New Yorkers could get checks for up to $5,000 from the state thanks to this program
Hochul meets with Ken Griffin over new tax proposal
FOX 5 NY's political reporter Morgan McKay breaks it down.
NEW YORK - New Yorkers could soon see some big checks in the mail, up to $5,000, thanks to the state government.
New York's Expedited Payment Program
What we know:
The state of New York announced last week that it is increasing the cap on payouts for its Expedited Payment Program.
The program, run by the State Comptroller's Office, was launched in January 2025. It's meant for the state to find "abandoned" money from things like old bank accounts and uncashed checks, and send it back to its rightful owner.
As of April, payouts for the program were capped at $250, but now, the state can send back as much as $5,000 at a time, the State Comptroller's Office announced.
Unclaimed money in New York
By the numbers:
As of April 2026, there's more than $9 billion of unclaimed money across the state of New York, according to the State Comptroller's Office. Nearly $6 billion of that comes from New York City's five boroughs.
As of April 30, the state has sent out over 200,000 checks totaling nearly $50 million in unclaimed money.
How to get unclaimed money in New York
Why you should care:
When money from old bank accounts, unused gift cards and more goes unclaimed for long enough, the state classifies it as abandoned property. If that money isn't used for a certain period of time, it's legally considered abandoned.
You can check whether you're entitled to any of that abandoned money by going to the State Comptroller's website and putting in your name or business info.
You don't need to file a claim to get this money. The Expedited Payment Program helps identify the money, and verify its rightful owner. Then, the state will mail you a letter, telling you that you can expect a check. The check will follow soon after.
To check whether a check you've gotten in the mail is actually from the state, you can check on osc.ny.gov/verify.
The Source: Information in this story is from the New York State Comptroller's Office.