What New York requires
Section 100.2(c)(13) of the Commissioner’s regulations creates a statewide instructional requirement for public school students. Instruction must reach students by the end of grades 4, 8, and 12. NYSED clarifies that the first fully covered middle- and high-school cohorts enter grades 5 and 9 in 2026–27; students exiting those bands during that initial year may not yet have received the instruction.[1][4]
The rule is not a personal finance graduation-credit mandate. New York’s diploma rules still require 22 credits, including one-half credit each in economics and participation in government, while the new financial literacy requirement can be taught through several locally selected delivery models.[6][1]
NYSED expressly states that it did not create new personal finance learning standards or adopt a national standards framework. Instead, the Department published grade-band learning objectives in five topic areas to guide the instruction that districts must provide.[1][5]
A pending bill, A5052, would create a different high school course and graduation requirement. As of this review, it remains in the Assembly Education Committee and is not current law, so it is not used to classify New York’s existing requirement.[7]
- Grades / placement
- Grades K–4, Grades 5–8, Grades 9–12
- Responsible agency
- New York State Education Department
- Assessment required
- Not located
- Evidence
- 7 primary sources
Implementation timeline
- Milestone 01
The Board of Regents adopted the amendment to section 100.2(c) as a permanent rule.[1]
- Milestone 02
The personal finance instruction regulation became permanently effective.[2]
- Milestone 03
Public schools must begin instruction for the grades 5–8 and 9–12 bands.[3]
- Milestone 04
Students entering grade 9 in 2026–27 are the first high-school cohort that must receive the instruction by the end of grade 12.[4]
- Milestone 05
Public schools must begin instruction for the K–4 grade band.[3]
- Milestone 06
Districts and charter schools submit annual implementation verification during the three-year phase-in.[3]
New York personal finance standards
The complete list below contains all 70 required personal finance topics currently identified in the controlling state materials. Each topic remains separate so educators and search engines can find the exact requirement.
New York State Education Department Personal Finance Education Learning Objectives
Adopted by New York State Education Department.
Open the official documentGrades K–4 personal finance learning objectives
By the end of grade 4, students should receive instruction across budgeting, credit, income, risk, saving, and investing. Elementary implementation begins in the 2027–28 school year.
- 01
Uses and forms of money
Explain what money is used for and identify common forms of money, including coins and bills.[5]
- 02
Counting money and making change
Demonstrate basic skills for counting money and making change.[5]
- 03
Needs, wants, and purchasing influences
Differentiate needs from wants and explain how price, peers, and advertising can influence purchases.[5]
- 04
Borrowing and lending
Describe the difference between borrowing and lending.[5]
- 05
Repayment expectations
Explain why borrowed money or property should be returned in full and may include an additional amount or condition.[5]
- 06
Trust and lending decisions
Explain why trust or responsibility may affect a person’s decision to lend to someone.[5]
- 07
Skills, experience, and work
Describe how knowledge, skills, and experience influence the jobs people perform.[5]
- 08
Earning money
Explain how people earn money by working and providing goods or services.[5]
- 09
Estimating income
Estimate income from an age-appropriate activity or small business.[5]
- 10
Financial risks
Identify risks such as illness, injury, damage, job loss, or theft that can create financial costs.[5]
- 11
Preparing for risk
Recommend ways to reduce or prepare for risk through planning, emergency saving, or safety precautions.[5]
- 12
Purpose of saving
Describe saving as setting money aside for future needs or goals.[5]
- 13
Purpose of investing
Describe investing as using money in ways that allow it to grow over time.[5]
- 14
Short-term savings plan
Set a short-term goal and create a hypothetical savings plan with a defined time frame.[5]
Grades 5–8 personal finance learning objectives
By the end of grade 8, students should be able to apply financial decision-making to budgets, credit, careers, insurance, identity protection, saving, and investing. Implementation begins in 2026–27.
