(NEXSTAR) – The days are ticking down until California’s self-imposed deadline to send out the Middle Class Tax Refund – also known as inflation relief checks – directly to people’s bank accounts and mailboxes.
By the end of 2022, the Franchise Tax Board, the state agency tasked with distributing the payments, had issued 7,020,930 direct deposits and 9,112,953 debit cards. The payments, which range from $200 to $1,050, amount to nearly $8.8 billion paid out so far.
The state estimates 18 million payments will be issued by Jan. 14, meaning approximately 1.9 million payments remain.
The vast majority of the remaining payments will be issued as a debit card in the mail. Most people expecting to have received a direct deposit should already see it reflected in their bank account, but “some returns require additional review,” the FTB explains.
If you haven’t received your payment yet, the first thing you should do is confirm you qualify for the Middle Class Tax Refund.
Then, you should verify your spot on the schedule (see below). That will help determine if your payment is late or still scheduled to come. The FTB says direct deposits usually take 3 to 5 days to show up, and debit cards can take up to two weeks to arrive.
If you believe you should have received your payment already but haven’t, the FTB suggests contacting customer service at 1-800-542-9332. A customer service agent will help you confirm you qualify, explain what payment you’ll receive and when.
Direct deposit payments:
| Recipients | Payment issue date |
|---|---|
| GSS I or II direct deposit recipients | 10/07/22 through 10/25/22 |
| Non-GSS recipients who meet direct deposit requirements | 10/28/22 through 11/14/2022 |
Debit card payments:
| Recipients | Debit card mailing timeframe |
|---|---|
| GSS I or II check recipients (last name beginning with A – E) | 10/24/2022 through 11/05/2022 |
| GSS I or II check recipients (last name beginning with F – M) | 11/06/2022 through 11/19/2022 |
| GSS I or II check recipients (last name beginning with N – V) | 11/20/2022 through 12/03/2022 |
| GSS I or II check recipients (last name beginning with W – Z) | 12/04/2022 through 12/10/2022 |
| Non-GSS recipients (last name beginning with A – L) | 12/05/2022 through 12/17/2022 |
| Non-GSS recipients (last name beginning with M – Z) | 12/19/2022 though 12/31/2022 |
| Direct deposit recipients who have changed banking information since filing their 2020 tax return | 12/17/2022 through 01/14/2023 |
The FTB says the direct payments have benefited more than 30 million California taxpayers and their dependents so far.