(a) When available. An award by confession may be made for money due or to become due at any time before an award is otherwise made. The award shall be based upon a statement, verified by each party, containing an authorization to make the award, the sum of the award or the method of ascertaining it, and the facts constituting the liability.
§ 7508.Award by confession
Article 75. Arbitration · Last amended 1963 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceCPLR 7508 lets parties who already agree on liability for a sum of money have an arbitrator enter an award by confession, based on a verified statement of the amount owed and the facts behind it, without a full hearing on the merits.
Full Text of CPLR 7508
(b) Time of award. The award may be made at any time within three months after the statement is verified.
(c) Person or agency making award. The award may be made by an arbitrator or by the agency or person named by the parties to designate the abitrator.
Plain-English Summary
CPLR 7508 covers a shortcut for cases where the parties agree on who owes what and just want a fast, enforceable award. An award by confession can be entered for money that's due, or will become due, any time before the arbitrator would otherwise issue a full award. Instead of a hearing, it rests on a statement each party verifies, laying out the authorization for the award, the amount (or a way to calculate it), and the facts that establish the liability.
The confessed award has to follow within three months after that statement is verified, and it can be made either by an arbitrator or by whatever agency or person the parties have named to designate the arbitrator. Once entered, it can be confirmed and reduced to judgment like any other award under this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an award by confession in New York arbitration?
It's an award under CPLR 7508 for money due or becoming due, entered on a verified statement of the amount owed and the facts behind the liability, rather than a contested hearing.
How long does an arbitrator have to enter an award by confession?
CPLR 7508(b) allows the award to be made at any time within three months after the parties' statement is verified.
What has to be in the statement supporting an award by confession?
CPLR 7508(a) requires a statement, verified by each party, that authorizes the award, states the sum (or how to calculate it), and sets out the facts that establish liability.
Who can enter an award by confession?
CPLR 7508(c) allows an arbitrator, or the agency or person the parties named to designate the arbitrator, to make the award.
Can an award by confession be confirmed the same way as a regular arbitration award?
Yes — once entered, an award by confession is subject to the same confirmation process under CPLR 7510 as any other arbitration award.
Advisory Committee Notes
This section provides for an arbitration award by confession similar to a judgment by confession under CPLR § 3218. It is based upon CPA § 1460-a, adopted in 1957 upon the recommendation of the Law Revision Commission. NY Laws 1957, c. 325; NY Law Rev Comm’n Rep Leg Doc 65 (H) (1957). CPA § 1460-a was disapproved by the Committee on State Legislation of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York on the ground that “it would appear to accomplish no useful purpose.” See Committee on State Legislation, Bulletin No. 5, 263 (Association of the Bar of the City of New York 1957). It is included in this article because it seems beneficial in regard to welfare and pension funds. There is often no controversy in such cases about liability, but the parties must submit to the full arbitration process in order to arrive at the amount of the award. An award by confession would decrease the delay and expense of the arbitration. This section allows an award by confession to be made by the agency or person named by the parties to designate the arbitrator. The term agency includes the tribunal under whose rules the parties have agreed to arbitrate. Thus, the parties will be saved the fees of the prospective arbitrators when the agency itself makes the award.
The disapproval of the Committee on State Legislation of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York was predicated on the ground that a party who is willing to sign an arbitration award by confession would be willing to waive the arbitration clause and execute a confession of judgment. While this may sometimes be true, the reasoning overlooks the advantages of an arbitration award, i.e., the privacy, the familiarity of the parties with the informal institutional procedure, and the fact that the parties need not hire an attorney.
The mechanics of this section are simple and the award rendered is treated in the same manner as an award on full proof.
Amendment History
Add, L 1962, ch 308, eff Sept 1, 1963.
Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory
Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York.
Last verified July 21, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: award by confession arbitration New Yorkconfessed arbitration award New Yorkverified statement arbitration award