A few thousand Californians will be surprised this month when they receive a debit card loaded with hundreds of dollars in the mail. It’s not a scam or a prize – it’s the Middle Class Tax Refund arriving a bit behind schedule.
The Middle Class Tax Refund, often referred to as an “inflation relief” payment, started going out to millions of eligible taxpayers nearly a year ago. Most people who qualify have already received a direct deposit or debit card.
However, approximately 5,000 payments that never got sent out are still being processed through the end of September 2023, the Franchise Tax Board said.
“FTB plans to finish processing all new payments (for people who had never been issued a payment before) by the end of this month,” an agency spokesperson told Nexstar.
After this month, there could be “occasional cases” where payments are reissued – for example, if someone reports a debit card as lost – but the agency isn’t expecting to issue more new payments.
The payments, which range from $200 to $1,050 depending on the recipient, started going out on Oct. 7, 2022. Since then, the FTB says it has issued about 7.2 million direct deposits and mailed about 9.6 million debit cards. The total amount of money sent out tops $9 billion, according to the agency.
If you believe you’re eligible, but haven’t received your payment yet, the FTB first suggests you review the eligibility requirements and double check you are in fact due a Middle Class Tax Refund. (You can read all the exceptions and requirements on the FTB’s site.)
If you still think your payment is missing, the agency lays out exactly what you should do here.