax for the first month plus 1% for each month after. The city won’t accept a late payment without those charges.

If you claim the sale is exempt, a zero on the return isn’t enough. The city issues a receipt only after its lawyers (the Corporation Counsel) approve a notarized affidavit of exemption with supporting documents. That takes time, so it needs to fit into the closing schedule.

Mount Vernon

For deeds dated on or after February 1, 2026, Mount Vernon charges 1.5% of the price above $50,000 (City Code; Comptroller’s guidance). The date on the deed controls, not the date the contract was signed. Older sources still quote 1% above $100,000, the rate before December 5, 2025.

The seller pays the city within 30 days after handing over the deed, and before recording. If the seller is exempt, the buyer must pay. Buyer and seller file a joint, sworn return with the Comptroller even when no tax is due.

The city return is filed at the Department of Finance, City Hall, Roosevelt Square, with a check payable to the City of Mount Vernon. Paying late costs 8% of the tax for the first month and 1.5% for each month after.

Title industry guidance says co-op sales are not subject to the Mount Vernon tax (Abstracts, Inc.). Confirm this with the Comptroller on a co-op sale. Because the form and practice changed in early 2026, also confirm with the Comptroller that you are using the current return before closing.

Peekskill

Peekskill’s tax has applied since December 1, 2010 (City Code). It is 1% of the price, paid by the seller within 30 days after handing over the deed, and before recording.

There is no tax-free amount: the tax starts at the first dollar. The price is also measured without subtracting any mortgage or lien on the property.

Buyer and seller jointly file a sworn return with the Comptroller, whether or not tax is due. The Peekskill return calls for a certified check payable to The City of Peekskill, filed at the Department of Finance, City Hall, 840 Main Street. Filing or paying late costs an 8% penalty plus 1.5% interest per month after the first month.

Who pays: the default and the contract

In all three cities, local law puts the tax on the seller. That tells the city whom to collect from. Your purchase contract can still shift the cost to the buyer, so the closing-cost section of the contract matters. If the contract says nothing, the seller bears the city tax.

The state taxes have their own rules. The seller owes the state transfer tax (state law), and the buyer owes the mansion tax (state law).

The stamped receipt and the County Clerk

Since August 1, 2013, the Westchester County Clerk has refused to record a deed for property wholly or partly in Yonkers, Mount Vernon or Peekskill without the city’s stamped receipt (Stewart Title notice). This applies even when no city tax is due. The receipt goes in with a bar-coded cover page made in the Clerk’s online system, PREP (Property Records Electronic Portal). There is no extra recording fee for it. Mount Vernon’s 2026 guidance repeats the rule for Mount Vernon deeds.

The Clerk doesn’t collect the city tax or the city return. Those go to the city first. The usual order is:

  1. Buyer and seller sign the city return at or before closing.
  2. The city is paid (often by the title closer, from closing funds) and the return is filed.
  3. The city sends back the stamped receipt.
  4. The deed goes to the County Clerk through PREP with the stamped receipt, the state Form TP-584 (the state transfer tax return), the RP-5217 (a state sale report), the recording fees and the state taxes.

Timing is where this goes wrong. The Yonkers seven-day deadline is short, and the state transfer tax is due within 15 days after the deed is handed over (state deadline). A deed waiting for a city receipt can miss both. One title insurer, Stewart, suggests paying the city tax ahead of time and bringing the receipt to closing, or having the title closer pay the city directly before sending the deed for recording. For who handles each step, see Who does what at a New York closing.

State taxes on top

The city taxes don’t replace the state taxes, which the County Clerk collects at recording (Westchester County Clerk):

  • State transfer tax: $2 per $500 of the price (0.4%), paid by the seller and reported on Form TP-584.
  • Mansion tax: 1% of the price on a one-, two- or three-family house, condo unit or co-op unit selling for $1 million or more, paid by the buyer.

The buyer’s mortgage also triggers the mortgage recording tax, which is higher in Yonkers than in the rest of Westchester. See Mortgage recording tax in NYC and Westchester.

Is the property actually in the city?

A Yonkers, Mount Vernon or Peekskill mailing address doesn’t prove the property is inside city limits, and some lots straddle a boundary. The tax bill or the city assessor confirms the municipality. If only part of the property is in the city, the Peekskill and Yonkers returns let you split the price and tax only the part inside the city. The stamped receipt is still needed for recording.

Details for attorneys and title professionals

  • Yonkers deadline history. Yonkers cut its deadline from 30 days to 7 days in 2013 (Stewart Title notice).
  • Mount Vernon before December 5, 2025. The rate was 1% above $100,000. The city passed a local law in 2023 to move to 1.5% above $50,000, and Stewart announced a January 1, 2024 start date. The increase had not taken effect as of May 2024 (News 12). The state law that allows Mount Vernon’s tax then limited the rate to 1%, so the higher rate also needed a change in state law.
  • Mount Vernon, December 5, 2025. A 2025 state law raised the state cap from 1% to 1.5%, effective immediately. Title industry notices at the time reported 1.5% above $100,000 for the period that followed (Abstracts, Inc.). The city’s guidance doesn’t address it. For a deed dated between December 5, 2025 and January 31, 2026, check the stamped receipt or confirm with the Comptroller what was charged.
  • Peekskill’s tax-free amount. The state law allowing Peekskill’s tax would let the city exempt up to $100,000 of the price. The city has not adopted one.

Official sources

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