Divisions

Office of the Commissioner

The commissioner is the chief executive officer of the Department of Finance. The Executive Office assists the commissioner in managing the agency, arranging the commissioner’s schedule, planning agency events, and serving members of the public who contact the office. The Executive Office includes the first deputy commissioner and the chief of staff.

Office of the First Deputy Commissioner

The first deputy commissioner manages the Property, Audit, Employee Services, Information Technology, and Tax Policy divisions, coordinates those divisions’ work with other DOF offices, and oversees agency-wide initiatives assigned by the commissioner.

Office of the Chief of Staff

The chief of staff assists the commissioner and first deputy commissioner in the day-to-day operations and strategic goals of the agency. The office also includes intergovernmental affairs, which handles engagement with elected officials at the local and state levels, along with the development of and advocacy for the agency’s legislative agenda.

Mayor’s Office of Pensions & Investments

The Mayor’s Office of Pensions and Investments (MOPI) advises the administration on the City’s pension system, deferred compensation plan, and other retirement-related matters. MOPI researches and analyzes the policies, strategies, benefits, budgets, and investments of the City’s pension funds, and those of our national and international peers, to assist the Mayor’s trustees in determining the best course of action. The chief pension administrator is responsible for non-investment issues at the City’s retirement systems, including disability and regular retirement benefits, administrative issues and budgets, and legal issues.

Office of Employee Services

The Office of Employee Services (OES) is responsible for the agency’s human capital administration and workforce management, which includes recruitment, personnel, civil service administration, labor relations, timekeeping, payroll, leaves of absence, benefits and performance management administration, and programs for employee learning, engagement, recognition, professional development, and agency-wide events.

OES also administers employee-related agencywide programs such as Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) programs, such as Financial Disclosure, Secondary Employment & Moonlighting Waivers, Residency Requirement Administration, Remote Work Program Administration, Federal Tax Information (FTI) background investigation requirements, and COVID-related and Line of Duty Injury (LODI) policies and procedures. OES provides guidance and support to the agency’s business units on a wide variety of employee and employment -related matters, to ensure compliance with citywide and agencywide guidance and policies.

OES liaises and partners with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), Office of Labor Relations, Office of Payroll Administration, Conflicts of Interest Board, Department of Investigation, and other oversight agencies and to facilitate the agency’s workforce management business needs.

Equal Employment Opportunity Office

The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office ensures compliance with federal, state, and city EEO policies and human rights laws prohibiting workplace discrimination by implementing the agency's EEO reasonable accommodation, complaint, and investigation procedures, as well as New York City mandated and optional EEO based trainings.

External Affairs Office

The External Affairs Office is responsible for all internal and external agency communications. This includes the press office, social media, the agency editor/speechwriter, correspondence, public outreach, and constituent services.

Internal Audit Office

The Internal Audit Office plans and conducts internal audits of DOF operations and activities and makes recommendations for improvements. This includes reviewing and testing internal controls, examining the adequacy of policies and procedures, and monitoring compliance. Internal Audit also manages the external audit process, liaising with external auditors, coordinating responses to questions and information requests, and compiling and managing agency-wide annual reports on internal controls, corruption hazards, and inventory. It liaises with Finance Information Technology and Legal Affairs on required IRS reporting. In addition, Internal Audit follows up on the implementation status of internal and external audit recommendations.

Office of the Taxpayer & Parking Summons Advocates

The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate (OTA) is an independent office within the Department of Finance which assists customers who have been unable to resolve their tax issues through normal Department of Finance channels. In addition, the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate makes systemic recommendations to improve DOF policies and procedures. OTA’s base matters consist of NYC property, business, and certain excise tax issues.

The Office of the Parking Summons Advocate is an office within OTA that ensures and promotes fairness in the parking summons dispute resolution process. The office serves members of the public who wish to dispute, or have disputed, their parking summonses. The office acts as an intermediary between unrepresented and underrepresented members of the public, DOF units, and other agencies involved in the parking summons adjudication process; informs the public about parking laws and related Department of Finance policies and procedures; and recommends solutions to systemic problems and issues in the parking summons adjudication process.

The Administration and Planning Division is responsible for managing and overseeing administrative and operational services for the agency. This includes the daily management of the Offices of Financial Management, Purchasing and Contracts, Operational Services, and Diversity and Inclusion.

