New Yorkers have been bearing high energy costs for years, and on Monday as gas at at least one location in Watertown was $4.49 for regular, Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul announced a new round of state-issued checks meant to help offset some of those higher expenses.
At an event in Monroe County, Hochul announced that the state will be sending checks of up to $200 to eligible taxpayers between now and December under the “POWER” program authorized in the budget this year.
Totaling $1 billion, checks for 8.2 million New Yorkers are going out by mail automatically to those who filed a 2024 state income tax return. Joint filers making under $150,000 will get $200, joint filers making between $150,000 and $300,000 will get $150, and single filers making less than $150,000 will get $100.
“As Washington Republicans continue to send the cost of everything from utility bills to gas and groceries soaring, I’ll never stop working to address the rising cost of living for New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “Too many families are struggling with rising household energy bills and soaring gas prices at the pump — and that’s why we’re putting money directly back in New Yorkers’ pockets by sending energy rebate checks to millions of families as part of our affordability agenda.”
Taxpayers must have filed their 2024 tax returns by the Tax Day deadline, been a full-time state resident and must not be claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s returns.
The checks were included in the state budget last year, although they weren’t a part of the original budget plans for the Governor or either chamber of the state Legislature. The plan was unveiled in May, over a month after the budget’s April 1 deadline that lawmakers blew past this year.