Inflation Refund Checks Up to $400 Are Being Mailed to 8 Million New Yorkers

New York state has started mailing inflation refund checks.

The first checks were mailed on Friday, Sept. 26, according to an announcement from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. The checks will continue to roll out over October and November, and approximately 8.2 million people in total will receive refunds of up to $400.

The one-time payments “provide relief to New Yorkers who have paid increased sales taxes due to inflation,” per New York State’s Department of Finance. 

And who specifically is eligible to receive an inflation refund check?

According to the Department of Finance, single filers who earned $75,000 or less in 2023 will receive a refund of $200, while single filers who earned more than $75,000 but less than $150,000 will receive $150.

Joint filers who earned $150,000 are set to receive $400, and joint filers who made more than $150,000 but less than $300,000 will receive $300.

To be eligible, people needed to file “Form IT-201, New York State Resident Income Tax Return” and needed to not be claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return.

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The department noted that checks are not mailed by zip code, meaning that some people might receive checks earlier or later than their neighbors, but this is not cause for alarm.

Additionally, people won’t have to sign up or apply for their refund checks, as the checks will be automatically mailed to addresses that were on their 2024 tax return. Those who have since moved will need to update their address with the New York State Office of Taxation and Finance.

The checks are part of an initiative by Hochul to “put money” back in “the pockets” of New Yorkers, per the announcement on the governor’ss office website.

“I’ll never stop fighting to help your family address the rising cost of living — and that’s why I also delivered on my promise to cut taxes for the middle class, expand the child tax credit and ensure free school meals for every student,” Hochul said in the statement.