San Diego CA—While the tax filing deadline has passed, an estimated 500,000 working families in California are still eligible to apply for the $220 million in tax credits available to them from the State of California through the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) and Golden State Stimulus (GSS).
United Ways of California and local partners are helping to make sure families who are eligible receive as much as $4,200 from the two programs.
“It’s not too late for thousands of California working families to apply for the California Earned Income Tax Credit and the Golden State Stimulus programs and put more money in their pockets and support their families,” said Nalleli Sandoval, Senior Director of Programs at United Ways of California. “The two programs can provide critical support to low-wage workers and families hit hard by the pandemic, especially communities of color. We encourage people to apply for the programs to receive the funds that can make a life-saving difference.”
GSS is a one-time payment of $600 or $1,200 per tax return that is available to families who have an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) filer earning up to $75,000, while the the CalEITC ranges from $243 to just over $3,000 and is available to families with incomes up to $30,000. Eligible families can apply for GSS by October 15 while those eligible for CalEITC can apply and receive funds from up to four years later.
While the California Franchise Tax Board estimates more than 4 million taxpayers are eligible to receive CalEITC for the 2020 tax year, 3.5 million have applied through May 15 and received tax refunds totaling nearly $590 million. Meanwhile, there are about nearly one million people in California who earn less than $30,000 per year and are eligible for the Golden State Stimulus this year, who can still apply for the two programs to put more money into their pockets.
Californians who had an income of less than $66,000 in 2020 are eligible for free filing through myfreetaxes.org, where they can find a free tax filing site near them. Individuals and families who are applying with a federally issued Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) can find support through the ITIN guide, should their ITINs have expired and they need assistance renewing or getting one.