Still waiting on Golden State Stimulus check? 784,000 are coming, California says

If you’re one of the thousands who are still waiting for a California stimulus payment, more are coming, the state said Wednesday, Nov. 10.

While most of the upcoming payments will be for qualifying residents who filed paper tax returns this year, there are several thousand direct deposits slated, too, said Andrew LePage, a media liaison with the Franchise Tax Board.

The payments are coming from the Golden State Stimulus II, a program funded by federal and state pandemic aid. Distribution began in late August, first for e-filers and then paper filers of state tax returns.

For those with a qualifying income, the state is sending $600 payments to help with the pandemic cost challenges. Gov. Gavin Newsom in the summer said two-thirds of the state likely qualifies for GSSII or a similar program called Golden State Stimulus I.

The programs are aimed at lower-income residents. The newest one, GSII, is for those who earned below $75,000 in adjusted gross income as reported on their 2020 tax returns. GSSI is for low-low income residents earning less than $35,000.

An extra $500 is available for GSSII recipients who have qualifying dependents.

So far, 5.7 million GSSII payments have been sent, LePage said via email Wednesday. The upcoming payments could help people like Tim, who filed his taxes electronically in the spring, used a direct deposit for his refund and is still waiting for his $600.

“So I know for a fact I have direct deposit, but I never got my stimulus,” Tim wrote the Southern California News Group. “I checked on Twitter, and there seem to be other people in the same boat as me.

“I’m wondering if they just messed up and are sending checks to people instead?”

The answer, Tim, is a bit more nuanced, but yes, a paper check is likely.

Check your numbers

Here are some tips to consider for people who haven’t gotten a payment:

Unemployment benefits: According to the Franchise Tax Board, unemployment compensation was nontaxable for state purposes in 2020. Those who received unemployment benefits last year might need to amend their California tax return if the benefits paid were lumped into wages, pushing their AGI threshold above $75,000. Excluding UI benefits from your taxable income could push mean a qualifying amount for GSSII.

Check your AGI: It’s worth noting that adjusted gross income for state and federal tax returns are often different, thanks to differing deductions that reduce taxable income. So, while some taxpayers might have qualified for the federal stimulus payments, their AGI might be higher in California, thereby disqualifying them.

Have you moved or changed banks? If either of these situations is applicable, you’ll likely get a paper check. Check the ZIP code distribution list below for key dates.

Did you owe the state money (or break even)? The state notes that if you aren’t getting a refund, you probably didn’t provide bank account information for a direct deposit. In this case, qualifying residents will receive their GSS II payment in the mail.

What’s coming this week?

Roughly 784,000 GSS II payments will begin going out Nov. 12, beginning with 34,000 direct deposit payments. By Monday (Nov. 15), 750,000 GSS II checks will start going out in the mail.

LePage said these checks and direct deposits combined are valued at nearly $555 million. (So, keep an eye on your mailbox.)

The state has distributed $4.1 billion in those 5.7 million GSS II payments made so far – about 3.7 million direct deposit payments and about 2 million mailed checks. (LePage notes this does not include the planned distribution later this week/early next week.)

Recipients expecting a paper check can use their ZIP code to check the distribution schedule provided by the state:

–000-044: 10/06/2021 through 10/27/2021

–045-220: 10/18/2021 through 11/05/2021

–221-375: 11/1/2021 through 11/19/2021

–376-584: 11/15/2021 through 12/03/2021

–585-719: 11/29/2021 through 12/17/2021

–720-927: 12/13/2021 through 12/31/2021

–928-999: 12/27/2021 through 1/11/2022

Here’s the fine print

To qualify for the payments, residents must:

• File 2020 taxes by Oct. 15, 2021;
• Have adjusted gross income of $1 to $75,000 for the 2020 tax year;
• Be a state resident for more than half of the 2020 tax year;
• Be a state resident the date payment is issued;
• Cannot be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer;
• A dependent is a qualifying child or qualifying relative.

As previously reported, excluded from the payments are those whose income is solely derived from benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and State Supplementary Payment (SSP) and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), Social Security, CalWorks, unemployment, state disability insurance (SDI) and VA disability.

To get an estimate on your California stimulus payment, go to ftb.ca.gov