Second Stimulus Check: Who Qualifies for the $600 Payment?

A second stimulus check is on the way, this time for $600 per person instead of the previous $1,200. Congress agreed on this coronavirus pandemic aid measure to hold Americans over until a larger package can be passed in January. They made some slight tweaks to eligibility to keep in mind.

The stimulus check made its way into the COVID-19 relief bill at the last minute, according to a report by CBS News. It follows the same basic income eligibility requirements as the first one — individual taxpayers making $75,000 per year or less will get the full $600, while those making more than that will see their check decrease incrementally. Congress has not yet revealed the full bill, so it is not clear at what income level the check would disappear altogether. However, under the CARES Act in the spring, people with an annual gross income (AGI) of $99,000 or more would get no stimulus check.

The amounts are simply doubled for couples who file joint tax returns — the stimulus check would be worth $1,200 for those with an AGI of $150,000 or less, and would decrease incrementally. The previous bill included a different income scheme for “Head of Household” tax filers, but that has not been made public for this bill either.

This bill will also offer an additional $600 for each dependent child a taxpayer claimed on their most recent tax filing. So far, descriptions of the bill indicate that it will apply only to underage dependents, not young adults or elderly family members. There may also be limits on the number of dependents eligible, though that is not clear yet either.

Finally, the eligibility rules have been clarified when it comes to immigrant taxpayers. Under the first stimulus bill, only those with a valid Social Security Number could get a direct payment, so even immigrants living and working in the U.S. long-term who paid taxes were not eligible. This was especially problematic for immigrants married to U.S. citizens, as one spouse’s status could make the other one ineligible for a check as well if they filed jointly.

This time around, a married couple filing jointly is still eligible as long as one is an American citizen and the other is a legal immigrant. According to CBS News, this new rule “is retroactive to the CARES Act, to expand these direct payments to mixed-status households, importantly providing immigrant families across the country with access to this financial relief.”

The stimulus check is a small portion of the $900 billion stimulus bill, and more coronavirus relief provisions are also included in the $1.4 trillion government spending bill. Both are expected to pass in the U.S. Congress on Monday.