- 01
Needs, wants, values, and goals
Distinguish financial needs, wants, values, and goals and explain how they affect spending and saving.[5]
- 02
Different outcomes from similar income
Analyze how priorities, obligations, unexpected expenses, access to resources, and decisions can produce different financial outcomes.[5]
- 03
Hypothetical budget
Create a budget for hypothetical income that includes planned expenses and saving.[5]
- 04
Evaluating consumer information
Assess the credibility, accuracy, and bias of information about goods and services, including ads and online content.[5]
- 05
External influences on choices
Explain how peers, advertising, technology, and economic conditions shape consumer choices and finances.[5]
- 06
Payment methods
Compare cash, checks, credit cards, and digital payment apps, including benefits, risks, and consumer protections.[5]
- 07
Deciding whether to use credit
Examine needs, wants, simple interest, fees, repayment terms, and responsibilities when considering credit.[5]
- 08
Costs and benefits of credit
Explain when financing a purchase with credit may be helpful or harmful.[5]
- 09
Reducing credit-card interest
Explain how paying balances in full and on time and understanding billing cycles can reduce interest charges.[5]
- 10
Late-payment consequences
Describe how missed or late payments can change rates, trigger fees, and increase long-term costs.[5]
- 11
Career preparation and earnings
Compare education, training, and skills for multiple careers and connect them to earning potential.[5]
- 12
Gross and net income
Analyze gross and net income and the effects of taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and other deductions.[5]
- 13
Purposes of taxes
Explain how taxes reduce take-home pay and fund public services.[5]
- 14
Planning, insurance, and loss
Explain how planning and insurance can reduce the financial effects of unexpected events.[5]
- 15
How insurance works
Describe premiums, coverage, shared risk, and the basic purpose of insurance.[5]
- 16
Extended warranties
Analyze the costs and benefits of an extended warranty for a specific product.[5]
- 17
Identity-theft prevention
Identify common identity-theft methods and recommend ways to protect personal and financial information.[5]
- 18
Reasons to save
Identify common reasons for saving and create a simple one-year savings plan.[5]
- 19
Principal and interest
Differentiate investment principal from interest and explain how money grows over time.[5]
- 20
Comparing savings rates
Compare savings-account rates and show how a higher rate can help reach a goal sooner.[5]
- 21
Investment assets
Compare potential benefits and risks of stocks, mutual funds, real estate, and cryptocurrency.[5]
- 22
Benefits of starting early
Explain why beginning to save or invest earlier can increase returns over time.[5]
- 23
Diversification
Explain how spreading money among different assets can reduce investment risk.[5]
Grades 9–12 personal finance learning objectives
By the end of grade 12, students should have meaningful opportunities to apply personal finance knowledge to adult decisions involving housing, borrowing, education, work, taxes, insurance, banking, and investing.
- 01
Managing a budget
Develop and manage a budget with necessary spending, desired spending, saving, and fixed and variable expenses.[5]
- 02
Evaluating purchases
Analyze cost, features, personal benefit, environmental or social impact, marketing, and social-media influence.[5]
- 03
Renting and buying housing
Compare housing options, costs, responsibilities, and key lease terms.[5]
- 04
Charitable giving decisions
Assess charitable giving and strategies for evaluating organizations when donating money, goods, or time.[5]
- 05
Good and bad debt
Compare productive and harmful debt and explain how rates, repayment behavior, and changing circumstances affect debt.[5]
- 06
Credit-card options
Analyze annual percentage rates, fees, billing cycles, rewards, and strategies for avoiding penalties and higher rates.[5]
- 07
Secured and unsecured loans
Distinguish secured from unsecured loans and explain collateral and the consequences of nonpayment.[5]
- 08
Paying for postsecondary education
Compare federal and private student loans, including applications, rates, repayment rules, and total costs.[5]
- 09
Financial aid and FAFSA
Identify grants, scholarships, work-study, New York TAP, and reasons to complete the FAFSA.[5]
- 10
Credit reports and scores
Explain credit reports, credit-score factors, credit building, report uses, and access to free reports.[5]
- 11
Consequences of unpaid debt
Analyze how unpaid debt affects credit, employment, housing, and financial well-being and identify sources of help.[5]
- 12
Alternative financial services
Assess payday loans and check-cashing services and compare them with traditional banking and credit.[5]
- 13
Employee benefits
Compare health insurance, retirement plans, paid leave, wages, and salaries when evaluating jobs.[5]
- 14
Income and non-income job factors
Evaluate job stability, work-life balance, working conditions, advancement, and income in career decisions.[5]
- 15
Education, employment, and earnings
Compare earnings and unemployment across careers and levels of education, credentials, and training.[5]
- 16
Economic conditions and careers
Explain how inflation, recession, technology, and regional demand affect income and employment.[5]
- 17
Gig work and business ownership
Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of gig employment and owning a small business.[5]
- 18
Completing a tax return
Complete a sample tax return using a hypothetical W-2 and fictitious information.[5]
- 19
Taxes and payroll deductions
Describe federal and state income taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and other pay-stub deductions.[5]
- 20
Types of insurance
Explain the costs, purposes, and coverage considerations of auto, health, life, disability, home, and renters insurance.[5]
