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Driver rights & help programs: TLC Driver Hub

Your rights as a NYC TLC driver and who enforces them: unpaid earnings, deposits, lockouts, discrimination and deactivation, plus free help and legal aid.

  • Reviewed
  • 2 min read
  • 6 official sources
On this page (9)
  1. Start here: five things to know
  2. Who handles what
  3. Most common questions
  4. Guides by task
  5. Data and statistics
  6. Tools for this topic
  7. Official contacts and sources
  8. FAQ
  9. Sources

In short: TLC rules and city law give drivers real rights: to be paid what you earned, to get your deposit back, to receive leases and receipts, to keep all your tips and tolls on app trips, to notice before an app lockout, and to be free from discrimination by the companies you work for. Each right has an office that enforces it, and that office is often not TLC's summons system. This hub tells you who to go to, and links the guides that walk you through it.

Start here: five things to know

Where to go first (as of October 12, 2026)

  1. Money owed to you goes to TLC's Driver Protection Unit, not to OATH. It also handles retaliation for complaining to TLC.
  2. Free help with debt, credit, legal problems, health and public benefits comes from the TLC Owner/Driver Resource Center.
  3. Discrimination against you is covered by the NYC Human Rights Law, including for independent contractors since Local Law 172 of 2019. How to file: a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights.
  4. Summonses that aren't yours: TLC rules limit when a base, lessor or owner can pass you a summons written to them. See can my base make me pay a summons.
  5. Deactivation: the city law is blocked in court (July 2026), so the app's own appeal process applies for now. See the apps hub.

Who handles what

Your problem → who to contact

ProblemWho handles itHow
Base, fleet or app didn't pay a tripTLC Driver Protection Unit(718) 391-5539 · driverprotection@tlc.nyc.gov
Deposit not returned, no lease or receiptsTLC Driver Protection UnitSame as above; keep copies of everything
Discrimination by a company you drive forNYC Commission on Human RightsFile within 1 year (3 for gender-based harassment)
Debt, credit, legal or benefits helpTLC Owner/Driver Resource CenterBook an appointment on TLC's driver resources page
A TLC summonsOATH hearingOur summons guides and tools
App account deactivatedThe app's own appeal processKeep evidence; see our deactivation guide

For a step-by-step version, use the driver help finder.

Most common questions

Guides by task

Data and statistics

What drivers told TLC in its first driver survey is in TLC driver survey 2026 results, and who drives in NYC in TLC driver origins and languages.

Tools for this topic

Driver help finder to find the right office · minimum pay estimator to check an app trip before you complain.

Official contacts and sources

TLC's Driver Resources page lists the Resource Center, the Driver Protection Unit, free financial counseling through NYC Financial Empowerment Centers, and legal and small-business help. The NYC Commission on Human Rights explains the law and deadlines on its law page. This page is general information, not legal advice; for a dispute with money at stake, get advice early.

Everything in this topic

Guides

16See all 16
Driver rightsBlack Car Fund Workers' Comp: How to File a ClaimHurt on an Uber, Lyft or black car trip? Who the Black Car Fund covers, the 3 calls to make, the papers to gather, and how the two-thirds wage benefit works.Read Driver rightsEvery TLC Rule Change in 2025, in Plain EnglishAll 12 TLC rule packages adopted in 2025 with vote and start dates: app pay and lockouts, WAV e-hail, TIF, Vision Zero points, PIP cut, ads and decals.Read Driver rightsFree Legal Help for NYC Drivers: Who Handles WhatThe free legal hotlines TLC lists for drivers, matched to your problem: debt, housing, small claims, immigration, parking tickets, medallions, OATH hearings.Read Driver rightsGet Paid for Classes: BCF Earn While You Learn ($400 DDC)Black Car Fund pays eligible drivers $400 for its defensive driving class, $250 for Wellness STEP and up to $250 for RIDE. Who qualifies, timing and rules.Read Driver rightsHow TLC Makes Rules and How Drivers Can Speak UpHow a TLC rule goes from proposal to public hearing to Commission vote to effective date, who the 9 Commissioners are, and how to comment or testify yourself.Read Driver rightsHow to File a Human Rights Complaint as a DriverFiling a discrimination complaint with the NYC Commission on Human Rights: the 1-year deadline, why the online form doesn't stop the clock, and each step.Read Driver rightsKnow Your Rights: NYC TLC Drivers at a GlanceEvery right a NYC taxi or app driver has, on one page: pay floor, lockouts, sick leave, lease caps, no retaliation, bias, workers' comp, and who enforces it.Read Driver rightsNYC Driver Unions & Advocacy Groups ComparedNYTWA and the Independent Drivers Guild side by side, using only what each says on its own site: who they represent, dues, services, deactivation help.Read Driver rightsNYC Human Rights Law: Protections for DriversIndependent-contractor drivers are covered by the NYC Human Rights Law. The protected classes, what counts as job, housing or public bias, and deadlines.Read Driver rightsOfficial Websites and Apps for NYC Drivers (Avoid Fakes)The real web addresses and phone numbers for TLC, LARS, TLC UP, OATH, DMV, E-ZPass, Tolls by Mail and the Black Car Fund, and how to spot a fake look-alike.Read Driver rightsTLC Driver Calendar 2026–2027: Every Key DateDated, sourced deadlines for NYC TLC drivers from fall 2026 into 2027: TLC office closings, tax dates, the March pay update, pending rules and renewals.Read Driver rightsTLC Driver Protection Unit: Get Money You're OwedTLC's Driver Protection Unit chases unpaid trips, kept deposits, lease overcharges and retaliation. What it handles, what to send, and what it can't do.Read

