You might be eligible for an ‘inflation refund’ payment check of up to $400.
More than eight million people ‘who have paid increased sales taxes due to inflation‘ will soon receive a one-time check.
The scheduled payments will start going out at the end of September, extending over several weeks. Eligible individuals will receive them automatically without any action required.
Married couples who file taxes together and make up to $150,000 will get a $400 refund. Those making $300,000 or less will receive $300.
Single taxpayers making $75,000 or less will receive a $200 check, while those making $150,000 or less will receive $150.
These refund checks are designated for New Yorkers who were full-year residents in the state in 2023, filed an income tax return for that year, were not claimed as a dependent by another person, and meet the specified criteria.
According to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, ‘You may receive your check at a different time from your neighbors, as the mailings are not organized by zip code or region.’
The checks will be mailed to the address associated with a person’s filed tax return.
More than eight million people will soon receive a one-time ‘inflation refund’
Checks will be mailed starting at the end of September
Married couples who file taxes together and make $150,000 or less are eligible for a $400 refund
If an individual moved from 2023 to 2024 but submitted a tax return for 2024, their refund will be sent to the new address. Additional address updates are available online.
A specific delivery schedule is unavailable, the taxation and finance department said.
The inflation refund checks were announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in April as part of the budget for fiscal year 2026.
Hochul said: ‘The cost of living is still too damn high, so I promised to put more money in your pockets – and we got it done.
‘Providing families with nearly $5,000 supports New Yorkers in coping with rising costs of living, including groceries and raising children.
‘When I said your family is my fight, I mean it – and I’ll never stop fighting for you.’
Andrew Cuomo, who preceded Hochul as New York Governor and is now running for New York City mayor, questioned the one-time payments.
Cuomo expressed to the New York Daily News: ‘They cut funds for city vouchers this year… but managed to allocate $2 billion for tax rebate checks? How is it possible to distribute $2 billion in tax rebates, which implies surplus funds, yet fail to finance essential services in New York City?’
New Yorkers should check their mail over the coming days to see if a check has been mailed to them
The refund checks are available to New Yorkers who were a full-year resident in the state in 2023. Pictured: The New York City skyline
Andrew Cuomo, who preceded Hochul as New York Governor, questioned the one-time payments
Gov. Kathy Hochul said: ‘The cost of living is still too damn high, so I promised to put more money in your pockets – and we got it done it’
New York representative Ritchie Torres previously framed Hochul’s plan as being ‘haunted by the specter of a primary challenge’.
In December, he 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.’
The Democrat congressman added then: ‘New York has a Governor who gives with one hand while taking with the other.’
Torres, who was born in the Bronx, was once touted as a possible contender for Governor to run against Hochul. In July, he said that seemed ‘unlikely’.
