- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $9.6 billion relief package this week that will include a new round of $600 stimulus checks for lower-income residents.
- According to Newsom, $600 payments will be sent to “those with incomes below $30,000, as well as those unfairly excluded from previous federal stimulus payments.”
- The $600 payments will have no effect on the $1,400 stimulus checks in Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan.
Congress isn’t in session this week, which means that next week the earliest that Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package could possibly receive a vote. If the bill makes it through the House and the Senate, there’s a chance it could be on President Biden’s desk by Monday, March 1st, and we know how quickly the IRS can get direct deposits out the door, which could make March 8th the first day that eligible Americans begin to see their $1,400.
Between the pandemic and the devastating winter storms, there are plenty of Americans that are in desperate need of aid, and some states are taking additional steps to help their people. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that low-income Californians will receive $600 stimulus checks as part of a $9.6 billion relief package that will address a number of sectors that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Newsom’s Golden State Stimulus plan will apply to Californians who make below $30,000 and those the state deems were “unfairly excluded from previous federal stimulus payments.”
The agreement provides $600 in one-time relief to households receiving the California EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) for 2020. In addition, the agreement provides a $600 one-time payment to taxpayers with Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITINs) who were precluded from receiving the $1,200 per person federal payments issues last spring and the more recent $600 federal payments.
The agreement would provide the $600 payments to households with ITINs and income below $75,000. ITIN taxpayers who also qualify for the California EITC would receive a total of $1,200. The payments will be provided to these households shortly after they file their 2020 tax returns.
According to Newsom, a total of 5.7 million direct payments will be delivered to low-income individuals in California as part of this plan. These payments will have no effect on any future federal COVID-19 relief, which means that most of the Californians who receive the $600 checks should also receive $1,400 checks next month.
In addition to direct payments, the relief package also includes more grants for small businesses, fee waivers for bars and restaurants, stipends for child care, financial aid for college students, and more.
“As we continue to fight the pandemic and recover, I’m grateful for the Legislature’s partnership to provide urgent relief and support for California families and small businesses where it’s needed most,” said Governor Newsom in a statement on his website regarding the relief package. “From child care, relief for small business owners, direct cash support to individuals, financial aid for community college students and more, these actions are critical for millions of Californians who embody the resilience of the California spirit.”
