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Senior Stimulus: Which Social Security Recipients Will Still Receive a Golden State Payment?

December 31, 2021

2 min Read

Written by Josephine Nesbit

Edited by Cory Dudak

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There’s still some confusion as to whether Social Security recipients will be receiving Golden State Stimulus II payments. It all depends on state guidelines, and only certain Social Security beneficiaries will receive California’s stimulus check.

California News Times reported that nearly 4.5 million checks have been distributed to Californians, about half of the payments expected to go out under this program. The original program was aimed at low-income California residents, but was expanded in July to cover those who make $75,000 or less a year, according to the California Franchise Tax Board.

Californians who receive Social Security checks are eligible for Golden State Stimulus II payments up to $1,100 ($600 for themselves and $500 for a qualifying dependent) if they meet the requirements and report other sources of income with an adjusted gross income (AGI) between $1 and up to $75,000 on their 2020 tax return. The state also noted that when calculating your AGI, Social Security is not included.

Other requirements for Social Security recipients who reported income between $1 and $75,000 on their 2020 tax return include:

Lived in California for most of last year
Still live in California
Have a Social Security number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification number (ITIN)
Can’t be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer
Filed 2020 taxes by Oct. 15

So who doesn’t qualify?

If Social Security is your only source of income, then you don’t qualify for GSII payments under California’s eligibility requirements. Other types of income are also excluded from your AGI, such as CalWorks and CalFresh benefits, Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, State Disability Insurance, VA disability benefits and unemployment.

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If you qualify, you will receive your payments by either paper check in the mail or by direct deposit. Use California’s online tool to see if you qualify and what you may receive.

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