Cash Bail

It is very important that you notify the Department of Finance when you change your address. This will help avoid a delay in getting the refund to you.

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 Cash Bail Unit to complete an Address Change Notice. The In-Person Inquiries section contains information on office location and list of acceptable identification documents.

If you need a certified copy of your cash bail receipt, the person who paid the cash bail must contact the facility or court where the cash bail was posted.

Every April, any court funds not claimed after three years are considered abandoned and are sent to the State of New York. Each October, the Department of Finance posts a preliminary list of abandoned funds on this website, and then posts the final list on January 31.

Cash Bail Cases (Scheduled to be abandoned in 2024)

If you would like to claim abandoned court funds after they have been sent to the State of New York, you must contact the New York State Comptroller's Office..

The surety is the person who originally paid the cash bail. If you are the surety, you can transfer the cash bail refund to another person by completing a Cash Bail Assignment Application. You must notarize the form and mail it to the address on the form with the original cash bail receipt. You must include a copy of two forms of ID; one must be a photo ID. Once the cash bail has been transferred, we cannot revoke the transfer unless the person who received the transfer (the assignee) transfers the cash bail back to the surety.

Bail Assignment Application
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The Department of Finance can receive a forfeit order from a court instructing us to keep the cash bail. If you receive a letter notifying you that your cash bail has been forfeited by the court, you must contact the court that ordered the forfeiture or the District Attorney’s Office within 45 days of the date of the letter to find out the reason for the forfeiture. Only a judge can issue or reverse a forfeit order.