This bulletin supersedes Payroll Bulletin No. 2048.

Purpose

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide agencies with information regarding the outreach and escheatment of uncashed payroll checks for calendar year 2021.

Affected Employees

Employees with one or more uncashed payroll checks originally issued in calendar year 2021 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:

• An initial outreach letter was mailed to all employees with a 2021 uncashed payroll check greater than $19.99. A second outreach letter was mailed via certified mail to all employees with a 2021 uncashed payroll check greater than $999.99.
   
• Signed outreach letters that were returned to OSC were treated as a written request for reissuance of a payroll check. Responses received prior to March 30, 2023 will continue to be processed and reissued. Any checks that remain uncashed as of April 2023 will be stopped and the funds will be remitted to the New York State Office of Unclaimed Funds (OUF).

Effective Dates

Effective for payroll checks issued between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.

Eligibility Criteria

Employees with non-negotiated payroll checks are listed on the Control-D report NPAY539 for agency use.

OSC Actions

In accordance with Abandoned Property Law §1422, an initial outreach letter was sent to all employees with a 2021 uncashed payroll check greater than $19.99 on September 23, 2022. A second outreach letter was sent via certified mail to all employees with a 2021 uncashed payroll check greater than $999.99 on October 21, 2022.

Signed outreach letters returned to OSC prior to March 30, 2023 will be treated as a written request for reissuance of a payroll check. 

Stop payments will be processed for any 2021 pay checks that remain uncashed as of April 24, 2023. The funds will be escheated and sent to the Office of Unclaimed Funds (OUF).

Agency Actions

Agencies must notify affected employees that stop payments will be issued for all uncashed payroll checks originally issued in 2021 and the funds remitted to OUF in April 2023. Employees can visit the Unclaimed Funds - Search for Lost Money website to search for money remitted to OUF and submit a claim to recover funds.

Questions

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

For more information regarding the escheatment schedule, see the Operational Advisory 9 – Current Year Escheatment.