New Yorkers: See if you're eligible for a $200 rebate check from the state

More than 8 million New Yorkers are expected to receive automatic checks to offset rising utility costs. The state budget bill provides $1 billion for rebates of up to $200. Recipients do not need to apply, and checks will be mailed in autumn. Eligibility requires being a full-time New York resident in 2024, with lower incomes receiving more. Married joint filers and qualified surviving spouses receive $150 if income was between $150,000 and $300,000 or less, and $200 for those categories. Single or head-of-household filers receive $100 if income was $150,000 or less. The program is tied to broader state budget approval.

"Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats who control the state Assembly and Senate agreed to spend $1 billion on checks of up to $200. You don't have to apply for the rebate as they'll be automatically mailed out this autumn, lawmakers said."

"To qualify for a check, a taxpayer had to be a full-time resident of New York in 2024, according to the bill language. People with lower incomes will get more money. If you are married and filed a joint return or if you are a qualified surviving spouse, you will receive a $150 check if your income was between $150,000 and $300,000 or less in 2024. People in those categories will get a $200 check."

"People who filed single or head of household returns in 2024 will get a $100 check if their income was $150,000 or less. More than 8 million people are expected to be eligible for the program, according to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The department processed nearly 11 million returns in 2024."

"The idea for the checks was first proposed by Democrats who control the state Assembly. Some Republican legislators also backed the idea, citing rising utility costs that they say are in part caused by state laws responding to climate change. Last year, Hochul pushed for a larger rebate program that she said was designed to return higher-than-expected sales tax collections to New Yorkers affected by President Donald Trump's tariffs."

Read at Gothamist