Taking a Break From Driving: Travel, Illness, Burnout

A break from driving does not stop the clock on your TLC driver license. Your yearly drug test and your renewal deadline keep running whether you work or not, and we found no TLC program that pauses a driver license. What you can pause is a vehicle license: an FHV can go into storage for up to 90 days once every two-year term, and a medallion for up to 60 days.

So plan around dates, not around how long you want to be away. Look up your interim drug test date and expiration date in TLC UP before you book a ticket. Then match them against the storage rules below.

What keeps running on your driver license

The yearly (interim) drug test. TLC's drug testing page says every taxi, green cab and FHV driver must pass a drug test every year. You take it no more than 90 days before the anniversary of the date your license was issued. TLC rejects tests taken earlier than that. If you miss it, your license is suspended. If you test 30 or more days after the interim date, it stays suspended and a $200 fine is added. In practice: if you will be away for the whole 90-day window, test inside the window before you leave.

The renewal. In your third year, the drug test and the renewal course must both fall in the 90 days before expiration. If you will be away then, rule §80-06(c) lets you ask TLC to move your expiration date earlier. You can do this once per license term, on TLC's form, so you can finish everything before you go. If you come back after the license expired, you still have 180 days to renew late, with a $25 fee. But you cannot drive for hire until the renewal is approved. Full steps are in the renewal guide.

Your mail. Rule §80-04(i) says city agencies can serve notices at your mailing address and leave them with anyone who lives there. A summons or suspension notice that arrives while you are away still counts. Ask someone at home to open TLC and OATH mail, or update your address in LARS.

Your DMV license. Your chauffeur's license must be valid when you drive again. Driving without one is a separate violation with a suspension (80-11(c)(1)). If it expires while you are away, renew it with the DMV before your first shift back.

Pausing a car you own

FHV short-term storage. TLC's storage page and rule 59A-36 set the terms. You get storage once per two-year term, for up to 90 consecutive days, with no fee. To qualify, all suspensions must be cleared and all TLC fines and fees paid. You can't have a pending plate, base or vehicle transfer, and the license can't be in "renewal pending" status. The plates must be surrendered to the DMV within 60 days before the storage request. You then request it in TLC UP → Menu → Storage. While the license is stored, TLC does not enforce insurance or inspection, the car may not work for hire, and the license drops off the Open Data active list. To come back, you request new plates (a plate transfer) or a vehicle transfer in TLC UP, pay in LARS and pass inspection. Using storage once and leaving early still uses up your one storage for that term.

Medallion storage. Owners can put a medallion and rate card into storage for up to 60 days by emailing the Medallion Storage Receipt form to operationsm@tlc.nyc.gov (Medallion Storage). The status shows as "suspended" and the cab can't operate. Coming out takes different documents depending on whether you surrendered plates.

Green cab (SHL) permit. The permit can be stored if it is not suspended or expired and all fines are paid. You do this in person, at an SHL appointment, with the storage form, rate card and ID (TLC green cab page).

Renting or leasing? Storage is for license owners. If you rent, your options are in your lease, so talk to the owner before you go. For questions about your plates while abroad, see can I pause my TLC plates while abroad.

If you're sick or injured

Hurt on the job. If you are collecting workers' compensation, TLC's compliance sheet says to email TLCcompliance@tlc.nyc.gov with proof you filed and a signed, stamped doctor's letter saying you can't work (no more than six months old). You also mail in your license. The license is suspended while you are off. To return, you send a fit-to-work letter and proof the benefits ended, then get new credentials for $25. The renewal clock still runs during this time. See can I drive while on workers' comp.

Short illness, app drivers. App drivers earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours a year. Uber's NYC benefits page says that as of March 1, 2026, an hour redeems for $18.58. You request it in the Driver app's NYC Benefits Hub. We have not verified Lyft's current rate, so check the Lyft app.

Burnout and mental health

Taking time off because you are exhausted is a real reason. You don't have to wait for a crisis.

• 988: call or text any time for free, confidential support (listed on TLC's Driver Resources page).
• IDG Mental Health and Wellness Program (funded by the Black Car Fund): free counseling for drivers and their families, plus help with SNAP and other benefits. Counselors speak English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali and Moroccan (as BCF lists them). Email wellness@drivingguild.org (BCF page).
• TLC Owner/Driver Resource Center: free financial counseling, legal services, health and mental health resources, and help applying for public benefits, by appointment.

If you decide during the break that you won't come back, switch to the leaving-the-industry checklist. If your card goes missing while you travel, see lost or stolen TLC license.

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