Th Stimulus Check Update And Payment Status In 2022 Latest News And Developments
This article provides updates, income qualification thresholds and FAQs on the approved and proposed COVID relief stimulus checks, also known as Economic Impact payments.
While multiple rounds of payments have been made over the last two years, many are asking if the government will make another of payments to help folks cope with high inflation and the rising costs of basic goods and services.
Each round of stimulus check payments had slightly different rules so please ensure you review each payment round separately. Click the links below to jump to the relevant stimulus payment.
If you have not received one or more of your stimulus payments, then you will need to claim this as a recovery rebate in your tax return filing this year.
Revised Child Tax Credit: Everything You Need To Know
14 Min Read | Mar 25, 2022
Update: If you received monthly child tax credit advance payments this year, be on the lookout for Letter 6419 the IRS started mailing out in December. The form lists the total amount of advance payments you received, and youll need it to file your 2021 taxes and receive the other half of your child tax credit.
If I Take the Advance Payment, How Does This Affect Next Years Taxes?All right, you guys, if you have kids like me, listen up: Some of you are going to get cash in your hands every month for the rest of 2021 thanks to the increased Child Tax Credit. I know what youre thinking: Isnt the Child Tax Credit just given out at tax time? And the answer isyep, normally thats how it works. But not this year. Which makes sense, because theres been a lot of extra money from the government lately.
First, there was stimulus number one, then number two, and then number threeand now the first of the Child Tax Credit payments just went out, and theyll keep coming for the rest of the year.
A lot of you still have questions about it, so lets talk about what the new beefed-up Child Tax Credit means for you and your money.
How Will The Irs Calculate My Payment
The American Rescue Plan provides that if your 2020 tax return is not filed and processed by the time the IRS starts processing your third stimulus payment, the tax agency will use information from your 2019 tax return. If your 2020 return is already filed and processed when the IRS is ready to send your payment, then your stimulus check eligibility and amount will be based on information from your 2020 return.
If your 2020 return is filed and/or processed after the IRS sends you a stimulus check, but before July 15, 2021 , the IRS will send you a second payment for the difference between what your payment should have been if based on your 2020 return and the payment sent based on your 2019 return. Most people do not need to take any action. The IRS will calculate and automatically send the payment to those eligible.
Recommended Reading: When Was The Third Stimulus Check Sent Out In 2021
When Do They Vote On The Third Stimulus Check
The House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan Saturday morning by a 219-212 vote, hours after going through the House Rules Committee. The bill will now be sent over to the Senate for consideration, but the timeline for passage there remains in some question.
The legislation provides a third stimulus check that amounts to $1,400 for a single taxpayer, or $2,800 for a married couple that files jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent. Individuals earning up to $75,000 would get the full amount as would married couples with incomes up to $150,000.
The size of the check would shrink for those making slightly more with a hard cut-off at $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for married couples.
Some Republicans want to cut the size of the rebate as well as the pool of Americans eligible for it, but Biden has insisted on $1,400 checks, saying thats what the American people were promised. The new round of checks will cost the government an estimated $422 billion.
Read Also: Irs Stimulus Check 3 Calculator
Social Security Cash Up To $1800 To Land In Millions Of Bank Accounts In Days
The proposal came after it was heard from many seniors who shared their hardships in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Shannon Benton with the Senior Citizens League told The Sun: “We have received hundreds of emails from people concerned about making ends meet.
“The high cost of living adjustment, for many, just exacerbated their financial woes by bumping their income above program limits to qualify for medicare savings programs and extra help.”
The Senior Citizens League isn’t the only one that is trying to get Congress’s attention.
Also Check: If You Didn’t Receive Stimulus Check
Costco Reveals Store Closure But Customers Won’t Be Disappointed By $133m Change
And its possible that could happen soon.
Some economists are fearing that the Federal Reserves action on interest rates could lead to a recession.
So far, the Fed has hiked interest rates four times this year in an effort to tame inflation.
And more hikes are likely on the way.
“Unless we see a rapid decline in the month-over-month inflation rate, well likely see the Fed raise interest rates again this year,” Laura Adams, a personal finance expert from Finder.com told The Sun in July.
“Higher interest rates make most types of credit such as credit cards, mortgages, and other business and personal loans cost more, which could lead to a recession,” she added.
As of August, the unemployment rate was sitting at 3.7% right around pre-pandemic levels but that could change.
Should the numbers tick up, this could force Biden and his Democratic to push publicly for another round of stimulus.
Inflation Is One Reason Why There Won’t There Be A Fourth Stimulus Check
Rising inflation is a major concern in the USA right now, with the rate hitting 7.5% for January of 2022. When the last of the stimulus checks came out, in March of 2021, inflation was just 2.6%.
Some believe that the stimulus checks helped start the spike in inflation and, whether that’s true or not, another stimulus check wouldn’t help that situation.
