Cash Bail Refunds

Department of Finance


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Cash bail refunds

Courts, correctional facilities, and jails collect cash bail. A person who pays cash bail is a “surety.” When the court case is over, sureties are refunded the cash bail that they paid.

When you pay cash bail, you will receive a receipt as proof of payment. The Department of Finance holds the cash bail funds until the court closes the case and issues a court order to refund the cash bail.

You do not have to do anything to receive a cash bail refund. We usually receive the cash bail order from the court about six weeks after the case is closed.

We then mail the cash bail refund to the surety at the address on the cash bail receipt within two weeks.

It may take up to eight weeks after the court case ends to receive your refund.

If you do not receive your cash bail refund in the mail eight weeks after the case ends, contact the Department of Finance. Please have a copy of your cash bail receipt ready when providing information.

How to get a cash bail refund

Receiving your refund by mail

Generally, you do not need to take any action. When a case is over, the court sends a refund order to the Department of Finance within six weeks. The Department of Finance sends a check to the surety (or an assignee), at the address on the cash bail receipt, within two weeks of receiving the refund order from the court. In total it should take about eight weeks after the case has ended for you to receive your cash bail refund.

Stopping payment on a cash bail refund that you didn't receive

If you are the surety (the person who paid the cash bail) or the assignee (the person to whom the surety transferred the cash bail), and you did not receive a refund check within eight weeks after the case ended, contact the Department of Finance’s Cash Bail Unit. If we mailed you a cash bail refund check, we may need to stop payment on the check. You will need to complete a Stop Payment Affidavit and mail or deliver the notarized affidavit to the address provided. Please note that it takes 30 days to reissue a check after a stop payment has been processed.

Claiming a cash bail refund when the surety is deceased

A surety's next-of-kin (or the person paying for the funeral) can submit a claim for the cash bail refund by completing a Surety Survivor's Affidavit. Mail or deliver the notarized affidavit with a copy of the death certificate and a paid funeral bill to the address listed on the affidavit.

Cash bail refund inquiries

The Department of Finance will provide information about a cash bail refund only to the surety or another person to whom the surety has given a signed, notarized statement, permitting that person to inquire about the cash bail refund.

Attorneys: An attorney may inquire about cash bail refunds only if the surety has assigned or transferred the cash bail to the attorney.

Other people may request information about a cash bail refund by writing to:

NYC Department of Finance
Treasury Division, Court Assets Unit
66 John Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10038

You can also call us at (212) 908-7619 from Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or send us a message online.

You will need the following information from your cash bail receipt to inquire about a refund:

The docket number (or indictment number) noted on the cash bail receipt

The defendant's name

The date the cash bail was posted

The county where the cash bail was posted

The amount of cash bail that was posted

In-person inquiries

NYC Department of Finance
Treasury Division, Court Assets Unit
66 John Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10038
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

You must bring one of the following government-issued photo IDs:

A valid New York driver's license or non-driver's photo ID

A passport

A benefits card

A municipal ID card

If you do not have any of the above, you will need to bring two IDs from the following list:

A Social Security card

Your voter registration card

An employment ID

Your utility bill (issued within the last 60 days)

Any ID with your signature, subject to the Cash Bail Unit's discretion

Change of address

It is very important that you notify us when your address changes. This will help avoid delays in receiving your refund.

Complete the Cash Bail Refund Change of Address Notice and notarize it. Return the completed notarized form and a copy of a government-issued ID to the address provided on the form:

Cash Bail Refund Change of Address Notice
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You may also visit the Department of Finance’s Cash Bail Unit to complete an Address Change Notice. The In-Person Inquiries section contains information on our office location and a list of acceptable identification documents.

Do Not Miss Out on Your Cash Bail Refund
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Need help?

Contact the Department of Finance for assistance.

Online - Send us an email

In person - Schedule an appointment