California stimulus checks: Here's when next Golden State Stimulus payments go out

More than 1 million Californians who qualify for a Golden State Stimulus check but haven’t received one yet could see a payment as soon as this week.

That’s because the state is preparing to distribute another round starting this Friday.

A total of 1.15 million payments valued at $857 million will be sent out in this latest batch, according to the California Franchise Tax Board.

The disbursement includes 400,000 payments that will be directly deposited into bank accounts this Friday, as well 750,000 paper checks that will be mailed out starting next Monday.

For those anticipating a payment, officials note that it can take several days for direct deposits to show up in bank accounts, and up to three weeks to receive a check by mail after it’s sent.

Under the GSS II program, California has been sending out checks of up to $1,100 — $600 for an individual plus an extra $500 for a qualifying dependent — to eligible residents who earned $75,000 or less last year. The funds were approved by lawmakers under the state’s last budget.

To date, California has issued about 4.5 million Golden State Stimulus II checks, valuing $3.2 billion, according to the Franchise Tax Board. Of those, the state distributed 3.3 million payments through direct deposit and 1.2 million more by mail.

The total number of checks sent out represents about half of the roughly 9 million Californians who are estimated to qualify for the GSS II program, a figure that is based on the 2020 state income tax returns received by the state. The amount could change, however, as the state hasn’t finished all eligibility and fraud checks, a Tax Board spokesperson said.

It’s also possible more individuals will be eligible since Californians who applied for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) by Oct. 15 — but haven’t gotten one yet — have until Feb. 15, 2022 to submit their taxes and still potentially qualify.

For all others, the deadline for residents to file their tax return and be considered for a payment has already passed.

California first began issuing the checks via direct deposit in August and only began mailing them out earlier this month.

The Franchise Tax Board signaled on its website that after this round, most remaining checks will be dispensed by mail. Payments are anticipated to continue on a rolling basis through early next year.

For those waiting for a payment to be mailed, the time frame is based on the recipient’s last three digits of their ZIP code.

California also has an online resource that helps residents determine whether they’re eligible and for how much. The tool can be found here.

Have more questions or need help with Golden State Stimulus payments? The tax board has a comprehensive guide here.