POWER energy rebate checks start mailing Sept. 21: up to $200 to 8.2 million households through December, no application needed; state says $7.6B in utility-bill relief since 2021

Hochul announced Sept. 14 that the $1B Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate (POWER) checks from the FY27 budget begin mailing Sept. 21 and continue through December: $200 for joint filers under $150K, $150 for joint filers $150K-$300K, $100 for single filers under $150K, based on timely 2024 resident returns and not claimed as a dependent. The release frames the checks as relief from federal tariffs and gas prices ($4.35/gal cited) and lists the FY27 Ratepayer Protection Plan and RATES Commission. Context: this is the second consecutive fall in which state checks arrive in the weeks before Election Day (Nov. 3); Republicans called the 2025 inflation refund timing a gimmick, and the July Gothamist row already logged the same criticism for POWER. Hochul told a Sept. 7 parade breakfast to "watch the mail"; this release fixes the actual start date and household count.