Millions of Californians have already been sent their Middle Class Tax Refund – a one-time direct payment to help ease the pain of record inflation – but millions of others are still waiting for the money.
The payments, which are between $200 and $1,050, are being sent two ways: direct deposit and debit cards in the mail. Payments started one month ago on Oct. 7, but they weren’t sent out all at once.
The payments have been going out in batches depending on payment type and recipients’ last names.
On Monday, the Franchise Tax Board announced more precise dates for another round of payments, which will be mailed out in early December. (See more details and all the dates we know so far below.)
When will you get your inflation relief check? When you get paid depends on how you get paid. So the first thing you’ll need to determine is if you will be getting a direct deposit or a debit card. (The short answer is if you filed taxes electronically in 2020 and received your state tax refund by direct deposit, you’ll get a direct deposit here too. Basically everyone else will get a debit card, but you can read more here.)
Then, you’ll need to think back on 2021 and remember if you qualified for a Golden State Stimulus payment in either round (I or II). People who got Golden State Stimulus (GSS) are being prioritized for sooner payments this year.
Once you determine those two factors, check the charts below to see when you should expect to receive your inflation relief payment.
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) | Dates to be announced |
| Direct deposit recipients who have changed banking information since filing their 2020 tax return | 12/17/2022 through 01/14/2023 |
Only one set of payments – direct deposits for non-Golden State Stimulus recipients with last names between M and Z – has yet to be announced. The Franchise Tax Board says those details will be announced by Nov. 21.
The Franchise Tax Board expects to have issued about 8 million direct deposit payments by mid-November and to have mailed 10 million debit cards by early next year.