Most Californians who were eligible for the Middle Class Tax Refund have already gotten their money, but some are still waiting for their inflation relief. Their accounts are “under review” for some of them.
In short, the Franchise Tax Board says that manual reviews for a small number of MCTR won’t be done until the spring.
One viewer who recently got in touch with us said that after getting through a confusing customer service helpline, he was told that his account was being looked at because he had filed an amended tax return in 2020.
This viewer said that at the time, he and probably a lot of other people were told by the IRS to file amended tax returns. This was done to help with the pandemic.
The viewer said he had been told he would get his MCTR in eight weeks.
Andrew LePage from the Franchise Tax Board said that some people whose returns were changed in 2020 are “still being looked at to make sure they are eligible.” He said that reviews for this group of people should be done by the end of March.
The person is eligible for the Middle Class Tax Refund as long as the original return and any changes were filed by October 15, 2021.
How many more Middle Class Tax Refund payments does FTB think will be made?
LePage from the FTB said that “probably well above 99%” of payments have been made.
As of February 22, more than $9.2 billion worth of direct deposits and debit cards had been given out.
FTB says that out of the 9.6 million debit cards that have been given out, 80% have been activated and 29% have a balance of $0.
LePage said that the FTB is still working to make sure that all eligible recipients get their money. “We can’t say how many more Middle Class Tax Refund payments will be made because we are still looking at returns that are unusual and need to be looked at by hand to make sure they are eligible.”
How many accounts at Middle Class Tax Refund are being looked at?
LePage said that the number is a moving target because new accounts come in and old ones are closed every day.
“Also, FTB is looking at the tax returns of people who say they are eligible, but our data may not support that,” he said. “FTB thinks that these reviews will be done this spring.”
How do Middle Class Tax Refund accounts that are under review work?
Returns that need to be reviewed by hand are looked at by “the right staff to make sure all eligibility criteria are met and, in some cases, to rule out fraud.”
What should people do if they still haven’t gotten their Middle Class Tax Refund payment but think they are eligible?
If, after looking over the eligibility requirements, you still think you should have gotten a payment, you can talk to Money Network about it by calling 800-542-9332 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“If Money Network states they have no Middle Class Tax Refund payment record on file, the taxpayer should contact FTB at 800-852-5711 and select ‘1’ for Personal Income Tax when prompted,” LePage said. “Also, before calling FTB, those who believe they should have received a direct deposit should double check that they never received a payment by searching their banking statement(s) for the ‘FTB Middle Class Tax Refund,’ which began appearing in accounts in October 2022.”
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