Points to remember
- Early on, the federal government provided billions of funds to states to aid in the fight against the pandemic.
- Many of those states are now looking at the remaining monies and deciding how to distribute them.
- Any unspent monies must be returned to the federal government by December 31, 2024.
The federal government sent billions of dollars to each state during the outbreak’s peak. Each state has its unique set of issues, and money from the federal government could help solve them. In theory, allowing state legislatures to identify and handle pandemic-related issues seemed preferable to the federal government throwing more money at the problem.
The funds are still available.
After all these months, most (if not all) states are still sitting on federal funding. Some states, such as Pennsylvania, can’t determine whether to distribute wealth to their citizens or save the money for a rainy day. Here’s the issue with keeping the money: Anything not spent by December 31, 2024, must be returned to the federal government.
States are now in a difficult situation. Many people wish to help state inhabitants, but depositing a check into the bank accounts of every person in the state is likely to feed inflation, causing prices to rise even faster. As a result, some governments have tightened the criteria for who gets a check, limiting it to those in the most desperate need.
These are the states that have passed or look to be on the verge of passing legislation to distribute money to those in need. Some jurisdictions provide cash, while others have devised other — more creative — methods of redistributing funds to inhabitants.
| STATE | PLAN | WHO WOULD QUALIFY? | HOW MUCH WILL RESIDENTS RECEIVE? | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Gas rebate | All Californians with a registered vehicle | $400 per car (up to two vehicles) | Still under debate |
| Georgia | Stimulus in the form of tax rebate | Taxpayers who have filed both 2020 and 2021 tax returns | Single filers: $250, Head of household: $375, Married filing jointly: $500 | Signed by governor |
| Hawaii | Stimulus in the form of tax rebate | Every Hawaii taxpayer | Income under $100,000: $300, Income over $100,000: $100 | Still under debate |
| Idaho | Stimulus in the form of tax rebates. Paid via direct deposit or paper check | Full-time residents who have filed 2020 and 2021 tax returns, or full-time residents who filed a grocery-credit refund return | $75 or 12% of 2020 Idaho state taxes, whichever is more | Signed by governor |
| Indiana | A one-time tax refund. Paid via direct deposit or paper check | Residents who have filed 2021 tax returns. The state legislature voted to include those who typically earn too little to file a tax return | $125 | Signed by governor |
| Kansas | Reduction or elimination of state grocery tax | All state residents | Not yet determined | Still under debate |
| Kentucky | Stimulus in the form of one-time rebate | Not yet determined | Up to $500 per eligible Kentuckian and up to $1,000 per household | Still under debate |
| Maine | Direct relief payments | Full-time residents with a federal AGI of Single: Less than $100,000, Head of household: Less than $150,000, Married filing jointly: Less than $200,000 | $850 | Signed by governor |
| New Jersey | Property tax rebate | Homeowners earning up to $250,000, Renters earning up to $100,000 | Homeowners: Average $700, Renters: Up to $250 | Still under debate |
| New Mexico | One-time tax rebate. Also, refundable child tax credit up to $175 per child, beginning Jan. 1, 2023 | Single: Less than $75,000, Married filing jointly: Less than $150,000 | Single: $250, Married filing jointly: $500 | Signed by governor |
| New York | Property tax rebate for tax years 2021, 2022, and 2023 | Full-time NY residents who have lived in their home for more than 183 days and earn $250,000 or less. For those over 65, the income limit is $92,000 or less. | An average of $425 for New York City homeowners and $970 outside New York City. | Signed by governor |
| Pennsylvania | Decrease state gas tax by 1/3 | All residents | Not yet determined | Still under debate |
| Virginia | Reduction or elimination of state grocery tax and/or suspension of state’s $0.262 per-gallon gas tax for one year | All residents | Not yet determined | Still under debate |
As the week’s pass, other states may decide to share the wealth or provide multiple stimulus types as New York has done. New York invested more than $2 billion in a program dubbed the Excluded Workers Fund earlier this year. This strategy is intended to assist undocumented workers who were previously ineligible for federal stimulus funds. Keep an eye on the local news to see whether you could profit from some of the state monies that have been left over.
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