Don’t Miss: Where’s My 1st And 2nd Stimulus Check
Are $2000 Monthly Stimulus Checks Possible
In response to President Biden’s American Jobs Plan proposal, a group of 21 senators on March 30 sent a letter urging the inclusion of stimulus checks in the legislation. The group called for recurring payments as long as the pandemic lockdown continued, meaning people would get monthly checks from the government. No amount for the payments was specified.
We urge you to include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions in your Build Back Better long-term economic plan, wrote the group, which consisted of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and others.
An earlier stimulus check proposal, put forward during the early days of the American Rescue Plan in late January, also suggested monthly payments until the pandemic is over, but did not mention an amount. However, Rep. Ilhan Omar , D-Minnesota, tweeted earlier in January that she wanted to see $2,000 per month.
If that amount sounds familiar, it’s because now-Vice President Kamala Harris threw her support behind $2,000 recurring checks during the negotiations for the second stimulus check legislation in the summer of 2020.
The proposal has also gained plenty of support outside of Congress: Six online petitions calling for $2,000 monthly stimulus checks until the end of the pandemic have been posted. The biggest petition, on Change.org, has been signed by more than 2.8 million people and has a stated goal of reaching 3 million.
Unemployment Expected To Fall To 3 Percent
The US economy has been going gangbusters, recovering much faster than after the Great Recession. With covid-19 vaccine shots in their arms, Americans began venturing out once again driving up demand and hiring. This led to the most jobs gained on record in one year with the US adding 6.4 million in 2021.
The current unemployment rate of 4 percent though is still above the pre-pandemic level when it was 3.7 percent. And for all the jobs that were added there still remains a nearly similar number of Americans unemployed. However, the St Louis Fed President Jim Bullard predicts that it could , a level that could mean the economy is overheating.
St. Louis Fed President James Bullard sees the U.S. unemployment rate falling below 3% this year, a jobless rate the country last saw in the early 1950s, he told @hpschneider in a conversation on Twitter Spaces 1/3
Reuters Business
Read Also: Irs Phone Number For Stimulus Check 2021
Who Is Eligible For The New Child Tax Credit
All right, qualifying for the new Child Tax Credit is based on several things: your income and the number of dependent children you have, plus their ages. The IRS will base all of this on your 2020 taxes . If you need to make any changes to what they already have on filelike say, oh, you had a sweet new baby or a change of income in 2021you can update your information through the Child Tax Credit Update Portal.
Now, theres a limit to all of this. The Child Tax Credit will start to phase out for incomes over $150,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return and qualifying widows or widowers, $112,500 for heads of household, and $75,000 for all other taxpayers.7
Lets take a look at the Child Tax Credit Amounts for each age group one more time:
- Ages 05: $3,600
- Ages 617: $3,000
- Ages 1824 : $500
Your dependents will have to meet some basic conditions too. Obviously, theres the whole age thing, but they also need to be dependents that you claim on your taxes. So if you share custody of your children, the increased Child Tax Credit will go to the spouse who is claiming the kids for the 2021 tax year. You cant both claim the same child. And if you do, you might have to repay all or some of it back to the government the next year. That would be a huge bummer, so make sure you have everything figured out between you guys.
How Much Is The Third Stimulus Check
The third round of stimulus checks included a $1,400-per-person direct payment. This amount topped off the $600 payment that most eligible folks already got as part of a previous COVID-19 relief package. Congress passed that one at the end of December 2020 for a total of $2,000 in stimulus payments per person. So, how much should you have gotten in your third stimulus check? Find out with our stimulus calculator!
The stimulus payments are one part of Bidens much larger COVID-19 relief plan that also expanded the Child Tax Credit, extended unemployment benefits for people who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and provided more aid for renters and landlords.6 Yep, its a mouthful.
Read Also: Can I Still Get Stimulus Check
Congress Calls For Manchin Clarity
Some members of Congress have argued that the White House should identify exactly what West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin would be willing to support and pass those aspects.
On the other hand progressive members point to the fact that many of the measures formed part of the Democratic party platform which got them elected in 2020.
They worry that if legislatiion is not enacted, it could hamper their electoral chances in the Mid-Terms.
Read Also: I Dont Recognize The Account My Stimulus Check
Cons Of Taking The Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments
- Youll only get half of the money at tax time. If you take this advance payment of the Child Tax Credit now, just know that youll only see the other half after you file your taxes next yearand not the full amount. Remember, this is an up-front payment of the regular amount you get.
- You might have to pay some of it back. Now listen up: This is only if your income went up from 2020 to 2021. Lets say you lost your job like so many Americans did in 2020, but then you got a new job in 2021. The tax credit is taking the info it has from your 2020 taxes, so your new income might push you over the limits and start to phase out .
