Got your stimulus check yet? California to send out more state money this week

California residents who haven’t received their Golden State Stimulus can expect to see checks for $600 to $1,100 arriving in the next several weeks.

Thanks to the state’s $76 billion budget surplus, California lawmakers earlier this year approved sending $600 checks to residents who earned less than $75,000 in 2020. They were obligated to return money to taxpayers this year to comply with a government spending cap California voters approved by ballot initiative in 1979.

Adults with dependents are eligible to receive an additional $500.

To qualify for the payments, Californians must have filed their 2020 tax returns by Oct. 15. Only those who made less than $75,000 in 2020 are eligible, and they must have been a California resident for more than half of 2020.

The Franchise Tax Board estimates roughly 9 million Californians are eligible for the stimulus checks, spokesperson Andrew LePage said. The state has already issued about 4.5 million payments.

The next scheduled batch of stimulus checks will include about 400,000 direct deposit payments, set to be issued Friday, and about 750,000 mailed checks that will be sent on Nov. 1.

The funds will be distributed either through the mail or direct deposit depending on the selection made by the individual during tax filing. The majority of those who chose direct deposit can expect their payments in bank accounts by Oct. 31, according to the department.

Residents who filed taxes after Sept. 1 should expect to wait up to 45 days after their return has been processed.

Those who chose to receive their tax returns by mail will be subject to a staggered schedule based on their zip codes, according to the tax department. Those with zip codes ending between 000 and 044 are scheduled to receive stimulus checks in the mail between Oct. 6 and Oct. 27, and the remaining checks are scheduled to be sent out through Jan. 11.

This is the second round of payments the state will distribute in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In the spring, lawmakers approved sending $600 to $1,200 to Californians who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, on their 2020 taxes. The tax credit is only available to those who earn $30,000 or less.

The first round of stimulus payments also went to those who made less than $75,000 and filed with an individual taxpayer identification number, or ITIN, which is available to those who cannot get a Social Security number, such as some undocumented immigrants.

The state distributed nearly 4.3 million checks in the first round of stimulus payments, according to LePage. Some Californians may still receive payments from the first round if they are waiting on an ITIN from the Internal Revenue Service.

In those cases, individuals have until Feb. 15 to file a tax return in order to still be eligible for the Golden State Stimulus money.

Californians who received a check in the first round of the Golden State Stimulus are not eligible to receive another $600. Certain families can qualify to receive a $500 check if they have dependent children regardless of their immigration status.

This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 5:00 AM.