Here’s why it’s taking so long to receive your California stimulus payment

Been waiting for your California stimulus payment, also known as the Golden Gate Stimulus II? You’re not alone.

The California Franchise Tax Board has been rolling out batches of payments in approximate two-week intervals. The first two rounds saw a combined 2.6 million stimulus payments go out, while the third, which will include paper checks, is expected to send about 2 million Californians payments.

The first two payments were sent on Aug. 27 and Sept. 17, and the third payment is set to drop Oct. 5.

What’s with the long intervals between payments? Well, according to the California Franchise Tax Board, they can’t send out the approximately 9 million payments in one swift batch for a number of reasons, including “the state’s ability to validate eligibility, protect against fraud and issue GSS II payments simultaneously with other mandatory disbursements.”

The state also has “various processing constraints, including printing and mailing,” the Franchise Tax Board told SFGATE.

The board estimates that about 9 million people are currently eligible for payments in California.

“It’s just an estimate, and it remains at roughly 9 million in terms of the number of tax returns received that appear to qualify for GSS II,” a spokesperson for the

Franchise Tax Board wrote in an email. “Some of those 9 million will be excluded during our validation and anti-fraud processes. Also, we anticipate receiving more returns qualifying for GSS II to come in between now and the Oct. 15, 2021, tax filing deadline.”

Wondering how much you’ll receive? The Franchise Tax Board has a handy tool on its website that helps you determine the amount.

Generally, if you qualified for the first Golden State Stimulus payment and claimed a credit of one or more dependents, you’ll receive $500. If you did not qualify for that stimulus payment and did not claim a credit of one or more dependents, you’ll receive $600. If you did not qualify for that stimulus and claimed one or more dependents, you could receive $1,100. Lastly, if you qualified for the stimulus and did not claim a credit for one or more dependents, you do not qualify for the second stimulus payment.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill July 12 that includes $12 billion in relief for families “hit hardest by the pandemic.”

“The state is taking on the inequities laid bare by the pandemic, expanding our support for Californians facing the greatest hardship,” Newsom said at the time.

The funds were drawn from federal recovery funds and California’s budget surplus. Newsom said about two-thirds of residents will be eligible for the $600 payments. Those with children will receive an additional $500.