Don’t start spending money you don’t have just yet.
Posts online on Friday claimed that the U.S. government is about to send out new stimulus checks to certain taxpayers.
But this is not true. Congress has not approved any new law to allow such payments, and the IRS confirmed that no stimulus checks will be sent in the coming weeks.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Claim
Some online posts said the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department approved $1,390 stimulus checks for low- and middle-income taxpayers that would be sent out by the end of summer.
The Facts
That claim is false. An IRS official said no new checks are coming this summer.
Stimulus checks, also called economic impact payments, must first be approved by Congress through legislation. Only then can the Treasury Department send them out.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri recently introduced a bill that would give taxpayers rebates funded by tariffs placed by President Donald Trump. But that bill has not passed the Senate or the House.
Earlier this year, the IRS said it would distribute about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who didn’t claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns. That credit helped people who missed one or more COVID-19 stimulus checks, with a maximum of $1,400 per person. However, the deadline to file those returns was April 15. There are no new credits available now.
Background on Stimulus Checks
Stimulus checks in the past have always required new laws passed by Congress.
- During the coronavirus pandemic, three bills authorized payments: the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the COVID-related Tax Relief Act, and the American Rescue Plan Act.
- In 2008, during the Great Recession, checks were sent out under the Economic Stimulus Act.
The Treasury Department, which includes the IRS, managed those payments. The Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, created in 2012, also helped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hawley’s Proposal
In July, Hawley introduced the American Worker Rebate Act. His plan would share tariff revenue with Americans through rebates:
- At least $600 per person.
- Extra payments for qualifying children.
- Smaller rebates for individuals making over $75,000 a year.
- Rebates could be higher if tariff revenue increases.
Hawley said, “Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country.”
As of Friday, Congress had not passed the bill. The Senate read it twice on July 28, the day it was introduced, and then sent it to the Committee on Finance.
