Golden State Stimulus: Who Qualifies & What This Stimulus Aims To Do

Gov. Newsom and the Legislature have approved Golden State relief actions that will provide immediate help to Californians, small businesses, nonprofits, and cultural institutions hit hardest by the pandemic.

The Golden State Stimulus aims to:

• Support low-income Californians
• Help those facing a hardship due to COVID-19

California’s immediate relief package consists of three main parts:

• $3.8 billion in Golden State Stimulus direct financial relief to individuals and families
• $2.2 billion for grants to small businesses, nonprofits, and cultural institutions, as well as fee waivers for hair salons, restaurants, bars and other businesses
• $1.6 billion for our UC and CSU system, community college students and childcare programs and other essential services, including $35 million for food banks and diaper banks

Golden State Stimulus Direct Relief to Individuals and Families:

These direct relief payments will help Californians who’ve been hit hardest by economic losses due to the pandemic, as well as those who were excluded from federal stimulus payments.

• Golden State Stimulus for working Californians earning less than $30,000:
  • $600 one-time payments will be provided to taxpayers who qualify for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) for the 2020 tax year. Eligible Californians will receive this $600 shortly after they submit their 2020 tax return. This $600 will be in addition to any federal stimulus checks and will not be subjected to tax intercept or Franchise Tax Board (FTB) debt collections.
• Golden State Stimulus for Californians left out of federal stimulus programs:
  • $600 one-time tax refunds to Californians with income of $75,000 or less who were excluded from federal stimulus payments because they file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), rather than a Social Security Number (SSN). This $600 payment to ITIN tax filers will be additional to the CalEITC payment for those ITIN tax filers who also qualify for CalEITC. One or both of these payments will be provided to ITIN filers once they have submitted their 2020 tax return. These payments are also not subject to any tax intercept or FTB debt collection.
  • $600 one-time grant to families who participate in CalWORKs. Eligible recipients will receive this $600 automatically, likely in mid-April, and will not have to apply for it.
  • $600 one-time grant for 1.2 million people who are elderly or disabled and receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). Eligible recipients will receive this $600 automatically, once the program has received federal approval, and individuals will not have to apply for it.

Reminder, to receive the $600 Golden State Stimulus payment for CalEITC filers, as well as the $600 for ITIN filers, eligible Californians must complete their 2020 tax returns.    

Find out how much you could be getting through the CalEITC and how to file your taxes for free by going to the Franchise Tax Board, CalEITC4me, or My Free Taxes. Learn more about filing for CalEITC with an ITIN by referencing these Factsheets and FAQs from the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC): English / Arabic / Spanish / Tagalog / Amharic

California will provide the Golden Status Stimulus payment to families and people who qualify. This is a one-time $600 or $1,200 payment. You may receive this payment if you receive the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) or file with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

For most Californians who qualify, you don’t need to do anything to receive the stimulus payment.

For more information, please click here!