Free Financial Counseling for NYC Drivers

In short: New York City gives free, one-on-one money counseling at NYC Financial Empowerment Centers. A professional counselor helps you make a budget, deal with debt, check and improve your credit, and open a safe bank account. Anyone 18 or older who lives or works in NYC qualifies, so TLC drivers do. Sessions are in person or by phone, in your language. Book at nyc.gov/talkmoney or call 311 and ask for "financial counseling." The centers do not give loans or grants.

This page explains what the counselors can and can't do, other free money help for drivers, and what to bring. It is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice.

What a counselor helps with

ACCESS NYC lists what Financial Empowerment Center counselors can help with:

• managing your money and checking your credit,
• setting up a spending plan,
• opening a safe and affordable bank account,
• contacting lenders about debt, including student loans,
• making a plan to reduce debt or lower payments, and
• getting emergency government resources.

Services are confidential. In the first session the counselor asks about your money history and any papers you want to share, and you make an action plan together. You can come back for as many follow-ups as you need. DCWP says the first session usually lasts about one hour; follow-ups may be shorter.

Reasons a driver might go include a car loan or lease you are behind on, credit card debt from a slow season, a bad credit score that blocks a better car deal, or no bank account for app payouts. A counselor won't decide for you, but they can help you see your options and talk to lenders.

What they don't do

TLC's Owner/Driver Resource Center FAQ is clear: NYC Financial Empowerment Centers do not provide financial grants and do not work as a "reserve" or "lender." They also are not tax preparers or lawyers. For those, use the free services further down this page.

How to book

DCWP's Talk Money FAQ says the counselor may ask for your Social Security number to pull your credit report, but "you have the option not to share it." If you don't have a recent credit report, you can get one at annualcreditreport.com.

What to bring

That list comes from ACCESS NYC, which adds: "Bring what you have – your counselor can help even if you don't have these documents." Drivers' pay is irregular, so a few months of app statements give the counselor a truer picture than one week.

Before the session: a 15-minute money snapshot

You will get more from a one-hour session if you arrive with a simple picture of your money. You don't need software. A sheet of paper works:

1. What comes in. Your average weekly earnings over the last two or three months, after the app's cut. If you drive a taxi, use what you take home after the lease, gas and tolls.
2. What goes out for the car. Lease or loan payment, insurance, gas or charging, tolls, parking and repairs. This can be your biggest cost, and it changes the advice you get.
3. What goes out for life. Rent, phone, food, family support, money sent home.
4. Every debt. Who you owe, how much, the monthly payment and the interest rate if you know it. Mark any that are already late or in collections.
5. Your goal. Pay down a card, stop late fees, build a small emergency fund for slow weeks, save for a newer car, or get your credit ready for a better lease.

Bring the list even if it's incomplete. The counselor can fill gaps with you, and you can keep updating your action plan in the Portal between sessions.

If your problem is not enough income to cover basics, ask the counselor about emergency government resources, and see public benefits for TLC drivers for help applying for SNAP, Medicaid, Fair Fares and HEAP.

Other free money help for drivers

Free tax preparation

TLC's Driver Resources page describes NYC Free Tax Prep, done by IRS-certified VITA/TCE volunteers, in four ways: in person, drop-off, virtual (video) and assisted self-preparation. Sites are in all five boroughs. Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/taxprep to check eligibility. Services are offered in English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean and Russian, with others by phone interpretation. Getting your return right also matters for the Saver's Credit and your retirement savings.

Small Business Development Centers for driver-owners

If you own your vehicle or a medallion and treat it as a business, the free CUNY-based SBDCs that TLC lists can help with business plans and licensing questions: Bronx (Lehman College) (718) 960-8806; Midtown Manhattan (Baruch) (646) 312-4790; Queens – LaGuardia (718) 482-5303; Queens – York (718) 262-2880; Staten Island (718) 982-2560.

Money owed to you by a base, owner or fleet

That is not a counseling problem. TLC's Driver Protection Unit investigates failure to pay you for completed trips, failure to return your security deposit, lease or vehicle-purchase overcharges, identity theft and retaliation. TLC says the unit "has helped drivers get back more than $3.2 million." Call (718) 391-5539.

Medallion owners

The TLC Resource Center's free legal services are for small-business medallion owners with six or fewer medallions, by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays and walk-in Thursdays. They cover estate planning, credit card debt, forming an LLC and medallion issues, but not TLC or OATH summonses. See the Resource Center guide.

App and black car drivers

If you drive for a Black Car Fund member base, Rideshare Legal Services (through Drivers Benefits) offers free legal consultations, including on Chapter 7 bankruptcy, small claims court and up to 10 pages of document review. Call 1-833-814-8590 for a referral.

Related: TLC Owner/Driver Resource Center, public benefits for TLC drivers, free legal help, mental health help, Black Car Fund benefits, taxi security deposit rules, toll payer advocate help and the money topic.