Stimulus Update: 750,000 Bonus Stimulus Checks Sent This Week. Who's Getting Them?

An additional stimulus check is on the way to some Americans.

As people across the country sign petitions requesting a fourth stimulus check and wait hopefully for Congress to act, around 750,000 Americans will be getting a payment in the mail soon. These checks will be worth between $600 and $1,100. Here's who's entitled to one.

These Americans should watch their mailboxes for additional stimulus

The 750,000 stimulus checks that were sent out in the mail on Monday Nov. 15, 2021 will be distributed to qualifying individuals across California. They will be sent to individuals who meet the following criteria:

• You filed a 2020 California state tax return by Oct. 15, 2021
• Your adjusted gross income (AGI) on your California return for the 2020 tax year was under $75,000 and your wages were also below this threshold.
• You were a California resident both on the date that the California Franchise Tax Board issued the checks and for more than half of the 2020 tax year
• You are not claimed as a dependent on anyone else's tax return

These checks are called the Golden State Stimulus II. The original Golden State Stimulus check was restricted to lower-income state residents but was later expanded to include more people. Many who are eligible for the payments have already received direct deposit payments into their bank accounts, but California residents will receive their payment via the refund method they chose on their 2020 tax return.

For those who didn't provide direct deposit information, paper checks are going out. This batch of checks is the latest the Franchise Board has sent and they should arrive in the coming days. The Franchise Board has already issued 6.43 million payments and has another 2.57 million to distribute. The money will be sent out every two weeks until each eligible California resident receives their payment.

Other states are also making stimulus checks available

California is not the only location in the U.S. that is providing additional stimulus money to its residents. Other places offering extra financial relief include, but are not limited to:

• Chicago, Illinois, which will send universal basic income payments of $500 per month to qualifying families with incomes under $35,000. The 5,000 eligible families will be chosen randomly.
• The state of Maine, which also distributed stimulus checks beginning Nov. 15. Maine is sending out 500,000 payments to individuals who filed Maine tax returns in 2020 who were full-time residents of the state and who had an income under $75,000 for singles or $150,000 for married joint filers. The payments are worth $285.
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which will be sending 200 low-income households payments of $500 per month for a period of 24 months. Payments are expected to begin later in 2021.

If you're curious about whether your city or state is offering assistance, you should check with your local Department of Health and Human Services or with your municipality to see what kind of help may be available.