California is sending money directly to millions of residents to help with rising costs and high gas prices.
The payments, which started going out Oct. 7, range from $200 to $1,050, depending on income and other factors. About 18 million payments will be distributed over the next few months, benefiting up to 23 million Californians. The cash payouts are part of a June budget deal.
Are you eligible?
To be eligible, you need to have filed a 2020 California tax return by Oct. 15, 2021. There’s an exception for people who did not file by the October deadline because they were waiting on an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (so long as they filed by Feb. 15, 2022).
People who didn’t file taxes for 2020, including some seniors and disabled people, will be left out.
People who can be claimed as dependents for tax purposes won’t get their own payments.
How will you get the payment?
People who are eligible for the payment will get it either via a direct deposit to their bank account or by mailed debit card, according to the tax board.
Generally, people who filed their 2020 tax return online and received their state tax refund via direct deposit will get a direct deposit. Most other people who are eligible will get debit cards in the mail. The envelope will be clearly marked with the phrase “Middle Class Tax Refund.”
When will you get the payment?
The first round of payments will go to people who received one of the two Golden State Stimulus payments from 2021 and are eligible for a direct deposit. The first round of payments are expected to go out between Oct. 7 and Oct. 25.
The rest of the direct deposits are expected to go out between Oct. 28 and Nov. 14.
The tax board expects 90% of direct deposits to be sent out in October, according to its website.
Debit cards for people who got one of the Golden State Stimulus payments are expected to be mailed out between Oct. 25 and Dec. 10. All of the remaining debit cards are expected to be mailed by Jan. 15
Why can’t they all be sent out at once? “There are constraints on the number of direct deposits and mailed debit cards that can be issued weekly,” said Franchise Tax Board spokesperson Andrew LePage. “Logistically it takes time to deliver approximately 18 million payments to Californians effectively and accurately, protecting both taxpayers and California.”
How much will you get?
Estimate your refund here. The Franchise Tax Board also has a customer help line, which can be reached by dialing 800-542-9332. The help line has assistance in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Vietnamese, Korean, and Punjabi. The board says other languages may be supported by request.
More bureaucratic waste of our tax dollars.
Sure it’s nice to get some money unexpectedly, like the Nielsen envelope that was almost tossed with the junk mail – it had $1 bill in it –
and for filling in 9 circles with ink and mailing it back I got another crisp $5 bill in the mail.
but,
Neilsen is a private company and can spend “Their Money” however they like.
The residents of CA, us taxpayers, are over-taxed.
Having to pay the highest taxes for almost everything in the country and then having the large bureaucracy spend more time and dollars figuring out who and how to send a small portion of it back to us is just wasteful.
So now we pay for electronic transactions, printing and mailing debit cards – why a debit card?
Lower taxes on workers, lower taxes on gas, just lower taxes and
you won’t have to figure out how the spend Our Surplus of tax payments.
This is just stupid. We are in an inflationary upward spiral and these dumbies decide they are going to hand out “free” money to combat it. Idiots.
Not to mention the discrimination by income…… Ridiculous
more rent fodder
thanks!
Imagine how much more “Plastic” waste the State of CA is now contributing to the environment when all those debit cards go in the trash.
Who says we do not need fossil fuels and oil? – definitely not California bureaucrats.
such hypocrites, from the sleazy Governor on down.