A fourth stimulus check from the federal government may not happen anytime soon, but there are three other direct payments Americans can be eligible for.
The first direct payment you can avail of is if you are in California. If you are a citizen in the state, you can avail of the Golden State Stimulus check if you are eligible. You can get as much as $1,100. Those eligible can see the amount reflect on their bank accounts as early as September 1 if it was transferred electronically. For those waiting to receive paper checks, it can be expected anytime this month until early October.
To know if a Californian is eligible, they must have filed their 2020 tax returns and adjusted gross income below $75,000.
As for federal benefits, parents have started to receive monthly payments. The payment is part of the expanded Child Tax Credit under the American Rescue Plan. The expected payment is $3,000 per child above for those aged six to 17. If the child is under six, the expected benefit is $3,600 per child. However, parents eligible for the Child Tax Credit will only get half of the expected payment monthly. The other half will be given after they file their taxes.
For homeowners, they can also get direct payment from the Homeowner Assistance Fund. Each state was given at least $50 million to establish its Homeowner Assistance Fund. The money will be used to prevent mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and homeowner displacement.
To be eligible for a payment, a homeowner must have experienced financial hardship after January 21, 2020. Their income must be equal to or below 150 percent of the area median income or 100 percent of the national median income. The amount a homeowner receives varies per state.