Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration is giving a big financial boost – as in $350 million in supplemental payments – to qualified low- and moderate-incoming families as part of New York’s Empire State Child Credit program.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Hochul said more than one million families statewide will qualify for the financial assistance without needing to apply and each eligible family will receive a direct payment of up to $330 per child.
Hochul said the move is part of her administration’s efforts to address the cost of living for working New Yorkers.
“We’re putting money back in the pockets of more than a million New Yorkers because this administration delivers for working families,” Hochul said. “Our work is far from over. From expanding tax credits to increasing access to child care assistance, I’ll never stop fighting to address the cost of living for working parents and help them create a brighter future for their kids.”
The Empire State Child Credit is a refundable tax credit for income-qualified New Yorkers with children. In 2023, Hochul and the state legislature expanded the program to include children under four, which, according to Hochul’s office, benefitted an estimated 600,000 additional children per year. According to Hochul’s office, more than one million families eligible for the Empire State Child Credit began to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits based on their 2023 tax filings earlier this year.
The supplemental aid announced on Tuesday ranges from 25 percent to 100 percent of the amount of a taxpayer’s Empire State Child Credit received for tax year 2023. The percentage depends on income.
Taxpayers who received an Empire State Child Credit of at least $100 on their 2023 state tax returns will receive a check in the mail. The tax department will begin mailing checks in the first week of August and continue for several weeks, Hochul’s office said.
The Empire State Child Credit supplemental payments are the result of an agreement reached earlier this year between Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and passed by the State Legislature.
“The one-time supplemental payments under the Empire State Child Tax Credit Program will be life changing for families across our state, and comes at such a vital time when so many are struggling with the high cost of living,” said state senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.