Purpose

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide agencies information regarding the outreach and escheatment of uncashed payroll checks for calendar year 2018.

Affected Employees

Employees with one or more uncashed payroll checks originally issued in calendar year 2018.

Background

Abandoned Property Law §102 requires that uncashed checks become abandoned property after one year.

Abandoned Property Law §1422 requires State agencies to perform certain payee notification requirements:

In accordance with Abandoned Property Law §1422, an initial outreach letter has been sent to all employees with a 2018 uncashed payroll check greater than $19.99. A second outreach letter will be sent via certified mail to all employees with a 2018 uncashed payroll check greater than $999.99 in October of 2019.

Signed outreach letters that are returned to OSC by employees will be treated as a written request for reissuance of a payroll check. If responses are received prior to January 1, 2020 the checks will be reissued. Any checks that remain uncashed as of March 27, 2020 will be stopped and the funds will be remitted to the NYS Office of Unclaimed Funds (OUF) in April of 2020.

Effective Date(s)

Payroll Checks issued between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018.

Control-D Report Available Prior to Processing

Control-D report NPAY539 (Non- Negotiated Payroll Checks) is available for agency use.

Agency Actions

Notify affected employees that stop payments will be issued for all uncashed payroll checks originally issued in 2018 and the funds will be remitted to the OUF in April of 2020. Employees can visit the Unclaimed Funds - Search for Lost Money website to search for money remitted to OUF and submit a claim to recover these funds.

OSC Actions

OSC will remit all payroll checks originally issued in 2018 that remain uncashed as of March 27, 2020, to OUF in April 2020.

Questions

Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Uncashed NYS Payroll Checks mailbox.