CA Stimulus: Last Chance To Qualify Nearing

CALIFORNIA — Many residents who still have not filed their taxes in California will have one last opportunity to do so and receive a Golden State Stimulus payment.

Friday marks the final deadline to file 2020 tax returns for those who filed an extension. Many Californians who file may be eligible for a payment of up to $1,100.

Californians who apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number by the Friday deadline will also have an additional four months to file state income taxes and may still be eligible for state stimulus money, KTLA reported.

If you haven't yet received a payment, and you're eligible for one, don't panic. The first batch of paper checks were sent out last week along with a third round of electronic payments, according to the state.

Californians can track payment timing here.

Check if you're eligible for a state stimulus payment here

So far the state has sent out more than 3.3 million Golden State Stimulus payments. The payments add up to more than $2.3 billion, KTLA reported.

Two-thirds of Californians and 78 percent of taxpayers were estimated to recieve a payment, officials said. Eligible Californians must have filed their tax returns by Oct. 15 to qualify. For those who already filed a tax return but didn't claim the California earned income tax credit, the state urged them to file an amended return.

California is the only state to send out pandemic financial aid to its residents with its own money.

Newsom on July 12 signed the $100 billion California Comeback Plan, which included the second round of $600-plus checks, which will go to those who made up to $75,000 last year — an estimated 11 million middle-income Californians. Another $500 will go to families with children, and an additional rebate of $500 would go to many people living in the country without documentation.

It's important to note that the new stimulus would go only to residents who did not receive the first $600 payment: those who made $30,000 or less in 2020. Low-income residents who received the first $600 — or in some cases $1,200 — would not get a second $600 payment, Newsom's office told Patch.

"However, those who got the first [stimulus] payment could potentially be eligible for the $500 payment if they are a qualified family (meet income requirements) with a dependent," Newsom's office said in a previous email to Patch. "There is also a $500 payment for [individual taxpayer identification number] filers."

SEE ALSO: CalMatters: Look Up Your Golden State Stimulus Amount

"We're investing that in the unprecedented challenges the state faces, including into addressing the needs of people that are working hard, playing by the rules and barely making ends meet," Newsom previously told reporters.

The stimulus checks were made possible by a gargantuan 2021 state budget and a record amount of spending, with agreements to expand health care to undocumented people, to fund solutions for homelessness and to help Californians most affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Harnessing the largest surplus in state history, we're making transformative investments across the board that will help bring all our communities roaring back from the pandemic — and pay dividends for generations to come," Newsom said in July.

The fiscal year began July 1 with a historic $262.6 billion that was bolstered by a $75.7 billion surplus and $27 billion in federal coronavirus aid. During the same time last year, the state announced a $54.3 billion projected shortfall.

"It's a remarkable turnaround," Newsom said in May.