Second Stimulus Checks: When the IRS Could Send Additional Payments

09/07/2020 01:07 pm EDT

With Congress finally set to reconvene this week after a weeks-long absence on Capitol Hill, a stimulus relief package is one step closer to hopefully being passed. Should lawmakers strike a deal and a relief bill make it to President Donald Trump's desk, however, just how long will it be before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) begins distributing a potential second round of stimulus checks?

At this time, a concrete timeline does not exist for a second payment's distribution, though comments from those in Washington as well as the past timeline for the first round of checks offer an idea as to just how quickly Americans could expect to receive their payment. According to dates laid out by CNET, payments could go out as soon as late September, though they could also be stalled as far out as early November.

The outlet's predicted timeline suggests that should the Senate vote on and approve a final negotiated bill by Friday, Sept. 11, and that bill is then approved by the House of Representatives and signed by President Donald Trump by Thursday, Sept. 17, the IRS could begin distributing the first payments as soon as Monday, Sept. 28. The first to receive their payments would likely be those receiving it via direct deposit, with physical checks sent via the mail at a later date.

However, given that Republicans, Democrats and the White House remain far off in their opinions regarding the scope of the next package, and next to no progress has been made amid the stalled negotiations, it seems unlikely that a deal will be struck this week. In this scenario, CNET lays out a timeline that would not see checks being distributed until the week beginning, Monday, Oct. 12. For this date to be met, the Senate would have to vote in approval by Wednesday, Sept. 30, with the House voting the same on Thursday, Oct. 1. The president would then have to sign the bill on Friday, Oct. 2.

A third predicted timeline would stretch this out even further, with the IRS not distributing payments until the week of the 2020 presidential election. Under this prediction, a negotiated final bill would be approved by the Senate on Friday, Oct. 16, meaning the House would not take it up for a vote until Monday, Oct. 19. The president would then have to approve the bill with his signature on Tuesday, Oct. 20 for the IRS to begin sending out checks the week beginning Monday, Nov. 2.

These dates are pure speculation, however, and it has not yet been confirmed that stimulus checks will be included in an additional relief package, should one be passed at all. A relief bill expected to be revealed by Republicans this week would likely not include stimulus payments due to the narrowed scope of its provisions, though stimulus checks still seem to have the support of the president.

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