FAMILY LAW DAILY NEWS

Stimulus Funds 2022: Your State May Nonetheless Owe You a Verify

As the holidays roll in, we could all use some extra money. South Carolina has started issuing printed checks, debit cards and direct deposits for up to $800 to eligible taxpayers. The income tax rebates were approved by state lawmakers as part of this year’s $8.4 billion budget, according to the state Department of Revenue, and payments will continue to go out through December. 

South Carolina isn’t the only state issuing residents tax refunds, though: Illinois is still sending out $50 and $100 rebates and Massachusetts began returning $3 billion in surplus tax revenue this month.

Your state could be sending out a rebate or stimulus check, too. Below, see if you qualify and how much you could be owed. 

For more on taxes, see if you qualify for additional stimulus or child tax credit money.

California 

Millions of Californians are receiving inflation relief checks of up to $1,050, either as a direct deposit or a debit card. The state expects 95% of the payments to go out this year, with the remaining checks reportedly arriving by Jan. 15, 2023.

How much California residents will receive is based on their income, tax-filing status and household size.

  • Single taxpayers who earn less than $75,000 a year and couples who file jointly and make less than $150,000 a year will receive $350 per taxpayer and another $350 if they have any dependents. A married couple with children, therefore, could receive as much as $1,050.
  • Individual filers who make between $75,000 and $125,000 a year — and couples who earn between $150,000 and $250,000 — will receive $250 per taxpayer, plus another $250 if they have any dependents. A family with children could therefore receive a total of $750.
  • Individual filers who earn between $125,000 and $250,000 and couples who earn between $250,000 and $500,000 annually would receive $200 each. A family with children in this bracket could receive a maximum of $600.

Single taxpayers earning $250,000 or above and couples earning a combined $500,000 are ineligible for the payments.

Colorado

State residents who have filed their 2021 return by June 30 should have gotten a physical check for $750 by Sept. 30, thanks to the 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) Amendment. (Joint filers will get $1,500.)

Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill in May to get the refunds to taxpayers sooner, with more than half already cashed by late August. Filers who received an extension and filed by the Oct. 17 deadline will receive their refund by Jan. 31, 2023.

Delaware

After Gov. John Carney approved the Delaware Relief Rebate Program in April, a $300 stimulus check was cut for all residents who filed their 2020 tax returns. 

Even if you filed jointly, each person should have received a payment, which started going out in May.

Florida

Nearly 60,000 Florida families received one-time payments of $450 per child “to offset the costs of rising inflation,” according to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

To qualify, families must receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (also known as welfare), be a foster parent or a relative or nonrelative caregiver or participate in the Guardianship Assistance Program.

You didn’t need to apply for the benefit, which has been automatically mailed to eligible recipients. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, checks should have arrived in time for Florida’s “back to school” sales tax holiday, held from July 25 to Aug. 7. 

Georgia

Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill in March authorizing rebates to taxpayers who filed their state returns for both 2020 and 2021. Single taxpayers received $250 in May, with heads of households getting $375 and married couples filing jointly netting $500.

Partial-year residents, those who pay little or no income taxes, or individuals who owe taxes, child support or other payments may have received a smaller rebate. 

The Department of Revenue started issuing rebates in May and, according to its website, most residents who filed their 2021 state return by April 18 should have received theirs by early August.

Hawaii

The Hawaii State Capitol

Hawaii residents started receiving tax rebates at the end of August. 


lkonya/Getty Images

Hawaii residents who earned under $100,000 in 2021 — or $200,000 if they file jointly — received a one-time $300 tax rebate this year. Dependents are also eligible for the rebate, so a qualifying family of four could receive $1,200.

Individuals who earned more than $100,000 and couples who earned more than $200,000 qualified for a $100 payout.

Direct deposits began being issued in late August, but physical checks didn’t start going out until the week of Oct. 17 in batches of 2,000, according to the state Department of Taxation.

Idaho

Gov. Brad Little signed a bill in February giving $75 to each taxpayer and dependent, or 12% of their 2020 state income tax return, whichever is greater. 

Checks started going out in March and residents can review the status of their rebate online.

Illinois

Illinois’ $1.83 billion relief package includes income and property tax rebates that should be going out through November.

Individuals who earned less than $200,000 in 2021 will receive a $50 income tax rebate while couples filing jointly with incomes under $400,000 will receive $100. Filers can also earn $100 per dependent they claimed on their 2021 taxes, up to three dependents. In all, a family of four can earn as much as $300.

Illinois residents who paid state property taxes in 2021 and meet certain salary requirements are also eligible for a separate rebate of up to $300. 

Checks started going out the week of Sept. 12, the Illinois Department of Revenue told CNET in an email, with distribution expected to finish roughly eight weeks later.

Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Family Relief Plan also included several tax holidays and rebates, including a suspension of the state’s sales tax on groceries from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, and a permanent expansion of the earned income credit from 18% to 20% of the federal credit.

Indiana

Hoosiers are eligible for $125 rebates regardless of income, thanks to the state’s automatic taxpayer refund law, 

Direct deposit payments started going out in May with printed checks slated to be sent to the 1.7 million taxpayers who didn’t provide banking information in July. Dispersal was held up until mid-August, Gov. Eric Holcomb told Fox 59, “because the paper supply required was delayed.” 

During the wait, the Indiana Legislature tacked on another $200 to each check.

