Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

If you are experiencing sudden changes to your household budget or income due to COVID-19, financial counselors can help you:

  • Manage your money and set up a spending plan
  • Contact creditors about existing loans, including student loans
  • Draft letters to creditors to lower payments or temporarily suspend payments due to hardship
  • Develop a strategy to minimize debt
  • Access local, state, and federal emergency resources 

Many Financial Empowerment Centers are not providing in-person assistance at this time, but you can still schedule an appointment to speak with a financial counselor by phone. You'll need to sign up for a Financial Empowerment Portal account first.

Sign up and book an appointment online.

Need something else?

You can schedule an appointment with a New York City Financial Empowerment Center Counselor.

Counselors can help you:

  • Take control of your debt
  • Deal with debt collectors
  • Improve your credit
  • Create a budget
  • Open a bank account
  • Start an emergency fund
  • Save and plan for your future

Financial counseling is free and confidential. Professional counselors speak multiple languages.

Same-day, walk-in appointments are possible if counselors are available.

Financial Empowerment Centers are run by the Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment, in partnership with:

  • Ariva
  • Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
  • BronxWorks
  • Chhaya CDC
  • Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners
  • New York Legal Assistance Group
  • Urban Upbound

Online

Book an appointment online.

By Phone

Call 311 for assistance.