After months of anticipation, Californians will soon be receiving the Middle Class Tax Refund – also called “inflation relief” payments by legislators – in their bank account or by mail.
The Franchise Tax Board tells Nexstar the payments (which can range from $200 to $1,050 depending on your income and number of dependents) will be issued in phases, with the first round starting on Oct. 7.
The first group of people to get the Middle Class Tax Refund will be for Californians who got the Golden State Stimulus payments (either the first or second round) via direct deposit. Those payments will be issued to bank accounts between Oct. 7 and Oct. 25, the Franchise Tax Board said.
The rest of the direct deposits will be sent out between Oct. 28 and Nov. 14.
Around the same time, the state will start mailing out debit cards to those who aren’t set up for direct deposit. Debit cards will be mailed between Oct. 25 and Dec. 10 for Californians who got Golden State Stimulus payments by debit card last year.
Finally, the rest of the debit cards – for everyone else who qualifies for the direct payments but doesn’t fall into a category outlined above – will be sent out by Jan. 15, 2023. (The Franchise Tax Board says it plans to release a more detailed schedule of mailing dates for the debit cards next month.)
How do you know if you’ll be getting a direct deposit or a debit card? Generally, if you e-filed your taxes in 2020 and received a state tax refund by direct deposit, you should expect to receive this Middle Class Tax Refund by direct deposit, too. Most other taxpayers can expect to get a debit card, the Franchise Tax Board said. (More on how the state is sending out payments can be found here.)
To review, here’s what we know about when the payments will go out:
| Payment date | Payment type | Recipients |
| Oct. 7 – Oct. 25, 2022 | Direct deposit | Received Golden State Stimulus (I or II) by direct deposit |
| Oct. 28 – Nov. 14, 2022 | Direct deposit | Received 2020 state tax refund by direct deposit, but didn’t get GSS |
| Oct. 25 – Dec. 10, 2022 | Debit card | Received Golden State Stimulus by debit card |
| By Jan. 15, 2023 | Debit card | Taxpayers who don’t fall into above categories |
The Franchise Tax Board estimates the vast majority of eligible Californians won’t have to wait much longer to see their tax refund. The agency said about 90% of payments will be issued in October, and about 95% will be issued by the end of the year.
State officials estimate more than 23 million state residents will benefit.