NYC Fare Evasion Ticket: How to Pay or Fight It

A fare evasion ticket on the subway or bus is usually a Notice of Violation. It is handled by the MTA's Transit Adjudication Bureau (TAB), which processes Notices of Violation for breaking the rules of conduct in New York City Transit subway and bus facilities, including fare evasion. It is not an OATH case and not a parking ticket.

Your deadline is the hearing date on the ticket

The "hearing date" printed on the Notice of Violation is the last day to respond. By that date you must either pay the fine or dispute the charge. If you don't, TAB says you lose the right to dispute the violation and become responsible for the fine, penalties and interest.

Why the ticket doesn't show a fine

A fare evasion Notice of Violation does not state the amount you owe. The fine depends on how many fare evasion violations you have had in the past four years. TAB mails you either a Notice of Warning or a Notice of Fine, which you should receive within 15 days of getting the ticket. If nothing arrives within 15 days, contact TAB, and update your address with TAB if the one on the ticket is not current.

Fare evasion fines, effective January 1, 2025:

• First offense in four years: a warning, no fine. There is nothing to pay and no need to respond, though you can still contest it at a hearing.
• Second offense: $100. TAB gives a $50 OMNY credit if the fine is paid in full and on time, picked up at the TAB office within 60 days of payment.
• Third offense and up: $150 or a criminal summons.

If a Notice of Fine links earlier violations to you, you have the right to dispute that match. Contact TAB to ask which Notices of Violation were linked.

Fair Fares NYC: reduced or waived fines

• If you were enrolled in Fair Fares NYC when the ticket was issued, the fare evasion fine can be cut by 50%. You must prove enrollment, in person at TAB or by email to TAB.FairFares@nyct.com.
• If you were not enrolled, but you enroll after the ticket and before your hearing date, you can get a one-time waiver of the fine.
• To get more time to apply, you can ask for a 45-day extension by sending TAB its "Intention to Apply for Fair Fares NYC" form on or before your hearing date. If you don't come back with proof of enrollment within the 45 days, the balance, which may include penalties and interest, is due immediately.

Option 1: Pay the fine

You can pay online, by phone, by MoneyGram (TAB code 12728), in person at the TAB office, or by mail with a check or money order payable to "Transit Adjudication Bureau" with the Notice of Violation number. TAB asks you to allow up to ten days for a mailed payment to be processed.

If you can't pay in full and owe at least $40, you can ask for a Time Payment Plan by phone or in person. It gives you 60 days to pay and has a $10 processing fee. It is available before your hearing date and for 30 days after it, but not once the second late penalty has been added.

Option 2: Fight it at a TAB hearing

A hearing is held before an impartial Hearing Officer. You have the right to a hearing even if you only got a warning and owe nothing. You do not need a lawyer, though you may use one at your own expense. If you need a new hearing date, contact TAB: the request must be received on or before your original hearing date.

By mail or email

Send TAB its "Hearing by Mail or Email" form, which TAB must receive on or before your hearing date (TAB is not responsible for postal delays). The email address for these hearings is TABHearingByMail@nyct.com, and the mailing address is Transit Adjudication Bureau, P.O. Box 29133, Brooklyn, NY 11202-9133. Emailed documents and photos must be JPEG or PDF. Video is not accepted by email; it must be on a DVD in MP4 format. TAB mails you the decision, so make sure it has your current address.

In person

You can appear at the TAB office, 29 Gallatin Place, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on any business day on or before your hearing date. Bring the Notice of Violation, photo ID, a parent or legal guardian if you are under 18, and any evidence and witnesses. Documents and photos must be printed, and video must be on a DVD in MP4 format. Recording devices are not allowed in hearing rooms, and everyone who testifies is under oath.

Evidence TAB says it needs for fare evasion

• If you tapped a contactless card or phone: TAB needs the OMNY Transit Account Number (TAN) to verify your payment. It says bank statements and photos can't be verified without it. You can get the TAN from OMNY Customer Service at 877-789-6669 or by adding the card to an account at omny.info.
• You may bring the MetroCard, OMNY card, or contactless card or device you say you used.
• If you couldn't pay a Select Bus Service fare because the curbside kiosk wasn't working, include TAB's SBS Outage form.

After the hearing

If the violation is dismissed, you owe nothing. If it is upheld, you must pay the fine. You have 30 days to appeal.

Appealing a TAB decision

• TAB must receive your Notice of Appeal within 30 days of the date on your Notice of Decision and Order. You can mail, email or bring it in.
• You must pay the full fine before appealing, unless you apply for a Financial Hardship Waiver with proof of hardship. Even with a waiver, penalties and interest keep adding up if you lose.
• An appeal is not a new hearing. A board of three Hearing Officers reviews the hearing record; no new testimony or evidence is considered. If you win, what you paid is refunded.
• After the Appeals Board decides, you can challenge its decision in New York State Supreme Court with an Article 78 proceeding.

If you ignore it

• Missing the hearing date adds a $25 penalty. If you still don't respond, a second $25 penalty is added 30 days after the hearing date.
• TAB collects unpaid fines and penalties through letters, calls, court actions, wage garnishment, state tax refund offsets, and a City Marshal or Sheriff. Interest accrues at 9% a year.
• If you missed the date, you may still get a hearing by showing good cause, using TAB's "Request to Stay Entry of Default Judgment/Vacate Default Judgment" form. If TAB says no, you must pay the fine and all penalties.

Contact TAB

• Phone: (347) 643-5805
• Office: 29 Gallatin Place, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (payments until 4:45 p.m.)
• Address changes and record requests: TAB.inquiry@nyct.com
• Free interpreters in over 170 languages, and ASL interpretation if you contact TAB at least two weeks ahead.

Official sources

• MTA: Transit Adjudication Bureau
• MTA: Understand your Notice of Violation
• MTA: Pay a fine
• MTA: TAB hearings
• MTA: Appeal a TAB hearing decision

Checked against these pages on November 2, 2026. Rules and amounts can change, so confirm with TAB before you act.

See also: NYC summons guide · How to respond to a summons · Summons lookup