More than 8 million New Yorkers have been mailed state inflation refund checks of up to $400, marking the end of the main disbursement of nearly $2 billion of financial assistance sent to households across the state, officials said Tuesday.
Roughly 1.25 million in checks, which were sent out to reimburse residents for heightened sales tax collection amid increased inflation, state officials said.
New York City had the highest number of people receiving the checks, with more than 3.5 million beneficiaries netting roughly $ 829 million in total payments, officials said. Long Island had the second-highest number of check recipients.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose administration pushed for the program in the 2026 fiscal year budget, said she was proud to bring the initiative into fruition.
“People are so happy to get the checks,” Hochul said at news conference. “As you know, they’re having to buy the extra groceries for Thanksgiving and pay the utility bills and get ready for the holiday expenses.”
Officials did not say on Tuesday if another round of the checks will be sent out next year. But they did note that eligible residents should reach out to the state Department of Taxation and Finance if they do not receive a check by next week.
“Although over 8.2 million checks have been sent out, some checks are still in the mail and are being delivered,” according to the department.
May 14, 2025 — New York, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul announces inflation refund checks up to $400 will be sent this fall to 8.2 million households across New York State. Checks will be mailed directly to eligible New Yorkers starting in October and will continue through November. (Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul) Credit: Susan Watts/Office of Governor K/Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
To receive the payout, residents must meet several requirements, including having filed state taxes in 2023 and not being designated as a dependent on another’s tax return, officials said. Those who file their 2023 taxes retroactively may also be eligible.
Residents also must meet certain income thresholds, which help to determine the amount of money they may be paid, officials said. For instance, a single person who earned a maximum of $75,000 on their 2023 return would be refunded $200, while an individual filer who made “more than $75,000, but not more than $150,000” should expect to receive $150.
The highest end of the payments is reserved for couples who file together and those qualifying surviving spouses eligible to file a joint return, the state said. Both groups can earn the $400 payout if their incomes are “$150,000 or less,” or $300 should they earn “more than $150,000, but not more than $300,000,” officials said.
Although the initiative has been praised by some lawmakers as a relief measure, the program has weathered criticisms, including that its funding could be put to better use as the state prepares for possible budget cuts.
Some tax policy experts have said the state could’ve pursued other methods to help residents during elevated inflation, such as a one-off tax cut, Newsday reported.
Manish Bhatt, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan nonprofit, said the inflation reduction checks are a temporary measure aimed as some New Yorkers, not all.
“The state could do well to bring permanent relief to all New Yorkers and to make the state more tax competitive going forward, because states around the country are looking at ways to be more regionally and nationally competitive,” he said in a phone interview.
But Hochul had defended the program, saying in Tuesday’s statement that the initiative is “putting money back into the pockets of individuals across the state.”
“We followed through on our commitment to deliver meaningful relief to hard-working New Yorkers, and will continue, every day, to look for additional opportunities to deal with the nation’s ongoing affordability challenge,” she added.
Newsday’s Maureen Mullarkey contributed to this story.
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.