3 million POWER energy rebate checks are out; 5.2 million more are coming through December

If an envelope from the New York State Tax Department hasn't reached your mailbox yet, it may still be coming. Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday that 3 million New Yorkers have already received their one-time energy rebate checks of up to $200, and another 5.2 million checks will be mailed in the coming weeks.

The payments come from the $1 billion Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate, or POWER, which was included in this year's state budget, according to the governor's announcement and amNewYork. Mailing began Sept. 21 and will continue through December, with 8.2 million New Yorkers expected to get a check in total, News10NBC (WHEC) reported.

How much you get

• $200: joint filers with incomes under $150,000.
• $150: joint filers with incomes between $150,000 and $300,000.
• $100: single filers with incomes under $150,000.

Amounts are based on income and filing status for tax year 2024, according to the state Tax Department.

Who qualifies and how it arrives

There is nothing to apply for or sign up for. To qualify, you must have filed a New York resident income tax return (Form IT-201) for 2024 on time, meaning by April 15, 2025, or by Oct. 15, 2025, with a valid extension; reported income within the limits; and not been claimed as someone else's dependent, the Tax Department says. Part-year residents are not eligible, and you do not need to send utility bills.

The checks come by mail only, even if your tax refund was direct-deposited. They go to the most recent address the department has on file, usually from your latest tax return, and you can update your address through an Individual Online Services account. The department says the checks will not be applied to outstanding debts. Mailings are not organized by ZIP code or region, so a neighbor's check may arrive before or after yours, and the department says its call center cannot provide the status of individual checks. This program is separate from the inflation refund checks mailed in fall 2025.

The politics of utility bills

Hochul framed the checks as relief from rising gas and utility costs that she blamed on President Trump and Washington Republicans, and pointed to her ratepayer protection plan and a push to enroll more households in utility discounts. Her office said 50,000 more households have applied to the state's Energy Affordability Program since an enrollment drive began in mid-September; the program already gives monthly discounts to about 1 million households, and officials estimate about 2.5 million more are eligible but not enrolled (information at ny.gov/EAP), according to the release as published by LongIsland.com.

Hochul's Republican challenger in this year's governor's race, Bruce Blakeman, has criticized her handling of energy costs and promised to "cut utility rates in half" if elected, WHEC reported.