General State Charges
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The General State Charges budget (GSC) supports the cost of state employee and retiree fringe benefits such as health insurance, pensions, employer social security contributions, and workers’ compensation, and pays a variety of other state responsibilities including the cost of judgments and settlements against the state, taxes on state-owned land, and payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs).
Budget Highlights
The FY 2025 Executive Budget recommends appropriations totaling $7.8 billion (All Funds), including General Fund appropriations of $7.4 billion and Fiduciary Fund appropriations of $0.4 billion. The year-to-year increase of $766 million is primarily attributable to an increase in the State’s share of health insurance for its employees and retirees. Additionally, the State's pension costs have increased due to ongoing market volatility in 2023 and resulting losses in the Common Retirement Fund.
The Executive Budget actions for General State Charges include:
- A variable market-based interest rate on court judgments paid by public and private entities, intended to provide relief for local governments and lower state taxpayer costs. A prevailing market rate will help ensure that neither side in a lawsuit will be disadvantaged by an interest rate that is above or below what otherwise could be earned while cases are adjudicated.
- Eliminating the reimbursement for the Medicare Part B Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) for high income State retirees. The Federal government imposed this supplemental IRMAA premium in 2007 requiring high income retirees to pay a greater share of Medicare costs. New York taxpayers currently subsidize the entire IRMAA premium for these high income State retirees. Eliminating this subsidy would result in an estimated savings of $5.7 million in FY2025, growing to $23.5 million in FY2026.
- The charging of interest for late payments to the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) and the withholding of State aid or other funds paid by the State for any amounts past due. This is necessary because arrears have increased substantively – totaling $505 million on balances of 60 days or more – and this has resulted in increased premiums to the State, other NYSHIP employers, and NYSHIP enrollees.
For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:
Briefing Book – State Workforce (PDF)
| Category | Available FY 2024 |
Appropriations Recommended FY 2025 |
Change From FY 2024 |
Reappropriations Recommended FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Operations | 7,077,836,000 | 7,843,598,000 | 765,762,000 | 10,630,235 |
| Total | 7,077,836,000 | 7,843,598,000 | 765,762,000 | 10,630,235 |
| Fund Type | Available FY 2024 |
Recommended FY 2025 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiduciary | 400,500,000 | 400,500,000 | 0 |
| General Fund | 6,677,336,000 | 7,443,098,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Total | 7,077,836,000 | 7,843,598,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Program | Available FY 2024 |
Recommended FY 2025 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General State Charges | |||
| Fiduciary | 400,500,000 | 400,500,000 | 0 |
| General Fund | 6,677,336,000 | 7,443,098,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Total | 7,077,836,000 | 7,843,598,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Program | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | |
| General State Charges | 7,443,098,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Total | 7,443,098,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Program | Maintenance Undistributed | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | |
| General State Charges | 7,443,098,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Total | 7,443,098,000 | 765,762,000 |
| Program | Total | Maintenance Undistributed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Change | Amount | Change | |
| General State Charges | 400,500,000 | 0 | 400,500,000 | 0 |
| Total | 400,500,000 | 0 | 400,500,000 | 0 |
Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/16/2024