They're both refundable credits, but there are different eligibility requirements.
According to Real property tax relief credit, you're eligible if you meet all of the following requirements for the year:
- you are subject to tax under Tax Law Article 22,
- you were a New York State resident for all of the tax year,
- your qualified gross income is $250,000 or less,
- you owned and primarily resided for six months or more of the tax year in real property that received the STAR exemption or that qualified you for the STAR credit,
- any rent you received from nonresidential use of your residence was 20% or less of the rental income, and
- you are the one that paid real property taxes on the property fully or partially.
You're eligible for the Real property tax credit if:
- your household gross income is $18,000 or less;
- you occupied the same New York residence for six months or more;
- you were a New York State resident for the entire tax year;
- you could not be claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer's federal income tax return;
- your residence was not completely exempted from real property taxes;
- the current market value of all real property you owned, such as houses, garages, and land, was $85,000 or less; and
- you meet all the conditions listed under either Homeowners or Renters below.
There are more requirements for this credit, depending on whether you're a homeowner or a renter. Please see the link above.
