Leaving Driving: Close Out Your TLC License Right

When you stop driving for good, five things need closing: your TLC license, any open summonses, the car and plates (if you own or lease one), your benefits and claims, and your tax records. Nothing closes automatically. A cancelled license does not cancel a summons, and handing in FHV plates ends that license permanently. So do the steps in the right order, and keep proof of each one.

This page is the exit checklist. For the cancellation form itself, see cancelling or surrendering a TLC license. If you only need a few months away, read taking a break from driving instead, because the choices are different.

Step 1: Your TLC driver license

You have two choices.

Let it expire. If there is any chance you will come back, this keeps your options open. A TLC driver license can be renewed up to 180 days after it expires, with a $25 late fee (rule §80-06(d)). After that you must apply as a new driver. The catch: until the expiration date, the license still has duties. TLC's drug testing page says every TLC driver must pass a drug test every year. A missed interim test means a suspension, and a test taken 30 or more days late adds a $200 fine. Your license can be suspended for that even if you no longer drive.

Cancel it. Email your license and a signed Request to Cancel NYC TLC Issued License to TLCcompliance@tlc.nyc.gov, or mail them to TLC, Re: Driver License Cancellation, 31-00 47th Avenue, 3rd floor, Long Island City, NY 11101 (Licensed Drivers FAQ). TLC's form says this is permanent: the license cannot be reopened.

If you are a long-time driver who might return within a few years, note one detail. Rule §80-04(j)(11) can excuse returning drivers from the 24-hour course if they held a license for at least 10 years and reapply within 2 years of expiry (15 years if reapplying 2 to 5 years after), with no fines outstanding at expiry. It does not apply if the old license was surrendered or expired while revocation charges were pending.

Step 2: Summonses and fines don't leave with you

TLC states it plainly: cancelling "does not remove outstanding suspensions and/or summonses," and they "must be closed before you reapply." A summons is a case at OATH. If you miss the hearing, you can lose by default, and the fine stays owed.

• Look up every open summons (check your TLC summons status).
• For each one, decide whether to fight it or pay. Paying TLC fines covers payment plans.
• Write down your hearing dates. OATH also holds hearings by phone; see OATH phone hearings.
• Keep your mailing address current in LARS. Rule §80-04(i) lets the city serve notices at the address TLC has on file, and leave them with anyone who lives there.

Step 3: The car

The storage details are on TLC's FHV license storage page. If a license is not taken out of storage when the 90 days end, TLC's page says it faces a $300 fine, suspension and revocation for non-use. Tell your base you are leaving so it stops dispatching to your car. If a lease company won't return your deposit or charges you money you don't owe, TLC's Driver Protection Unit handles these disputes: (718) 391-5539, driverprotection@tlc.nyc.gov.

Step 4: Benefits and claims

Black Car Fund (BCF). If you drove for a BCF member base (this includes the app companies), the Fund is your workers' compensation insurer for on-the-job injuries (BCF FAQs). If you have an open claim, quitting does not mean you should go quiet. Call the claims team at 212-269-4800 so they have your new phone and address. BCF's free Drivers Benefits program is for "Eligible Drivers," meaning drivers affiliated with a member base. Ask the Fund how long your coverage lasts after you stop.

Leaving because of an injury? TLC's workers' compensation sheet has a separate process. You email proof of your claim and a doctor's letter to TLCcompliance@tlc.nyc.gov and surrender your license by mail, and the license is suspended while you are unable to work. See can I drive while on workers' comp.

Unemployment. Uber's NYC benefits page (April 15, 2026) says drivers "may be eligible" for unemployment insurance through the NYS Department of Labor, and that Uber contributes for drivers in New York. Eligibility is the state's decision, so apply with NYS DOL and keep your pay statements ready.

Paid sick leave. Under the Attorney General's settlement with Uber and Lyft, app drivers earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours a year (AG information sheet). We could not confirm whether an unused balance is paid out when you leave. Ask in the app before your last trip, and use any hours you need while you still can.

Step 5: Taxes and records

Your final driving year still needs a tax return. Expect the usual year-end tax forms from the apps or your base. The IRS says to keep the records behind a return for generally 3 years after you file. Some situations need longer: 6 years if you left out more than 25% of your income, and forever if you never filed (IRS). Keep pay statements, mileage logs, lease receipts, and toll and fuel records together. Any IRA or solo 401(k) you opened is yours. It doesn't close when you stop driving.

Coming from abroad and unsure how leaving affects your other paperwork? The immigrant drivers guide covers IDs and Social Security issues. If your TLC card is lost and you need it to cancel, use the "lost or stolen" box on the form; you don't need a replacement first.

General information, not legal or tax advice. TLC pages and rules checked October 12, 2026.