Nearly 8 million New Yorkers will receive stimulus checks this fall, thanks to an initiative by Kathy Hochul’s administration, which successfully approved a budget refund for hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes raised due to higher prices for products and services that paid sales tax.
Funding for the inflation rebate checks comes from the New York State budget for fiscal year 2025-2026, approved after negotiations between Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders. The total stimulus checks program has a budget of $2 billion, generated from higher-than-expected tax revenues: the surplus allocated resources to help New York households offset last year’s inflation.
Stimulus checks confirmed in New York: Expected dates
There is a notable difference between this stimulus check program and, for example, the ones launched by Donald Trump during his first administration and subsequently continued by Joe Biden, as those payments were financed through monetary issuance and debt, while New York’s are financed directly with taxes collected from the state’s own residents.
According to Hochul’s administration estimates, approximately 8.2 million households were identified as eligible to receive a stimulus check, which will be based on their income and filing status as reported on their 2024 tax returns.
The distribution of refund checks will begin in mid-October 2025 and continue through November 2025. Due to the high volume of payments, the process will be carried out separately, in batches of checks, over several weeks. This is to prevent system overload and prevent any setbacks.
The New York Department of Taxation and Finance has clarified that distribution will not be based on geographic criteria, such as ZIP code, meaning checks will arrive at different times depending on administrative processing.
Inflation relief checks amounts
The refund check amounts will vary depending on each individual’s filing status and income reported on their 2023 tax return. These are the amounts as outlined in Hochul’s budget:
- Single taxpayers, heads of household, or married taxpayers filing separately:
- Income of $75,000 or less: $200.
- Income between $75,001 and $150,000: $150.
- Married couples filing jointly:
- Income of $150,000 or less: $400.
- Income between $150,001 and $300,000: $300.
- Widows or widowers who meet the requirements: Similar amounts to those of married couples, depending on income.
Who is eligible for the payments?
To be considered eligible for one of these checks, the taxpayer must meet the following criteria:
- The individual must have filed the New York State Resident Income Tax Return (Form IT-201) for tax year 2023.
- Declared income must be within the established thresholds:
- Up to $75,000 for singles, heads of household, or married filing separately.
- Up to $150,000 for married couples filing jointly or qualifying widow(er)s.
- Not having been claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return.
- It must have been a resident of New York State during fiscal year 2023.
The check will be issued automatically to eligible individuals, so there’s no additional application or paperwork required.