- Your payment will be sent to whoever claimed the kids on the 2020 tax returns. If youre divorced or separated, these advance Child Tax Credit payments will go to the parent who had the kids listed on their taxes that year.
- You might need that full amount of money at tax time. If youre self-employed, making quarterly payments, or usually owe money to the IRS, you might want to opt out of monthly payments here. Youll probably need that full amount to help bring down the amount youll pay at tax time.
Don’t Miss: What’s Happening With The Stimulus Checks
A Quick History Of Stimulus
In response to the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, the federal government issued a number of stimulus packages. These included a $1,200 stimulus per adult through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, an additional $600, and $1,400 through the American Rescue Plan.
Parents also received six payments through the Child Tax Credit . The federal government also offered additional unemployment payments.
Unfortunately, the CTC ends in December 2021, thanks to West Virginia SenatorJoe Manchinrefusing to consider that CTC provision in the Build Back Better bill. Despiteevidencethat the CTC made a huge difference in pulling families out of poverty, the CTC will probably be dropped from the Build Back Better bill in order to pass a form of the bill.
Additionalunemploymentbenefits ended in September 2021. While there are many anecdotal stories about companies not being able to hire enough staff because of the stimulus payments and unemployment support, the reality is more complex.
As of November 2021, the national unemployment rate had dropped to 4.2%, still higher than the pre-pandemic level of 3.5%. The biggest problem for many people returning to work appears to be the continual mutation of the coronavirus.
States with low vaccination rates are having the hardest time filling service, high-contact jobs, and have higher unemployment rates. In Texas alone, there have been 72,000 job losses and more than a $13 million decline in output.
Stimulus Blamed For High Inflation
The final round of $1,400 direct payments which started in March 2021 along with the massive amounts of covid-19 relief funds injected into the US economy have been blamed for the higher-than-normal inflation afflicting the nation. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco looked at the effect of the American Rescue Plan specifically on inflation.
It found that Bidens stimulus is temporarily ratcheting up inflation, but not causing overheating as has been suggested. Their analysis found that the ARP, is expected to cause inflation to increase by about 0.3 percentage point in 2021 and by a bit more than 0.2 percentage point in 2022. The impact in 2023 is negligible.
Other factors are helping push up prices on just about everything, a major source has been disruptions to supply chains caused by the pandemic. This caused manufacturers to scramble to secure scarce supplies of inputs to make their products. Americans in turn have been scooping up consumer goods with excess savings they acquired during the lockdown increasing demand on limited supplies.
Recommended Reading: Are We Going To For Stimulus Check
Other States Stimulus Checks
Some states are planning to send stimulus packages to their residents. These include Maine, Maryland, and Florida.
Maine is planning to pay $285 to individual filers with an adjusted gross income below $75,000 and below $150,000 for married joint filers. These started in November 2021 and end in December 2021.
Florida will send first responders and educators in Pre-K through 12th a payment of up to $1,000 in December 2021.
North Carolina Stimulus Check: Gas Stimulus Checks
Several states and counties are providing gas stimulus checks to residents to help them offset the cost of rising gas prices. Lawmakers in North Carolina have also proposed sending gas stimulus checks. If approved, gas stimulus checks from North Carolina would be $200. The checks proposed by the state senators would go to every licensed adult driver in North Carolina.
You May Like: Is There Another Stimulus Check Coming In 2022
Recommended Reading: How To Get California Stimulus
Will Lawmakers Provide A Fourth Stimulus Check
Dozens of lawmakers have pushed for recurring stimulus payments, but any hope was sidelined when lawmakers focused on the Build Back Better Act.
The social spending plan stalled in Congress late last year, as inflation gripped the nation.
Congress has since moved on to other issues and, currently, no talks about stimulus money are on the table.
It means Social Security claimants should not expect to get a $1,400 check.
However, it’s possible that should the US enter a recession , that some more aid could be coming on the state or local level.
Dr Tim Rosenberger Jr, rising fellow at the Hoover Institution, whose research focuses on state and local government policies, told The Sun that California, in particular, could act.
California is sitting on a big pile of cash right now, Dr Rosenberger said.
Whether that continues to be true, and whether the state decides to deploy that money on some kind of UBI or offset is unclear.
Democrats In Congress Are Pushing For A Fourth Stimulus Check
Democrats in the House and the Senate are pushing for another round of stimulus payments for Americans still reeling financially during the pandemic.
Some Democratic lawmakers are also urging Biden to extend unemployment benefits and a child tax credit payment program, in addition to recurring stimulus payments. In March, Congress extended a weekly $300 unemployment payment until early September.
“We urge you to include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions in your Build Back Better long-term economic plan,” 21 senators wrote in a letter to Biden in late March.
Recommended Reading: Apply For Stimulus Check Indiana
