Free financial coaching
NYC Financial Empowerment Centers | NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)
1. How it Works
NYC Financial Empowerment Centers provide free, one-on-one professional financial counseling and coaching to help you reach your goals.
Your financial counselor will work with you to:
Manage your money
Check your credit
Set up a spending plan
Open a safe and affordable bank account
Contact your lenders about debt, including student loans
Develop a strategy to reduce your debt or lower payments
Access emergency government resources
In your first session, you will develop a list of action steps to help you reach your financial goals.
Your counselor will ask you about your financial history and ask to see any financial documents.
You may attend as many follow-up sessions as you want with your counselor.
You can meet with a counselor in person or over the phone.
You can choose your preferred language for services.
Services are secure and confidential.
Financial Empowerment Centers do not provide loans or grants.
2. Determine your eligibility
You are eligible for free financial counseling if you:
Live or work in NYC; and
Are at least 18 years old
Income and immigration status do not matter.
3. What you need to include
Your financial counselor can better support you if they have more information about your finances. If you don’t have your documents with you, that’s OK too!
Financial documents you can show your counselor include:
Bills or statements
Copies of your credit report
Collection notices
Copies of your tax returns
Paystubs
Court papers
Student loan bills or loan information, which can be found on studentaid.gov
4. How to apply
Here are your options.
Apply online
Book an appointment online for an in-person or phone financial counseling session.
You can also set up a Portal account to:
manage your appointments
securely share information and documents with your financial counselor
review and update your personal financial Action Plan
Apply by phone
Call 311 and say “financial counseling”.
Apply in person
Choose a location to make an appointment. You can choose your preferred language for services.
Financial Empowerment Centers will take walk-ins when possible. It is best to book an appointment first.