2021 proved to be the year of the stimulus check, and then some. Over the past 12 months, there were more than a half-dozen stimulus checks distributed by the federal government. That wave of payments includes a third stimulus check for $1,400, as well as six monthly child tax credit payments. So many stimulus payments, in other words, that answering the question “Where’s my stimulus check?” must first be preceded by, well, which one are you talking about?
The checks flowing from the federal government transferred as much as $16 billion to taxpayers on a monthly basis — for at least six months, according to the IRS. And that only refers to the child tax credit payments. Plus, there’s still a smattering of stimulus checks at the state level to different constituent groups. Below, we’ll take a closer look at it all.
Background
New stimulus check updates pop up all the time, which is why we’ve created this informative roundup. Make sure you check back here often because we’ll provide new stimulus check updates anytime new info becomes available. In the meantime, before we answer the “Where’s my stimulus check” question, let’s take a quick look at how we got here.
The catalyst was the $1.9 trillion stimulus package that Congress passed earlier this year, called the “American Rescue Plan.” It sailed through Congress and landed on President Biden’s desk less than two months after he took office. The legislation was a follow-up, of sorts, to the stimulus package signed by then-President Trump in December 2020. That earlier package is the one that gave Americans a new round of $600 stimulus checks.
In the stimulus plan that Biden signed on March 11, 2021, a new wave of checks was again a centerpiece of the legislation.
That bill authorized the IRS to send out a third wave of stimulus checks, generally for $1,400. This was the third such one-and-done direct coronavirus relief payment from the federal government since the start of the pandemic. The two previous amounts were for $1,200, and then last winter’s $600 check.
More checks
Also authorized in the American Rescue Plan was an expansion of the federal child tax credit, which normally maxed out at $2,000. Because of the pandemic, that amount got bumped up to $3,600 — but, here, the legislators got creative. The credit was structured so that recipients get half of it in 2021, and the second half is coming this year. That first half came as an advance payment. Spread over six monthly checks from July 15, 2021, through December 15, 2021.
Importantly, as was pretty clear early on in this process, Democrats boxed themselves into a political corner regarding the possibility of a fourth stimulus check. Essentially, they got tens of millions of Americans acclimated to the lifeline of a monthly stimulus payment from the federal government.
The only way to get me to vote in 2022 and beyond is to literally pay me. Pay me and every working class person to go to the polls. Pay us in stimulus checks, debt forgiveness, health care, whatever, but a check needs to clear before I get off my ass to vote.
— AshleyStevens (@The_Acumen) December 28, 2021
But as we saw recently with West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin’s refusal to support an extension, a continuation of these payments into 2022 — which is what the Biden administration wants — is now in limbo. At least, it is for now.
Where’s my stimulus check?
There is, however, at least one benefit related to this that’s already guaranteed for 2022.
If you add up all six child tax credit check amounts you got last year, you’ll also receive a tax credit for that same amount this year when you file your federal taxes. That will represent the second half of your child tax credit. And, for now, that will be the end of the enhanced credit.
There’s always a chance the Senate could revisit the legislation supporting an extension of these checks early in the coming weeks. The body might pass it as-is, or change the language of that provision. Or take it out altogether.
The latest stimulus check updates
There’s plenty of information in this article, but the situation is always evolving. Check out some of our recent coverage if you want to read the latest information about a potential fourth stimulus check and more along these lines:
- Still no fourth stimulus check, but you might qualify for a new $400 payment
- How to sign up for 2022 stimulus checks worth up to $8,000
- New stimulus checks are available in all these states – check if you’re eligible
- New $1,100 stimulus checks are coming right now if you live in this state
Broadly speaking, stimulus checks — or, at least, the idea of them — remain a popular policy concept among voters. It’s the increasingly dicey task of bringing new legislation supporting them to fruition that’s befuddling lawmakers at the moment.
Meanwhile, the group Senior Citizens League recently sent a letter along these lines to members of Congress. “We believe that a special stimulus for Social Security recipients could help defray the higher costs some would face,” it reads, ‘if next year’s COLA bumps them into a higher tax bracket, causing higher tax rates on their income and surcharges to their Medicare Part B premiums.” Inflation, remember, is surging. Social Security also got a big cost-of-living adjustment for 2022 announced. That’s why this call has gotten under way now. And we’ll, of course, update this post if and when any progress comes to fruition.
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