New York (WRGB) — Gov. Hochul announced that energy rebate checks of up to $200 will be sent to 8.2 million households statewide starting Sept. 21, with mailings continuing through December. Eligible New Yorkers do not need to apply, sign up or take any action to receive a check.
Gov. Hochul said,
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. 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.
The rebates are part of a one-time $1 billion Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate, or POWER, included in Hochul’s enacted budget. The state said the program is intended to provide relief as federal tariffs have increased the cost of living and as New Yorkers are paying, on average, $4.35 per gallon at the pumps, a 45% jump since the war began, with diesel up 49% since the war began at the end of February to $5.98 per gallon.
Under the program, POWER checks will provide:
$200 to joint filers with incomes under $150,000.$150 to joint filers with incomes between $150,000 and $300,000.$100 to single filers with incomes under $150,000.
The state said the rebates will be issued as advanced credit checks and mailed between September and December.
To qualify for a rebate credit check for tax year 2024, the state said residents must have filed a timely New York state resident income tax return, been a full-time New York state resident, reported income within the qualifying thresholds, and not been claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return.
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Commissioner Amanda Hiller said,
Power checks are another meaningful way that Governor Hochul is trying to help people during challenging economic times. At the Governor’s direction, the Tax Department is working to get this much-needed relief to eligible families as quickly as possible.
Assemblymember Didi Barrett said,
New Yorkers struggling with rising utility costs are making tough budget decisions and need real relief. In this year’s State Budget, we fought for these POWER rebate checks, along with other long-term energy cost saving measures. I thank Governor Hochul for helping get these rebate checks out the door in a timely manner while we continue our work to rein in out-of-control utility bills and prioritize energy affordability for our constituents.
Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans said,
The cost of living keeps increasing, and rising everyday expenses is a top challenge facing all Rochesterians. I want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for working to help New York families and ease the burden of higher bills through the POWER rebate program.
Since taking office in 2021, the state said more than $7.6 billion has been provided to participating households in direct utility bill relief, including energy rebate checks. The state also cited an additional $1.4 billion to support residential weatherization, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects intended to lower energy usage and bills for participating households.
The announcement also highlighted Hochul’s Energy Affordability Agenda, including provisions in the FY27 enacted budget that tie utility profits to performance tied to affordability, prohibit utilities from passing certain costs, including lobbying, public relations campaigns, political donations and luxury travel, to ratepayers, and benchmark utility CEO salaries to affordability goals set by the Public Service Commission. The state said excess utility profit would be returned to ratepayers.
The governor’s Ratepayer Protection Plan includes steps aimed at slowing or stopping proposed rate hikes, extending the timeline to examine rate requests to 14 months, increasing scrutiny of fees tied to rate cases, and creating a new energy affordability index that would measure the impact of utility rates on households. The plan also includes a mechanism for the state to deploy an independent Affordability Monitor if a rate case pushes the average household energy burden above 6%.
The FY27 enacted budget also establishes a RATES Commission, which the state said will bring together consumer advocates and energy experts to investigate the root causes of rising utility bills, evaluate utility profits, and review energy market designs.