The California stimulus payments are in the line since July and several batches of payments were disbursed. But 9M payments remain. The Tax Board of California (CFTB) has confirmed that the next batch of the Golden State payments would be distributed to residents deemed eligible.
Around 1.15 million payments have been sent to residents in California under the scheme. Close to 66% of residents are eligible for the stimulus checks worth between $600 and $1,100. The extra $500 is for families claiming dependents. A total of 9M payments will be made in total, which is a huge task for the Tax Board.
The Board has set its sights on distributing the bulk of stimulus checks through direct bank transfers by the end of October. The remaining stimulus checks will be sent by post by December 31.
With 4.5M stimulus checks sent, another 4.5M remains to be disbursed.
Cause Of Delay In California Stimulus Checks
Residents seeking the stimulus check were required to file their state tax returns by October 15. The deadline for filing returns has passed. With a colossal number of forms submitted in the last two weeks, the Tax Board is left struggling to handle the backlog.
The California Franchise Tax Board has referred to several processing constraints, including mailing and printing, that have contributed to the delay. They said that there was a need to authenticate eligibility and protect against fraudulent practices. There was also the issue of GSS II payments that are going out simultaneously along with various mandatory payouts.
The first round of the stimulus checks was sent through direct deposits to bank accounts. But the first round of paper checks went through the postal services after October 6. The time taken for paper checks to reach recipients depends on the ZIP code of the payee.
