Their check bounced. New York lets you demand more than the check.
After a compliant written demand, the maker of a dishonored check owes the face amount plus additional statutory damages under GOL 11-104's schedule. This service sends the statutory demand sequence: a first certified-mail demand in the statute's form, then the follow-up demand the statute requires: exactly as the law prescribes.
Flat fee $499, signed by a licensed New York attorney, draft within 48 hours, mailed on your approval.
Reviewed by Daniel Hochman, Esq. · Last updated November 1, 2026
New York lets the payee of a bounced check recover the face amount and, after a compliant two-step written demand, additional statutory damages on the schedule in GOL § 11-104. The first demand goes by certified mail in the statute's form, and the second follows at least fifteen days after the first is received. The extra damages apply only if you gave conspicuous public notice of them before taking the check.
Upload the returned check and the bank's dishonor notice at intake. Stop-payment cases arising from a genuine dispute about the underlying deal are contract matters, not 11-104 letters, and are screened as the terms describe. Background reading from the firm: bounced check law in New York.
The demand sequence is the predicate
Enhanced liability requires a two-step demand sequence: a first written demand sent by certified mail in the statute's form, then a second demand mailed at least fifteen days after receipt of the first. Form and sequence matter: a casual email doesn't trigger the statute; this letter is the compliant first statutory demand, with the follow-up second demand included in the service.
GOL § 11-104
The statutory add-on
Beyond the face amount, the statute imposes additional damages per its schedule, computed for your check in the letter and capped as the statute provides.
Conspicuous notice is a precondition
The additional damages are available only to a payee who posted or otherwise gave conspicuous public notice of them before the check was accepted, stating the potential damages and the section of law authorizing them. Without that prior notice, you can still recover the face amount, just not the statutory add-on, and attorney review checks for this before the letter is drafted.
GOL § 11-104(6)
The compliance window
Payment of the face amount and costs within the statutory windows limits the maker's exposure; continued refusal after the second demand ripens the full enhanced claim, and the letter states both paths plainly.
Questions before you start
How much extra can I actually demand?
The statute sets a schedule with caps; the letter computes your exact figure rather than promising a number the statute might not support for your check.
How old can the check be?
The claim must be within the six year contract limitations period, and fresher is stronger; the intake verifies dates.
Do I qualify for the extra damages, or just the face amount?
Only if you gave conspicuous public notice of the additional damages before you took the check, typically a posted sign at the point of sale. Most individuals collecting on a personal check for a private sale, rent, or a loan repayment won't have done this, and the letter still demands the face amount either way; attorney review checks which applies before anything drafts.
Statutes cited on this page
General Obligations Law § 11-104 (General Obligations Law)
Each link opens the official text at the New York State Senate's Open Legislation site (federal sections: Cornell Law School's U.S. Code).