Questions

10All questions
Driver rightsCan My Base or Car Owner Make Me Pay Their Summons?Usually no. TLC rules bar bases, FHV owners and taxi owners from making you pay their summonses, with a few exceptions for parking and red-light tickets.Read Driver rightsCan My Owner or Base Retaliate If I Complain to TLC?No. TLC rules bar taxi owners, FHV owners, bases, green cab owners and Uber/Lyft from retaliating over good-faith complaints: $1,000 + restitution, then $10K.Read Driver rightsDo Yellow Taxi Drivers Get Black Car Fund Benefits?Mostly no. Black Car Fund coverage follows dispatches from member bases, and taxis aren't one. Where taxi drivers' workers' comp comes from, and the app case.Read Driver rightsDoes the Black Car Fund Cover Me on a Street Hail?No. Black Car Fund workers' comp covers injuries on jobs dispatched by a Member Base. Street hails and non-member base jobs aren't covered, even for app work.Read Driver rightsDoes the Black Car Fund Pay for Car Damage?No. The Black Car Fund pays workers' comp for your injuries only: not car repairs, not income lost while the car is in the shop, and not passenger injuries.Read Driver rightsIs There a Union for Uber Drivers in NYC?Yes, you can join NYTWA or the IDG. But no union has a contract with Uber or Lyft that sets your pay. What joining gets you, what it costs, what it can't do.Read Driver rightsMy Base or Fleet Didn't Pay Me for a Trip: What Now?Unpaid for trips you drove? Gather your trip records, ask in writing, then file with TLC's Driver Protection Unit. Small claims and the anti-retaliation rule.Read Driver rightsMy Fleet Won't Return My Security DepositTaxi owners must return a lease deposit within 30 days and itemize deductions; FHV leases must set a return date of 30 days or less. How to get yours back.Read Driver rightsTaxi Broke Down: Do I Still Pay the Full Lease?No. If the cab is out of service through no fault of yours, TLC rule 58-21 says the owner must pro-rate your lease. What counts and how to get money back.Read Driver rightsTaxi WAV Drivers: The $77 Weekly Credit ExplainedIf your taxi owner gets TIF money for a wheelchair-accessible cab, rule 58-21 cuts your weekly lease by $77. Who qualifies, receipts, what to do if missing.Read

Glossary

8All glossary
Average weekly wage (AWW)Your gross pay averaged over the 52 weeks before a work injury; workers' comp cash benefits are two-thirds of it, within state limits.Black Car Fund (BCF)New York's not-for-profit workers' comp insurer for drivers of black car member bases, including Uber and Lyft; funded by a passenger surcharge.DCWPNYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection: the city agency for consumer and worker rights, financial counseling and (if unblocked) app deactivation complaints.Driver Protection Unit (DPU)The TLC unit that investigates licensee-against-licensee money complaints: unpaid earnings, deposits, lease overcharges, missing receipts, identity theft and retaliation.Drivers Benefits programThe Black Car Fund's free health and income-protection benefits for eligible black car and app drivers; you must enroll, and enroll before an injury for some coverage.Independent contractorA worker who runs their own business rather than being an employee; most TLC drivers are treated this way, but some New York laws treat them as employees for specific purposes.Owner/Driver Resource Center (O/DRC)TLC's free help office for licensees: legal help for small medallion owners, pay-dispute referrals, financial counseling and benefits help.Paid sick leave (rideshare)Paid time off for illness that Uber and Lyft drivers in New York earn under the Attorney General's 2023 settlements: 1 hour per 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours a year.