The combined payments — $325 for individuals, or $650 for married couples filing jointly — will be included in one paper check. It took until early October to print all 1.7 million paper checks. 

Indiana residents who haven’t received a rebate by Nov. 1 should contact the state’s Department of Revenue.

Maine

Maine taxpayers who have filed their 2021 state tax returns and have an adjusted gross income of less than $100,000 were eligible for an $850 direct relief payment this year. Couples filing jointly received a single payment of $1,700.

Checks were sent out starting in July, WMTW reported. You can check on the status of your refund via Maine’s government portal.

Massachusetts

Under a 1986 voter-approved law known as Chapter 62F, state tax revenue in Massachusetts is tied to fluctuations in wages and salaries, with any excess returned to taxpayers. This year marks only the second time since the law was enacted that the refund has been triggered.

The first checks and direct deposits from the $3 billion surplus started going out Nov. 1.  The refund is approximately 14% of an individual’s 2021 state income tax liability, the administration said.  

A website has been launched to answer questions and help residents get a preliminary estimate of their refund. A call center is also available at 877-677-9727. 

Massachusetts already sent $500 stimulus checks to low-income workers in the spring. 

Minnesota

Certain Minnesota frontline workers are eligible to receive a one-time payment of $750, including emergency responders, health care staff, court officials and retail workers.

Almost 1.2 million workers applied for Minnesota’s frontline bonus check by the July 22 deadline, per the Duluth News Tribune. The large number of applicants who are approved — if more than 667,000 — could shrink the $750 payout.

Applicants should have been notified in mid-August, with payments beginning Oct. 5.

New Jersey

Some 2 million New Jersey households are getting property tax rebates, thanks to the Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR), a $2 billion property tax relief program signed by Gov. Phil Murphy at the end of June.

Homeowners making up to $150,000 will receive $1,500 rebates on their property taxes, while those earning between $150,000 and $250,000 will receive $1,000. Renters who earn up to $150,000 will receive $450 checks. 

The rebates, issued via check and direct deposit, will be coming later than many other states’ payouts: New Jersey state treasury spokesperson Jennifer Sciortino would only confirm it would be “no later than May 2023,” Patch.com reported.

New Mexico

The Land of Enchantment issued a rebate to all taxpayers — $500 for individual filers and $1,000 for joint filers, heads of households and surviving spouses.

The payments were broken into two parts: The first checks went out in June, and the second in August.

The state also issued $250 rebates in July to taxpayers who filed individually and earned less than $75,000. (Married couples filing jointly with incomes under $150,000 received $500). 

New York

In June, about 3 million New York state homeowners started receiving property-tax rebates of up to $1,050. New York City households got an average of $425 back. 

Those who qualified should have automatically been sent a check by the end of June, but details on eligibility are available at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website.

In addition, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed legislation granting hundreds of thousands of low- and middle-class city homeowners a one-time property tax rebate of up to $150.

Owners of one, two, or three-family residences who had incomes of $250,000 or less in 2020 are eligible for the rebate, provided the property is their primary residence.

Homeowners who received a School Tax Relief (STAR) credit or exemption during the fiscal year 2023 will be sent checks automatically starting in late August. (If the Department of Finance has incomplete income information, it will send a letter detailing how to certify your eligibility.)

Owners who do not receive a STAR exemption but believe they are eligible for the rebate will be able to file an application. The deadline for filing a claim is in November, and those rebate checks should go out in the fall.

Pennsylvania

In July, more than 260,000 older homeowners, renters and people with disabilities started receiving their part of a massive $121.7 million payout issued through the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program.

Eligible residents should visit the MyPath website or file a paper application before the extended deadline of Dec. 31, 2022, with payments coming as a direct deposit or check. 

The maximum standard rebate is $650, according to the Department of Revenue, but supplemental rebates for qualifying homeowners can boost that amount to $975. (The department will automatically calculate supplemental rebates for qualifying applicants.)

Check the status of your rebate using the state government’s Where’s My Rebate? tool, inputting your Social Security number, date of birth and the year you are claiming for.

South Carolina

Income tax refund checks of up to $800 started going out to South Carolina taxpayers in November. Any resident who paid taxes will receive a rebate, with the amount increasing based on their tax liability, up to an $800 cap.  

Married couples who filed jointly will receive only one rebate. Those who did not pay income taxes — around 44% of South Carolinians — will not receive a check.

If you filed your 2021 income tax return by Oct.17, you’ll receive your rebate by the end of the year. If you file after the Oct. 17 extension deadline but before Feb. 15, 2023, you will get your rebate in March 2023.  

You can visit the South Carolina Department of Revenue website to calculate your refund and track your check.

Virginia

Millions of Virginians received one-time tax rebates worth $250, or $500 if they filed jointly. Payments were made by printed checks and direct deposit.

Some 1.3 million rebates will be sent through direct deposit and 1.9 million in paper checks.

The Virginia Department of Taxation’s website lists more information regarding who is eligible and how much they would receive. 

According to Virginia Department of Taxation Commissioner Craig Burns, most rebates started going out Sept. 19, with plans to send out 250,000 each weekday.

“Through the end of the year, we expect to issue about 3.2 million one-time tax rebates,” Burns added.

Physical checks are being issued to individuals who did not include banking information in their return, whose direct deposit was declined or whose rebate was offset by outstanding debts.

The agency expected 2.9 million rebates to be issued by Oct. 11, with the remainder trickling out through the rest of the year for returns filed by Nov. 1.

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