19 States Trying to Fight Inflation with More Stimulus Checks

So far, the federal government isn’t offering inflation aid in the form of stimulus checks — which is why some states are taking matters into their own hands, despite that too much stimulus is partly to blame for our current high inflation rate.

Depending on where you live, your state may have already sent out tax rebates to qualifying residents, or you might be about to receive a payment.

Wondering if your state is one of those working on inflation relief payouts to help boost your bank account? Check out our list to find out.

California taxpayers who make under $150,000 a year can expect to receive a one-time payout of $350 (or $700 for couples filing jointly). Taxpayers with dependents will receive an additional $350 per qualifying dependent.

This payout, which the state is calling the “Middle-Class Tax Refund,” should impact around 23 million Californians (over half the state’s current taxpayers). 

If you qualify for the stimulus but don’t receive a mailed debit card or automatic direct deposit, don’t panic — the rollout will likely take through January 2023.

Colorado’s rebate has fewer restrictions than California’s: All taxpayers over age 18 who filed a return for the last tax season should qualify. And at $750 per qualified individual ($1,500 for couples filing jointly), Colorado’s rebate is one of the highest in the nation.

As early as May, Delaware started to send out rebates to taxpayers who had filed state returns for the 2020 tax season. Individuals and couples filing jointly should have already received $300 per person if they qualified.

Florida’s inflation payout was limited to Florida taxpayers who are fostering children, such as foster parents, non-relative caregivers, and other guardians who participate in state-sponsored programs. Only around 59,000 Florida taxpayers qualified and received $450 per child.

In March 2022, George opted to give $250 back to individual taxpayers to help manage inflation. Couples filing jointly received $500 total while anyone filing as a head of household received $375.

Most Georgia taxpayers who filed state returns for the 2020 and 2021 tax years qualified for the rebate. Due to the state’s quick response, everyone who qualified should have received their money no later than August 2022.

Hate The Pain At The Pump? You Need This 5 Step Checklist ASAP

If you made $100,000 or less as an individual in 2021 (or $200,000 as a household), you qualify for a one-time rebate of $300 per person. Hawaiian taxpayers in this income bracket will also receive an extra $300 per qualifying dependent.

Those who made more than $100,000 per person or $200,000 per household should receive $100 per taxpayer. The rebates will be sent out between September and October 2022, and the earlier you filed your 2021 tax return, the sooner you’ll get your rebate.

As long as you were a full-time Idaho resident who filed a state tax return for the last two tax seasons, you should have received a one-time rebate from the state of Idaho. 

Payments were sent out starting in March for a flat $75 or 12% of your 2020 state tax return, whichever is higher.

Illinois taxpayers who make less than $200,000 individually — or $400,000 if filing jointly — qualify for Illinois’s one-time tax rebate of $50 per individual.

Qualifying taxpayers with dependents will also get an extra $100 per dependent, up to a maximum of three dependents. For example, having five dependents would only qualify you for a $300 rather than a $500 rebate.

Any full-time resident who filed a state tax return in Indiana for both the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons already qualified for the state’s first $125 payout ($250 for households filing jointly). In August, Indiana approved a second, higher payment of $200 per taxpayer.

However, Indiana has had a trickier time than some states getting rebate checks in the mail. Unless you got your first rebate through direct deposit, you might not have received the money yet. Look for a combined check with both rebates between now and the end of the year.

Maine residents with a gross income of $100,000 qualify for an $850 relief payment — the highest amount of any state. If you filed your state tax return on time, you should get the check through the mail. 

If you haven’t filed your 2021 return yet, you will need to do it by October 31, 2022, to be eligible for the payout.

5 Moves If You Want to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

Legislation that would have approved a $250 stimulus payment to Massachusetts taxpayers ultimately failed to make it through the state Senate in August. However, the rebate measure was just one part of a larger tax relief bill.

It stalled less because the state didn’t want to make the payments and more because of the ins and outs of its unique tax cap law.

Depending on how the state eventually manages its tax cap situation, taxpayers could still get 7% of their 2021 state income taxes back. That amount would come to $250 for someone with an annual income of $75,000.

Minnesota’s rebate doesn’t have much to do with inflation. Instead, the state is trying to help those who were hit hardest by COVID-19 by offering a $750-per-person payout to frontline workers. 

To qualify for the $750, applicants must have worked a frontline job in Minnesota for at least 120 hours between March 15, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

In 2021, the New Jersey state government set aside one-time rebates of $500 for 1 million qualifying New Jersey residents. Then, at the end of June 2022, a property tax relief bill gave homeowners tax rebates up to $1,500 based on their income level.

Renters received some relief as well: Those making $150,000 or less are expected to receive a $450 rebate. No one’s sure exactly when New Jersey residents will get their checks, though the state says they should be mailed out by May 2023 at the latest.

New Mexico’s tax rebate is an uncomplicated $500 per taxpayer ($1,000 for heads of households and joint filers). Residents should have received their rebates in two payments by now, with the first half of each payment mailed in June and the other in August 2022.

New York’s primary inflation relief also came in the form of property tax rebates. Three million eligible homeowners received property-tax rebates of up to $1,050 (or an average of $425 per household).

In August, the state also approved a one-time property tax rebate of up to $150 for owners of one- to three-family residences who had incomes of $250,000 or less in 2020.

Paying More For Groceries? 8 Ways To Fight Inflation

To fight inflation this year, Oregon focused on making direct payments to the state’s lowest-income families. If you qualified for the earned income tax credit in 2020 and lived in Oregon from at least June 2020 onward, you should have received a $600 check from the state.

Rhode Island’s inflation relief targets residents with kids. If you made $100,000 or less as an individual ($200,000 as a jointly filing household) and claimed dependents on your 2021 returns, you will be mailed $250 per child dependent (three maximum) starting in October 2022.

South Carolina plans to send one-time rebates of up to $800 to all taxpayers who filed individually or jointly in the state. Those checks should be in the mail starting at the end of November 2022.

In July, Virginia approved one-time tax rebates of $250 per taxpayer or $500 per jointly-filed household. As long as you filed last tax season’s state income taxes by this July, you should get the full payment via mailed check or direct deposit before November.

If you haven’t yet filed those taxes, you have until November 1. After that, you won’t be eligible for the credit.

So far, 19 states are at the forefront of relieving inflation through tax rebates. However, if inflation remains at record rates for much longer, more states could start taking action as well to help reduce financial stress.

Stay on top of current legislation in your state to make sure you know if a stimulus check is in your future.