- 21
New York auto liability insurance
Describe New York’s minimum auto liability coverage and evaluate whether it covers typical accident losses.[5]
- 22
Health-insurance options
Compare health-coverage sources and analyze premiums, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and insurance fraud.[5]
- 23
Digital and communications fraud
Evaluate how online behavior, scams, telemarketers, and other methods increase vulnerability to fraud and identity theft.[5]
- 24
Responding to identity theft and fraud
Discuss ways to reduce identity-theft and fraud risk and steps to take after an incident.[5]
- 25
Saving and investing
Differentiate saving from investing and explain how each supports short- and long-term goals.[5]
- 26
Strategies for saving goals
Identify saving strategies that account for social, emotional, and behavioral obstacles.[5]
- 27
Comparing financial accounts
Compare rates, fees, and features of savings, checking, money-market, high-yield, and mobile-only accounts.[5]
- 28
Opening and managing an account
Explain how to open and manage a bank account, set up direct deposit, and use digital financial tools.[5]
- 29
Time and investing
Evaluate how investing earlier rather than later affects long-term wealth accumulation.[5]
- 30
Tax-advantaged accounts
Compare 529 plans, education savings accounts, IRAs, 401(k)s, pensions, and health savings accounts.[5]
- 31
Investment options
Compare stocks, bonds, index funds, mutual funds, cryptocurrency, and real estate by risk, return, liquidity, and volatility.[5]
- 32
Personal investment goals
Set investment goals using timeline, income, risk tolerance, and diversification.[5]
- 33
Consumer remedies
Describe consumer rights and remedies for financial disputes, including the Bureau of Consumer Protection and Small Claims Court.[5]
Relevant law, rule, or board action
8 NYCRR §100.2(c)(13)
Instruction in personal finance educationRequires personal finance instruction for all public school students by the end of each K–4, 5–8, and 9–12 grade band and establishes the phased start dates.[1]
A5052 (2025–2026)
Proposed high school financial literacy courseThis pending bill would add a prescribed high school financial literacy course and graduation condition, but it remains in committee and is not part of current law.[7]
Notes for teachers and curriculum leaders
- Plan separately for all three grade bands. Completing high school instruction does not replace the middle-school objectives, and accelerated eighth-grade students still need the middle-band objectives before leaving grade 7.[1]
- Choose delivery locally. Embedded instruction, a stand-alone course, and qualifying CTE programming are all recognized options when the five topic areas and grade-band objectives are addressed.[1][3]
- Do not treat the NYSED objectives as a prescribed curriculum or a newly adopted personal finance standards framework; local schools determine curriculum, sequence, assessment, and staffing within certification rules.[5][1]
Official sources
- 1Proposed Amendment of Section 100.2 to Require Instruction in Personal Finance Education and Climate EducationLocator: Attachment A, §100.2(c)(13), PDF pages 5–6; public-comment responses, pages 9–12Supports: required grade bands, implementation dates, delivery options, no diploma course requirement, local control
- 2Regulations Adopted March 2026Locator: 100.2 Personal Finance & Climate Education rowSupports: adoption date, filing date, effective date
- 3Amendment of Section 100.2 to Require Instruction in Personal Finance Education and Climate EducationLocator: Instructional Requirement; Local Implementation; Reporting RequirementSupports: phase-in schedule, five topic areas, delivery options, district verification
- 4Personal Finance Education FAQLocator: Questions 4–17, especially 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, and 17Supports: first fully covered cohorts, students covered, no new personal finance standards, no diploma credit, delivery options, disability access
- 5Personal Finance Education Learning ObjectivesLocator: PDF pages 2–11Supports: all 70 grade-band objectives, five topic areas, local sequencing and delivery
- 6Graduation RequirementsLocator: Diploma Credit RequirementsSupports: 22-credit diploma framework, economics credit, no separate personal finance credit
- 7Assembly Bill A5052: Requires high schools to provide a course in financial literacyLocator: Current Bill Status; bill text §802-bSupports: pending proposal distinguished from current law
Frequently asked questions
Does New York require financial literacy instruction?
Yes. Public schools must provide personal finance instruction in the K–4, 5–8, and 9–12 grade bands. The first fully covered middle- and high-school cohorts enter grades 5 and 9 in 2026–27; elementary implementation begins in 2027–28.[1][4]
Does New York require a stand-alone personal finance course?
No. Districts may embed the content in subjects such as mathematics, social studies, or economics, offer a stand-alone course, or use qualifying CTE programming. The delivery choice is local.[1][3]
Is personal finance a New York high school graduation requirement?
New York requires the instruction by the end of grade 12, but it does not require a separate personal finance course or credit for a diploma. The statewide diploma framework still lists one-half credit in economics, not a separate personal finance credit.[1][6]
Did New York adopt personal finance standards?
NYSED did not create new personal finance learning standards or adopt national standards. It published 70 grade-band learning objectives across five topic areas to guide the required instruction.[1][5]
How much instructional time does New York require for personal finance?
The regulation does not set a statewide number of minutes or a credit amount. NYSED states that instructional time will vary with the local implementation option.[1]