The state of California’s long-awaited inflation-relief program finally kicked off on Friday, and as many as 23 million Californians were expecting direct deposits or checks of up to $1,050.
The payments come after lawmakers in June approved the Middle-Class Tax Refund — a direct response to inflation taking a toll on Americans’ wallets, especially in California, where gas is well over $6 per gallon and everyday grocery items cost more than ever before. Californians who filed their taxes online and received a refund via direct deposit were expecting this latest payment the same way.
Eligible Californians will begin to receive their payment for the state’s inflation relief rebate. NBC 7’s Ashley Matthews explains who’s able to get these funds and when.
Although state officials stressed that payments were being made between Oct. 7 and January, that did not stop cash-strapped San Diegans and others around the Golden State from logging into their online bank accounts on Friday morning and spending a good part of the day hitting “reload” when the money had not hit their accounts.
Me waiting for my California stimulus inflation relief check. pic.twitter.com/hcbSddcjOR
— VᐰNNESSᐰ (she/her) (@vannenanne) October 7, 2022
For many, that joyless activity has continued. In an extremely unscientific poll taken around the NBC 7 newsroom, just 2 of 12 people said their free money had been banked.
Why so few?
You’re thinking, maybe: Monday was Columbus Day, so I need to be patient.
Well, California does not recognize Columbus Day as a state holiday. To the uninitiated, it might seem like some faceless bureaucrat hits a button and the money would just flood out.
For some reason, that’s not the case.
Here are some suspects:
- E-payments are being spread out between last Friday and Oct. 25. Or, to use the state’s language: “MCTR direct deposit payments for Californians who received GSS I or II are expected to be issued to bank accounts from Oct. 7, 2022, through Oct. 25, 2022. The remaining direct deposits will occur between Oct. 28, 2022, and Nov. 14, 2022.”
So, in plain English, that means that, if you did not get a Golden State Stimulus Check last year, you’ll need to wait till AFTER Oct. 28. If you recall, those checks were only sent to people who made $75K or less in 2020.
Still, many of us will be getting the dough sometime soon: “About 90% of the direct deposits are expected to be issued in October, starting Friday,” officials said on the state MCTR website.
This could be creating a delay as well: “Direct deposits typically occur within 3-5 business days from the issue date, but may vary by financial institution,” according to the state.
Learn more about California’s inflation relief checks: https://t.co/CXbLSXKSf7 pic.twitter.com/PdU0LAwce0
— KGET 17 News (@KGETnews) October 12, 2022
Another option:
- If you did not get a direct-deposit refund from California last year, the state’s sending a debit card your way instead. Sadly, those aren’t going out for a minute, either. The state says they’ll be mailing them between Oct. 21 and Dec. 10.
And don’t forget to add in up to two weeks for snail mail to arrive.
Reached for a comment Tuesday afternoon via email, state franchise tax board spokesman Andrew LePage said that of the 18 million MCTR payments (to the 23 million primary taxpayers and their spouses), roughly 700,000 were sent out on Friday, Oct. 7, with another 2.1 million expected to be paid out by the end of this week. He said that about 8 million direct deposits should be ringing the bell by Nov. 14.
California inflation relief checks start going out today: What you need to know https://t.co/Uj75WThRre via @Yahoo
— Eustice McGargle (@EusticeMcgargl2) October 9, 2022
Hopefully, you won’t be in the 5% of MCTR recipients the state anticipates won’t get their payments till next year.
Who is Eligible for the Tax Refund Payments?
Payment amounts vary on income and 2020 taxes. Below is a breakdown of the expected payments, according to the Franchise Tax Board.
Joint Filers
| Adjusted Gross Income | Payment With Dependent | Payment Without Dependent |
| $150,000 or less | $1,050 | $700 |
| $150,000 to $250,000 | $750 | $500 |
| $250,000 to $500,000 | $600 | $500 |
Head of Household Filers
| Adjusted Gross Income | Payment With Dependent | Payment Without Dependent |
| $150,000 or less | $700 | $350 |
| $150,000 to $250,000 | $500 | $250 |
| $250,000 to $500,000 | $400 | $200 |
Other Individuals
| Adjusted Gross Income | Payment With Dependent | Payment Without Dependent |
| $75,000 or less | $700 | $350 |
| $75,000 to $125,000 | $500 | $250 |
| $125,000 to $250,000 | $400 | $200 |
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