What You Need to Know About the $1,702 Stimulus Payment
What the $1,702 payment is and who received it
The $1,702 payment was a one-time direct deposit sent by several states between 2021 and 2023, not a federal stimulus. Each state that issued it had different rules about who received it and why. Some states sent it as a tax refund or rebate to residents who filed taxes that year. Others sent it to people receiving unemployment benefits during a specific period. A few states sent it to renters or homeowners as pandemic relief. The payment came from state budgets, not from Washington.
Because the $1,702 amount and the timing varied by state, you may have received it, may still be waiting for it, or may not have been in the group your state targeted. If you received a payment you did not expect, it came from your state government, not a federal program.
Key Takeaways
- The $1,702 payment was issued by individual states, each with different rules about who received it and when it arrived.
- Most payments were sent as direct deposits to bank accounts on file with the state, or as paper checks mailed to the address the state had on record.
- If you did not receive a payment you thought you may have access to for, contact your state's revenue or tax department, not the federal government.
- Scams claiming to help you recover a missed $1,702 payment are common; the state will not ask you to pay a fee or give personal information to resend it.
Which states sent the $1,702 payment and when
California, Colorado, Georgia, and a handful of other states each issued their own one-time payments during the pandemic recovery period. California's payments were the most widely known and arrived in waves between 2021 and 2023, depending on which program you fell into. Colorado sent payments to residents who filed taxes in 2021. Georgia issued payments to people who received unemployment benefits. The exact dollar amount, timing, and may be able to access rules differed in each state.
If you lived in a state that did not issue a $1,702 payment, you would not have received one. There was no national $1,702 payment sent to all Americans. The only way to know whether your state sent one is to check your state's revenue or tax department website or call their customer service line directly.
How the payment was delivered
Most states sent the $1,702 as a direct deposit to the bank account they had on file—usually the account where they sent tax refunds or unemployment payments. If the state did not have a bank account for you, they mailed a paper check to your address on record. Direct deposits typically arrived within one to three business days of the state processing the payment. Paper checks took one to two weeks to arrive, depending on mail speed in your area.
If you moved after the state had your address on file, the check may have gone to an old address. If your bank account information changed and you did not update it with the state, the direct deposit may have failed and the state may have issued a check instead. Some states held unclaimed payments and allowed people to claim them later through a special portal or by calling a dedicated line.
What to do if you think you should have received the payment but did not
Contact your state's revenue department, tax department, or the agency that issued the payment. They can tell you whether you were in the group that received it, whether a payment was sent to you, and where it went. Have your Social Security number, tax return information, or unemployment claim number ready when you call. The state can look up whether a direct deposit was sent, whether a check was mailed, and the date it was processed.
If a check was mailed but never arrived, the state can issue a replacement. If a direct deposit failed because your bank account information was wrong, ask the state whether they can resend it or whether you need to claim it through a special process. Some states have a deadline for claiming unclaimed payments, so ask about that too.
Recognizing scams claiming to help you get the $1,702
Scammers often target people searching for information about stimulus or relief payments. They may call, text, or email claiming they can help you recover a missed $1,702 payment—for a fee. Real government payments are never held up by a fee. The state will not ask you to pay money upfront, give your Social Security number to a third party, or click a link in an email to claim a payment.
If someone contacts you offering to help you get the $1,702 for a fee, hang up or delete the message. If you want to check on a payment, go directly to your state's official website or call the phone number listed on a tax document or bill you received from the state. Do not use a phone number or website from a search result or an email.
How the $1,702 payment affected taxes and benefits
Most state payments were not taxable income and did not need to be reported on your federal tax return. However, some payments were treated as tax refunds or rebates, which means they reduced the amount of state tax you owed that year. A few payments were issued to people receiving unemployment, and those states typically did not tax the payment itself.
The $1,702 payment did not count as income for purposes of means-tested benefits like Medicaid, SNAP, or housing assistance. Because it was a one-time payment from the state, not ongoing income, most benefit programs did not reduce your benefits because of it. If you are on a benefit program and received a payment, you do not need to report it unless the program specifically asks about one-time payments.
What happened to payments that were never claimed
Some states held unclaimed $1,702 payments in a special fund and allowed people to claim them for a limited time. Others returned unclaimed payments to the state general fund after a deadline passed. A few states still hold unclaimed payments and allow claims through an online portal or by phone. Check your state's revenue or tax department website to see whether unclaimed payments are still available and how to claim one.
If the deadline to claim has passed in your state, the payment is no longer available. You cannot recover it through any other program or process. The only exception is if the state later opens a new claims period, which is rare but has happened in a few cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get the $1,702 payment if I moved to a different state after it was issued?
The state that issued the payment will send it to the address they had on file when they processed it, regardless of where you live now. If you moved and the check went to an old address, contact that state's revenue department and ask for a replacement. They can reissue it to your current address.
What if I received the $1,702 but it was the wrong amount?
Contact your state's revenue or tax department and explain what you received. They can look up what you were supposed to get and issue a correction if there was an error. Bring documentation of the payment you received, such as a bank statement or cancelled check.
Is the $1,702 payment coming back or happening again?
There is no announced plan for another $1,702 payment. Each state's payment was a one-time decision made during the pandemic recovery period. If your state issues another payment in the future, it will be announced on the state's official website and through official channels, not through email or text.
Do I have to pay taxes on the $1,702 I received?
Most state $1,702 payments were not taxable and did not need to be reported on your federal return. However, if your state treated it as a tax refund or rebate, it may have reduced your state tax liability that year. Check your state tax documents or contact your state's revenue department to confirm how your payment was treated.
What if someone is asking me to pay a fee to help me get the $1,702?
That is a scam. Legitimate government payments are never held up by fees, and the state will not ask you to pay a third party to claim money owed to you. Hang up, delete the message, and report it to your state's attorney general office if you want to.