Agency Chief Contracting Office/Office of Purchasing and Contracts

The Office of Purchasing and Contracts serves as the central procurement unit entrusted with overseeing the procurement of goods and services on behalf of the Department of Finance. This office handles the management of the department’s current contract portfolio, including the vital responsibility of ensuring compliance with DOF’s Minority and Woman-Owned Enterprise (M/WBE) program in accordance with the requirements of New York State Law, the New York City Charter, the Administrative Code of the City of New York, and Procurement Policy Board (PPB) Rules.

Office of Financial Management

The Office of Financial Management is responsible for monitoring and controlling the agency’s finances. This includes the development and management of annual expense and capital budgets, accounts payable, travel requests, and other payments. The division also includes the Assigned Counsel Plan (ACP) Payments Unit, which is responsible for processing payment vouchers for 18-b attorneys and experts.

Office of Diversity and Inclusion

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is responsible for DOF’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. This includes assessing, designing, and obtaining support for these efforts and spearheading strategies and initiatives to create a diverse workforce while fostering and maintaining an inclusive workplace culture. Additionally, this role focuses on ensuring that contracts and procurement opportunities are accessible to a diverse range of vendors who are historically underrepresented. The office implements and benchmarks innovative recruitment, retention, and professional development practices, as well as increasing M/WBE vendor and supplier utilization levels.

Office of Operational Services

The Office of Operational Services coordinates and directs all facilities-related operational support services for both public and privately leased properties agency-wide, including space planning, telecommunications, security, fire safety, health and safety, and fleet and transportation operations. The division also includes the agency warehouse, print shop, and mailroom operations.

The Finance Information Technology (FIT) Division designs, builds, and supports all facets of DOF’s computer systems, including hardware, software, applications, infrastructure, telephone, and data security. FIT delivers and administers tax-related payment programs for the City of New York by providing the information technology solutions needed to achieve its mission of collecting revenue while ensuring an efficient and improved customer experience. FIT is also responsible for the systems and websites which enable citywide payments, land records, property assessment, parking adjudications, customer service, and the Sheriff’s public safety work.

The Legal Affairs Division serves as the in-house legal department for DOF, providing professional and comprehensive legal advice and services supporting a full range of city tax and other revenue-related matters. Legal Affairs Division attorneys and staff handle various legal issues, including real property taxes and exemptions, business income and excise taxes, collections, parking violations, treasury, land registry, Conciliation Bureau conferences, FOIL, and employment law.

Property Valuation and Tax Mapping

Property Valuation and Tax Mapping is responsible for valuing more than one million properties in the city and overseeing assessments and valuations in a fair and equitable manner. The valuations enable the efficient and effective collection of property tax revenues for New York City.

Property Exemptions Administration

The Property Exemptions Administration (PEA) oversees and executes property tax benefits for a diverse array of entities and individuals. PEA’s core responsibilities encompass the examination, processing, and management of applications for exemptions and abatements. These benefits extend to commercial and industrial properties, residential multi-family construction, new one- to two-family construction, government entities, and non-profits, as well as renters and homeowners, including members of the clergy, seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. PEA is committed to ensuring the accessibility of property tax benefits for all eligible constituents.

The Customer Operations Division has oversight of the Department of Finance business centers, City Register’s Office, and the Land Records, Adjudication, and Collections divisions. Customer Operations is charged with the processing of tax payments, parking violations payments, and all other charges collected by DOF. The division is also responsible for recording property transfers, adjudicating parking and camera violations, and managing the full life cycle of the department’s enforcement activities related to unpaid business and excise taxes, parking fines, and Environmental Control Board summonses.

Business Center Operations

DOF’s business centers, one in each of the five of boroughs, are responsible for communicating amounts due for the processing of tax payments, parking violation payments, and all other charges collected by the department, as well as maintaining quality control of department records and delivering exceptional customer service to individuals seeking information on making payments. The business centers issue releases for individuals whose vehicles have been impounded, enroll customers in payment agreements, and help customers prepare for parking ticket hearings.

Adjudication

The Adjudication Division is responsible for conducting hearings on all parking and camera violations issued in New York City. It hosts in-person hearings in the business centers and conducts hearings by mail, web, and mobile app. In addition, the judges hear appeals of parking ticket determinations, and a special unit for Commercial Adjudications conducts hearings and appeals on tickets issued to commercial vehicles.

Land Records/Property Tax Lien Enforcement 

The Land Records Division and its Office of the City Register record and maintain all official documents related to real estate, including deeds, mortgages, and leases. The division has offices in every borough except for Staten Island, where the Office of the County Clerk provides these functions. Land Records records approximately 550,00 documents annually and collects over $5 billion annually in real property transfer and mortgage recording taxes.  The Division maintains and updates New York City property ownership records and provides review and research services for those records. The Land Records Division also administers the property tax lien sale for property tax enforcement, interacting with the NYC Law Department, the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, and the Lien Trust Program.

