Millions of Americans in four states will be getting bonus stimulus checks, with some being worth up to $1,000. Depending on the state and the bonus payment, it could even be automatically received. Of course, to get the money, you have to qualify or be eligible for it. These extra payments are thanks to budget surpluses and state tax laws.
California Sends Out Stimulus Checks Through the Golden State Program
The first of the four states sending out extra stimulus checks is CA. Through a series of programs called the Golden State Stimulus, CA sent out around $12 billion to taxpayers in 2021. Following a 2022 budget proposal for the state, taxpayers could once again be getting extra payments.
This year, Governor Gavin Newson revealed what could potentially be a record budget. The budget, which is $286.4 billion, would have a surplus of almost $50 billion. The $45.7 billion surplus is much higher than what was originally anticipated. In late 2021, CA anticipated that it would have a budget surplus of around $30 million. Since there’s such a large amount of money leftover in the budget, this could easily turn into another round of stimulus checks for CA residents.
Florida’s State Budget Also Allows For Bonus Payments
FL is another state that might offer bonus stimulus checks based on state budget surpluses. This wouldn’t be the first time that the Sunshine State has done that, either. Last year, FL found some room in its budget to send stimulus payments to teachers. Teachers working with Pre-K through 12th grade received a payment of $1,000. Overall, around 175,000 teachers and 3,600 principals got the extra payments in 2021.
The FL state budget is looking like it’ll have some wiggle room this year, too. Therefore, teachers in the state will once again be getting $1,000 bonus payments. According to the office of Governor Ron DeSantis, he specifically included these payments in the 2022 state budget.
Indiana Payments Are Available After Filing Taxes
On the lower end of the spectrum, IN is offering payments of $125 to eligible taxpayers. This is due to a state law. If there’s enough money in the state reserve, they have to send out a part of that to residents. These payments will be automatic for residents that have filed their taxes. Depending on how they set up their taxes, the stimulus checks will arrive via direct deposit or via check in the mail. IN will also be working with the 910,000 low-income residents that pay taxes but do not file yearly.
New York Pushes to Renew Stimulus Program
Lastly, NY has been offering bonus stimulus checks for certain groups of people. The Excluded Workers Fund was created in 2021 for workers that lost their jobs but couldn’t get stimulus checks because of their immigration status.
Lawmakers are looking to renew and expand the program this year to send out more payments. The Sun reports that last year there were around 90,000 applicants for the program. To be eligible, they had to make less than $26,208 in 2020.
