This bulletin supersedes Payroll Bulletin No. 1858.
Purpose
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide agencies information regarding the outreach and escheatment of uncashed payroll checks for calendar year 2019.
Affected Employees
Employees with one or more uncashed payroll checks originally issued in calendar year 2019 are affected.
Background
Abandoned Property Law §102 requires uncashed checks become abandoned property after one year.
Abandoned Property Law §1422 requires State agencies to perform certain payee notification requirements.
Effective Dates
Effective for payroll checks issued between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.
Eligibility Criteria
Employees with non-negotiated payroll checks are listed on the Control-D report NPAY539 (Non-Negotiated Payroll Checks).
OSC Actions
In accordance with Abandoned Property Law §1422, an initial outreach letter was sent to all employees with a 2019 uncashed payroll check greater than $19.99 on October 13, 2020. A second outreach letter was sent via certified mail to all employees with a 2019 uncashed payroll check greater than $999.99 on November 19, 2020.
Signed outreach letters returned to OSC prior to March 29, 2021 are treated as a written request for reissuance of a payroll check.
Any 2019 pay checks that remain uncashed as of April 19, 2021 will have stop payments processed, the funds will be escheated and sent to the Office of Unclaimed Funds, (OUF) on April 21, 2021.
Agency Actions
Agencies must notify affected employees that stop payments will be issued for all uncashed payroll checks originally issued in 2019 and the funds will be remitted to the OUF on April 21, 2021. 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.
Questions
For more information regarding the escheatment schedule, see the Operational Advisory 9 – Current Year Escheatment.
Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Uncashed NYS Payroll Checks mailbox.