More than eight million New Yorkers are expected to receive a one-time "inflation refund" payment mailed by the state beginning at the end of September 2025, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance said.
The payments will be sent automatically over a multiple-week period to people who were full-year residents of New York in 2023, filed an income tax return for that year and were not claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return. Eligible recipients do not need to take any action to receive a check, the department said.
The refund amounts are tiered by filing status and income. Married couples who filed jointly and reported income of $150,000 or less in 2023 will receive a $400 check; married filers with incomes up to $300,000 will receive $300. Single taxpayers with 2023 incomes up to $75,000 will receive $200, while singles with incomes up to $150,000 will receive $150, the state said.
Checks will be mailed to the address listed on a taxpayer’s 2023 income tax return. The department advised that residents who moved after 2023 and filed a 2024 return may have their refund mailed to the updated address associated with that later filing, and that additional address updates can be made online. The agency cautioned that mailings are not organized by zip code or region and warned, "You may receive your check sooner or later than your neighbors, as mailings are not based on zip code or region." No specific delivery schedule was provided.
The one-time payments were announced in April by Gov. Kathy Hochul as part of the fiscal year 2026 state budget. Hochul said the refunds were intended to offset higher costs borne by residents. "The cost of living is still too damn high, so I promised to put more money in your pockets - and we got it done," she said. "Putting nearly $5,000 back in the pockets of families means helping New Yorkers afford the rising costs of groceries, raising kids, and just enjoying life. When I said your family is my fight, I mean it - and I'll never stop fighting for you."
The payments prompted criticism from political figures who questioned their timing and scope. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, now a candidate for New York City mayor, said the checks raised questions about the state's budget priorities and claimed the rebate program came at the expense of city funding. Cuomo told the New York Daily News, "They shorted the city on voucher funds this year... but they had the money to give back $2 billion in tax rebate checks? How can you give away $2 billion in tax rebate checks, which means you just had money to throw away, but you didn't fund basic services in New York City?"
Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, who earlier criticized the plan, said a one-time payment would not make up for longer-term increases in living costs experienced by many families during the past several years. In December, Torres said, "A one-time check will not compensate for the double-digit increases in inflation that New Yorkers have suffered during the Governorship of Kathy Hochul. For three years, the Governor has ignored the millions of New York families crippled by the crushing cost of groceries and gasoline." He added at the time that the governor "gives with one hand while taking with the other."
State officials have not released a daily or regional mailing schedule, and the department said the refunds will be mailed automatically without requiring new applications. Residents who believe they meet eligibility criteria but do not receive a payment in the weeks after mailings begin should check the address on their most recent filed return and may use the department’s online tools to update contact information.
The refund program is part of a broader set of budget measures approved by the state this year. Officials and lawmakers have framed the payments variously as relief for residents facing high costs and as a subject of debate over state spending priorities and the distribution of resources between Albany and New York City. The department and the governor’s office did not provide additional details on whether electronic direct deposits would be used for any recipients who submitted banking information with their 2023 filings.
Residents expecting a refund are advised to monitor their mail in the coming weeks for the arrival of the one-time checks and to contact the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance with questions about eligibility or address changes.