It is close to 2 months since the Golden State began sending out its third round of stimulus checks. Only this round is not directly linked to the pandemic but instead has been given to offset the high cost of goods and services even as inflation remained above the 8% mark throughout the year.
California is among the latest states to send out relief to its residents to help cope with high inflation in the absence of any form of fresh federal support. Around 60% of the state’s population, or around 23 million residents, will benefit from the support passed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in June 2022.
While states like Maine and New Mexico sent out state stimulus early, Colorado, Idaho, and Illinois have timed their stimulus checks with the festive season, along with California. Residents in the Golden State have already started receiving payments that go up to $1,050 for joint filers in the low-income category.
Governor Gavin Newsom had initially decided on a $400 stimulus check. The gas card was for vehicle owners in California and would be limited to two for each family. The gas cards would go out to cars registered in California. Families not possessing cars were scheduled to get a transit card of around the same amount.
There are two groups under which the recipients are receiving their payments. While those who received earlier payments of the GS I and II and the other group who did not get the previous rounds of benefits. Filers who filed through the online method and in the normal course receive their tax refunds directly through bank deposits online will get their payment online.
Beneficiaries who have received their GS stimulus check payments I or II will have their Middle-Class Tax Rebate issued between October 7 and October 25, 2022.
The tax board of the Golden State, the California Franchise Tax Board (CFTB) tweeted informing that the state’s third stimulus check, the Middle-Class Tax Refund will send qualified personal tax filers with one-time payments as a way to send relief to residents. People who have not received the third state stimulus check payments ( the non-GSS payments) will receive the payments between October 28, 2022, and November 14, 2022.
The CFTB has advised that any direct fund transfer will in the normal course of events occur within 3 to 5 working or business days after the issue date. But this would vary and would depend on the financial institution handling the stimulus checks or payments.
Getting Stimulus Checks Through Paper Cards
Residents of the Golden State who have filed their state income tax returns on paper for the 2020 financial year will receive their stimulus checks through debit cards posted at the address that they have entered in their details submitted with the state tax authorities.
In the regular course of events, residents who have e filed their 2020 tax returns normally receive their income tax refunds through the direct deposit process, though it was not the case in this instance.
Residents will be given debit cards in several cases, including if they have any balance due, if they have received their earlier rounds of state stimulus checks through paper stimulus checks delivered by the US postal service, or have got a refund through paper stimulus checks.
The method they use for filing will not make a difference and they will also not benefit from direct bank transfers into their accounts. The debit cards are set to reach residents of the Golden State and will be sent alphabetically according to the first letter of their surname and whether they have received any earlier rounds of the Golden State (I or II).
The Franchise Tax Board has allowed 2 weeks’ maximum starting from the debit card issue date to finally reach the beneficiaries through the US postal service.
Around 95% of the potential 23 million beneficiaries in California will get their payment by the end of this year.
California Stimulus Check Dateline
The two rounds of the Golden State stimulus check will go out between October 24 and December 4. Beneficiaries will start receiving their payments in alphabetical order based on their surnames or last names. Names starting A to E will be sent through the postal service starting October 24 and ending by November 5.
Beneficiaries will have their last names or surnames starting with F to M and will be sent their stimulus check between November 6 and November 19.
Potential recipients whose surnames or last names begin with W to Z will be sent their cards between December 4 and December 10.
For GSS recipients whose last names start between A and L, the mailing timeframe for the debit cards will be announced while for non-GSS recipients with last names beginning with M to Z, the mailing date for debit cards was announced in the last week of November.
Direct deposit clients who brought in changes to the banking information after filing their income tax returns for 2020 will have their cards mailed starting December 17 through January 14, 2023.
The Tax Refund Income Limit For The Middle Class
The Middle-Class Tax Refund, also known informally as the California tax rebate has reached out to a majority of the 23 million of the state population that it was intended for. The amount that has reached the taxpayers was determined by several factors that included their income, their filing status (single or joint filers), and the presence of dependents.
The state expects the majority of the payments to be completed by this year though they have set the final date in the second week of January 2023.
Other Requirements To Avail The Tax Rebate
Besides the Adjusted Gross Income limits as stipulated by the Franchise Tax Board, there are a few other requisites to receive the Middle-Class Tax Refund. There are the requirements of having filed the state income tax return for 2020 by October 15, 2021, and also the rule that the claimant shouldn’t have been claimed by any other filer as a dependent. The claimant must also be a resident of the Golden State for at least 6 months in 2020 and must also be a resident of the state on the date the payment is finally issued.
