Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 where applicable
A US residential address
An SSN or ITIN if you have one; a passport number if not
An opening deposit, which varies by institution

Step-by-step

1
Open a checking account in branch in week one
Bring passport, Yonkers address and SSN or ITIN if issued. The federal Customer Identification Program rule explicitly permits a passport number and country of issuance instead of a taxpayer number for non-US persons, and the CFPB states plainly that you do not need a Social Security number to open a bank or credit union account. A refusal on that ground is branch policy, not law.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Try a credit union if a branch turns you away
Westchester has a dense credit union sector, several attached to the hospitals, the school districts and county employment. They are frequently more willing than a national bank's branch to open an account on a passport and an employment offer letter.
In personWho: You
3
Mention a pending ITIN if you have no SSN
Banks may open accounts for people who have applied for but not yet received an ITIN. File IRS Form W-7 and keep the receipt — raising it at the counter can move your banking forward by weeks.
In personWho: You
4
Set up direct deposit immediately
Give payroll your routing and account numbers. Direct deposit waives the monthly maintenance fee on most US checking accounts, and it also produces the deposit history a Westchester letting agent will want to see.
Via employerWho: You and your employer
5
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a refundable deposit, typically around USD 500, and receive a card with a matching limit that reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Length of history counts as much as behaviour, so start the clock the week you arrive.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
6
Check your payslip actually shows the Yonkers line
New York has its own withholding certificate, Form IT-2104, and it asks specifically whether you are a New York City or a Yonkers resident. Your employer withholds the Yonkers surcharge only if you answer correctly, and a payroll department outside the area frequently gets it wrong. Look at your first payslip for a Yonkers line. If it is missing you are accruing an unfunded bill that lands in April.
Via employerWho: YouFirst payslip

Documents you’ll need

Passport, with country of issuance serving as the identifying number if you have no SSN or ITIN
Visa and I-94, where applicable
SSN card or ITIN letter, if issued
Proof of Yonkers address
Employer offer letter, accepted by many banks, landlords and utilities as supporting evidence

Things most newcomers don’t know

The security deposit is capped at one month's rent, statewide.

New York's 2019 tenant law capped residential security deposits at one month's rent everywhere in the state, and unlike most of that legislation this part genuinely reaches Yonkers. A lower-Westchester landlord asking for two or three months up front — which happens, usually framed as compensating for a thin credit file — is asking for something the law does not permit.

Source: NY Homes and Community Renewal — leases and security deposits

No credit history is treated worse than bad credit history.

American underwriting scores a file, and a file that does not exist cannot be scored at all. A well-paid newcomer can be declined for an apartment, a phone contract and a car loan in the same fortnight while holding a spotless twenty-year record at home. Nothing crosses the border — not the mortgage, not the decade with the same bank.

Source: community-reported

Federal rules let a bank take your passport instead of an SSN.

The Customer Identification Program rule accepts a passport number and country of issuance for non-US persons, and the CFPB's own consumer guidance says you do not need a Social Security number to open a bank or credit union account. Branch staff frequently do not know this. Being refused is common and is not a legal outcome — ask for a manager, or try a credit union.

Source: CFPB — bank accounts and services

Your minimum wage here is the New York City one, not the New York State one.

New York runs two floors: USD 17.00 an hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester from 1 January 2026, and USD 16.00 in the rest of the state. Yonkers is Westchester, so it is on the higher tier. A national employer quoting 'the New York State minimum wage' may be quoting the upstate figure, which is a dollar an hour short and unlawful here.

Source: New York State Department of Labor — minimum wage

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport often suffices.
Accepting a security deposit demand above the statewide one-month cap.
Filing an IT-2104 that does not declare Yonkers residency, and discovering the surcharge in April.
Financing a car in month one with no credit file and accepting a punitive rate.
Paying an avoidable monthly maintenance fee by never setting up direct deposit.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.