How the California Stimulus Check II Calculator works
Golden State Stimulus II (GSS II) was a one-time payment approved by California in 2021 to help residents recovering from the pandemic. Unlike a formula with a sliding scale, GSS II was paid according to a fixed schedule published by the Franchise Tax Board (FTB): a small set of eligibility gates determine whether you qualify at all, and then your 2020 AGI bracket, dependents, and GSS I history determine one of four flat payment amounts.
Eligibility gates
To qualify for GSS II, all of the following had to be true:
- You filed your 2020 California tax return by October 15, 2021 (the extended deadline).
- Your 2020 California adjusted gross income (CA AGI) was between $1 and $75,000.
- You were a California resident for more than half of the 2020 tax year, and still a CA resident on the date the payment was issued.
- You were not eligible to be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer.
If any gate fails, the calculator returns $0 and marks the return as not eligible — the FTB schedule has no partial or phased-out payment for near-misses.
The payment schedule
Once you clear the gates, the amount depends on two yes/no facts: did you already receive Golden State Stimulus I (GSS I), and did you claim at least one dependent on your 2020 return?
- No GSS I, no dependents: $600.
- No GSS I, with dependents: $600 base + $500 dependent add-on = $1,100.
- Received GSS I, with dependents: $500 (a dependent-only top-up, since GSS I already covered the base amount).
- Received GSS I, no dependents: $0 — GSS I already provided the full amount and there is no further add-on.
Worked example
Take a filer with a 2020 CA AGI of $40,000, two dependents, who did not receive GSS I, filed on time, and meets the residency test. All eligibility gates pass. Because they did not receive GSS I, their base payment is $600; because they claimed dependents, they get the $500 add-on. Total estimated GSS II payment: $1,100.
Assumptions and scope
This calculator assumes you filed using a Social Security number valid for employment. A small number of ITIN filers with dependents who did not receive GSS I were paid $1,000 instead of $1,100 under a separate FTB rule; that $100 difference is not modeled here. It also assumes one payment per return — the amount is based on the household's AGI bracket and dependents, not doubled for joint filers. This is a planning estimate of a payment program that has already closed; it does not check current FTB payment status.