State-owed debt collection suspension
To help relieve financial hardship, the New York Office of the Attorney General has temporarily
halted state-referred student and medical debt collection through Dec. 31, 2020. After this date,
the Attorney General’s Office will reassess the needs of New Yorkers. This measure automatically
suspends accrual of interest and collection of fees without penalty. For more information or to apply,
go to https://ag.ny.gov/coronavirus#debt.
Those with non-medical and non-student debt owed to the state that has been referred to the Office
of Attorney General may also apply for a temporary relief. For more information or to apply, go to
https://ag.ny.gov/covid-19-debt-suspension-application or call the Office of the Attorney General
Hotline at 800-771-7755.
NYS Paid Family Leave (PFL)
New York’s Paid Family Leave provides eligible employees with paid time off to care for a family
member with a serious health condition, bond with a newborn or assist loved ones when a military
family member is deployed abroad. The policy also provides job protection, continued health
insurance and protection from discrimination or retaliation. PFL can be used to care for a loved one
with COVID-19, which may qualify as a serious health condition.
To learn more about PFL benefits, visit paidfamilyleave.ny.gov or call the Paid Family Leave hotline
at 844-337-6303.
Paid Leave for COVID-19
New York has guaranteed workers job protection and financial compensation if they or their minor
dependent child are subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine due to COVID-19.
Many employees will get financial compensation using a combination of benefits, such as new
employer-provided paid sick leave, New York State Paid Family Leave and disability benefits.
Note: These benefits are not available to employees who are able to work through remote access or
other means or to New Yorkers who take non-work trips to any state other than a contiguous state
for more than 24 hours.
Some employers are required to provide job-protected paid sick leave to employees who need to
take leave because they are under a mandatory or precautionary quarantine due to COVID-19. The
amount of paid sick leave depends on your employer’s size and annual income.
• Small businesses with 10 or fewer employees as of Jan. 1, 2020, and made less than $1 million
in net annual income in 2019 are not required to provide new paid sick leave days. Employees can
use a combination of PFL and disability benefits.
• Medium-sized businesses with 11 to 99 employees as of Jan. 1, 2020, and smaller employers
who made a net annual income of more than $1 million are required to provide 5 days of paid sick
leave. After this, you can used a combination of PFL and disability benefits.
• Large businesses with more than 100 employees are required to provide 14 days of paid sick
leave, which should cover the period of mandatory or precautionary isolation due to COVID-19.
This also applies to public employees.
To learn more about paid leave for COVID-19, as well as COVID-related paid sick leave, visit
paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/covid19 or call the Paid Family Leave hotline at 844-337-6303.
New York Forward Loan Fund
The New York Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF), administered through Empire State Development, is an
economic recovery loan program for New York small businesses, nonprofits and small landlords as
they reopen after the COVID-19 outbreak. The fund is to help businesses and nonprofits that have
faced economic hardship due to COVID-19 as they reopen and face upfront expenses to comply
with safety guidelines.
Small businesses must have 20 or fewer full-time equivalent employees and have a gross revenue
of less than $3 million per year. In addition, businesses must not have received funding through the
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program for more than $50,000 or
an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for COVID-19 of any amount other than a $10,000 EIDL
advance loan.
Businesses can apply for a loan or find more information here: nyloanfund.com.