$250 Surprise Checks for New Yorkers: Here’s How You Can Claim Yours

Race Day Live (New York City) –  Beginning this month, Empire State residents may receive unexpected cheques worth up to $250 in their mailboxes as a result of a new state law that reduces red tape.

The checks will be sent by the state government, and citizens will not have to do anything to obtain them if they have unclaimed funds, as the new law eliminates the requirement that people first request the money.

Instead, the state comptroller’s office has the authority to simply distribute checks to citizens from a pool of money entitled to them, which includes funds from previous bank accounts, investments, gift cards, and insurance payments that were given over to the state because they were not claimed in time.

“For any claim of an unclaimed fund of $250 or less, we will do a verification on the rightful ownership,” Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli told NBC 4 NY this month.

“And we will, instead of just notifying you that we have money, we’ll actually send you the check.”

The checks are expected to be distributed this month.

Prior to the modification to the state’s abandoned property statute, residents were required to make claims regardless of how modest the return was, but the additional obstacle is now only required for amounts greater than $250.

The typical claim paid out ranges between $50 and $100, with the comptroller’s office repaying more than $1.5 million per day, according to officials.

“By simplifying the process, my office will be able to return lost money even faster while still ensuring the funds get back into the hands of their rightful owners,” DiNapoli said in a November statement introducing the new method.

Through November, there was more than $19 billion in unclaimed cash. According to state data, the Big Apple lost more than $5.5 billion last month.

However, the new law only applies to unclaimed cash reported in 2025 and later, so the $19 billion from before this month is ineligible for the expedited payout program.

According to officials, residents who have unclaimed assets before 2025 must still file a report, regardless of the amount.

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