Collections

The Collections Division is responsible for managing the full life cycle of the Department of Finance’s enforcement activities related to unpaid business and excise taxes, parking fines, and Environmental Control Board summonses. The debt collection process involves specialized professional collectors, experienced in the art of negotiation, who provide debtors with options and encourage full payment. The division utilizes several collection tools to enforce compliance, including notices, telephone dunning, outside collection agencies, and special projects aimed at locating and taking enforcement actions against assets. 

The Treasury and Payment Services Division is responsible for overseeing all City payment websites, the payment processing of tax returns, property recording forms, parking violation programs, and the collection of delinquent accounts, and oversees the agency’s management of the City’s cash balances and its relationships with banking institutions. Treasury and Payment Services is also responsible for collecting outstanding violations issued by City agencies and adjudicated by the Environmental Control Board.

Payments, Billing, and Refunds

Payments, Billing, and Refunds is responsible for processing payments for property taxes and property-related charges, business and excise taxes, and parking and camera violations. The division is responsible for communicating amounts due, maintaining the quality of departmental records, and providing customer service to individuals seeking information on making payments or receiving refunds. Payments, Billing, and Refunds performs account adjustments and responds to refund inquiries from the public.

Citywide Payment Services and Standards

Citywide Payment Services and Standards (CPSS) is the official provider of online and mobile payments to all City agencies, ensuring efficient and compliant revenue collection. CPSS also provides point-of-sale software, third-party and self-service payment kiosks for agencies’ in-person locations. CPSS is responsible for managing the planning and implementation of credit and debit card, eCheck, Paypal, and Venmo payments, including FMS integration, bank-to-book revenue reconciliation, and automation and PCI-DSS compliance.

Treasury

The Treasury Division is responsible for managing City cash flows of over $135 billion annually, funding approximately $35 billion of City payrolls and over $77 billion of annual vendor payments, securing and managing collateral for over 4,450 City bank account balances, maintaining relationships with 29 City of New York-designated banks, serving as the fiduciary of approximately $195 million in court funds, and providing administrative support to the New York City Banking Commission.

The Sheriff’s Office serves and enforces court mandates, orders of protection, warrants, decrees, and property seizures. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office conducts criminal investigations of real property fraud, tax crimes, and the trafficking of illegal and untaxed tobacco products and synthetic narcotics, and monitors defendants referred by the courts for electronic monitoring.

The Tax Audit and Enforcement Division is charged with the audit of all business and excise taxes administered by New York City. The division conducts audits related to corporate, personal, sales, and use taxes. City tax auditors conduct audits of selected audit candidates with a goal of determining the appropriate tax liability of each taxpayer and applying NYC rules and laws in accordance with the City’s policies and procedures.

Office of Tax Audit

The Office of Tax Audit is charged with the audit of all business and excise taxes administered by the City of New York. Tax Audit conducts audits of general corporation tax, business corporation tax, commercial rent tax, unincorporated business tax, hotel tax, utility tax, real property transfer tax, and bank tax. Tax Audit also conducts NYC personal income tax and sales and use tax audits within New York City. Tax auditors conduct audits of selected candidates in the various administered taxes, with a goal of determining the appropriate tax liability of each taxpayer. The Office of Tax Audit includes the Field Unit, which conducts audits in the field, and the Non-field Unit, which conducts correspondence audits.

Office of Tax Enforcement

The Office of Tax Enforcement is the criminal investigative arm of the Tax Audit and Enforcement Division, investigating tax fraud of any tax type for any period that falls within the criminal statute of limitations. We conduct criminal investigations of City Business Tax crimes as well as State Tax crimes that affect the City.

The Tax Policy & Data Analytics Division reviews, analyzes, and evaluates existing and proposed policies and legislation that affect the Department of Finance and New York City in general. This includes analyzing the revenue and distributional impacts of proposed changes to the tax system, monitoring and reporting on tax and parking revenues, working with local and state public agencies and private sector interests to promote improved tax administration, and advising the commissioner, Executive Office, and the New York City Office of Management and Budget on revenue and budgetary issues. The Tax Policy and Data Analytics Division is also responsible for all modeling and data mining for DOF’s Audit Division. Tax Policy also prepares briefing and position papers on tax policy and issues a variety of public reports and newsletters on tax-related issues.