California stimulus checks of up to $1,200 are heading to hundreds of thousands of residents
Hundreds of thousands of Californians can expect a stimulus check, ranging from $600 to $1,200, soon, if they haven’t already received one.
One-time $600 payments under the “Golden State Stimulus” are on the way for eligible Californians who file with Social Security Numbers and qualify to receive the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit.
So far, the state has distributed 2.5 million state stimulus payments, totaling $1.6 billion, the state’s Franchise Tax Board announced on Thursday.
Money is also coming to people who filed taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number and earned $75,000 or less in 2020. Generally, undocumented residents file taxes with an ITIN.
Californians who filed taxes with an ITIN and claim the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit can expect to see $1,200 payments.
“We passed the recovery package to get money into the pockets of Californians who were hit hardest by this pandemic, and that’s exactly what the Golden State Stimulus is doing – already getting $1.6 billion to 2.5 million Californians,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “Californians who have not filed their 2020 taxes should know they may qualify for these funds, and we look forward to building on programs like this that invest in and support Californians in the months ahead.”
Newsom announced the development of a state stimulus in January to provide relief for low-income Californians amid the COVID-19 health crisis. Distributing the funds will cost the state about $2.4 billion.
Stimulus payments were sent, according to the state’s Franchise Tax Board, to eligible Californians who filed taxes between January 1 and April 23 of this year.
If taxes were filed after April 23, Californians can expect to get their payments up to 45 days after their tax return is processed through direct deposit or wait up to 60 days for paper checks.
Additionally, families receiving CalWORKS public assistance have received a one-time $600 payment under the Golden State Grant Program, a separate program run by the California Department of Social Services, according to H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the California Department of Finance.
Recipients of the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment Program and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants are expected to receive $600 payments in the next six to eight weeks from that program.
Last year, Newsom signed legislation expanding the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit to undocumented immigrants earning less than $30,000 a year, who file taxes using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.
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