Statistics

2All statistics
Driver rightsTLC Driver Survey 2026: What Nearly 4,000 Drivers SaidTLC's first driver survey, April 2026: nearly 4,000 answers, 36% in other languages. Bathrooms and pickup spots top the problems; views on fines are split.See the data Driver rightsWho Drives NYC: TLC Driver Origins & Languages93% of TLC licensees were born outside the U.S. and speak 100+ languages; over half come from 5 countries. TLC's official figures plus live license counts.See the data

Free tools

1All free tools
Driver rightsDriver Help Finder: Who Can Help With This?Answer two or three questions and get the right office for your problem: unpaid trips, deactivation, injury, bias, a summons, tolls, money or mental health.Open tool

Other topics

OATH hearings & processFines, payments & suspensionsTraffic safety, points & camerasEnforcement & unlicensed activityPassengers & service rulesGetting & keeping a TLC licenseVehicles, bases & inspectionsApps, bases & deactivationElectric vehicles & chargingMedallions & ownershipAirports: JFK, LaGuardia & NewarkTolls, E-ZPass & congestion pricingZones, stands & places to workPay, fees & earnings rulesTaxes for TLC drivers

Frequently asked questions

Who do I call if my base, fleet or app didn't pay me?

TLC's Driver Protection Unit: (718) 391-5539 or driverprotection@tlc.nyc.gov. It investigates unpaid earnings, security deposits not returned, missing leases and receipts, lease or vehicle-purchase overcharges, identity theft and retaliation for complaining to TLC.

Am I protected from discrimination as an independent contractor?

Yes, under NYC law. Local Law 172 of 2019 says the NYC Human Rights Law's employee protections also apply to freelancers and independent contractors. A complaint to the NYC Commission on Human Rights must be filed within one year of the last act (three years for gender-based harassment).

Does a law stop Uber or Lyft from deactivating me without notice?

Not right now. NYC's Local Law 52 of 2026 would require 14 days' notice in most cases, but a federal judge blocked the city from enforcing it in July 2026. TLC's separate lockout rule (72 hours' notice) is in effect.

Where can I get free financial or legal help?

TLC's Owner/Driver Resource Center offers free financial counseling, legal services, health and mental health resources and help applying for public benefits. Book through TLC's driver resources page.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on .

  1. NYC TLC: Driver Protection Unit nyc.gov
  2. NYC TLC: Driver Resources (Owner/Driver Resource Center) nyc.gov
  3. NYC Commission on Human Rights: The Law nyc.gov
  4. NYC Local Law 172 of 2019 (independent contractors) nyc.gov
  5. TLC Rule Book, Chapter 59 (§59D-17, §59D-22(c)) nyc.gov
  6. Reuters via Insurance Journal: court blocks NYC deactivation law (July 23, 2026) insurancejournal.com

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.

TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.

Related

GuideTLC Driver Protection Unit: Get Money You're OwedTLC's Driver Protection Unit chases unpaid trips, kept deposits, lease overcharges and retaliation. What it handles, what to send, and what it can't do.Read GuideTLC Owner/Driver Resource Center: Free Help for DriversTLC's Owner/Driver Resource Center offers free legal help for small medallion owners, money counseling, benefits applications and wellness. How to book it.Read GuideNYC Human Rights Law: Protections for DriversIndependent-contractor drivers are covered by the NYC Human Rights Law. The protected classes, what counts as job, housing or public bias, and deadlines.Read GuideKnow Your Rights: NYC TLC Drivers at a GlanceEvery right a NYC taxi or app driver has, on one page: pay floor, lockouts, sick leave, lease caps, no retaliation, bias, workers' comp, and who enforces it.Read Free toolDriver Help Finder: Who Can Help With This?Answer two or three questions and get the right office for your problem: unpaid trips, deactivation, injury, bias, a summons, tolls, money or mental health.Open tool GuideFree Legal Help for NYC Drivers: Who Handles WhatThe free legal hotlines TLC lists for drivers, matched to your problem: debt, housing, small claims, immigration, parking tickets, medallions, OATH hearings.Read