(NEXSTAR) – About half of those who qualify for California’s Middle Class Tax Refund (more commonly known as “inflation relief” payments) have received their due, according to the state.
The Franchise Tax Board, the state agency in charge of disbursing the payments, says at least 6,739,880 direct deposits have been issued and 2,556,729 debit cards have been sent out, according to the latest numbers available.
All those payments add up to more than $5 billion paid out so far.
The inflation relief payments vary in size from $200 to $1,050, depending on a person’s income, filing status and dependents. The average payment so far is about $544.
If you haven’t received your payment yet, don’t panic. The state is still working its way through the long list of eligible taxpayers.
According to the FTB’s payment schedule, direct deposits should have all been sent out by Nov. 14, but there are millions of debit cards that haven’t been sent out, including to:
- People who received Golden State Stimulus (GSS) in 2021 and have a last name starting with N through Z
- Non-GSS recipients with all last names
- People who otherwise would have received a direct deposit but have changed their bank information since filing their 2020 taxes
The FTB estimates the approximately 9.3 million payments issued so far have benefited about 17.3 million Californians when you consider recipients’ children, spouses and other dependents.
In total, the state expects to send out 18 million payments by the end of January 2023.
In the meantime, all you can do is wait. “MCTR payments cannot be accelerated by contacting FTB,” the agency told Nexstar. “Californians who meet all eligibility criteria do not need to do anything to receive their payments.”
