As the topic of an additional stimulus relief bill continues to float on Capitol Hill, Americans across the country are holding out hope that a second stimulus check will be in their future sooner rather than later. Five months after the IRS distributed the first direct payment, passed under the CARES Act, the fate of an additional payment has gained bipartisan support, having been included in nearly every new proposal — leading many to wonder just how much they could potentially receive.
Although the exact amount remains unclear due to the fact that a stimulus deal has not been reached, and therefore the details of an additional payment are not set in stone, the recent proposals — the HEROES Act and the HEALS Act — contain nearly identical stimulus check provisions. Under both of these options, some families may even qualify for more than the standard $1,200 payment. This is mostly due to the fact of who does and does not qualify as a dependent. Under the CARES Act, only those aged 16 or younger could qualify for an extra $500, though the more recent proposals seek to extend that.
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Using the HEALS Act, the current proposal at the negotiation table, a single filer with a 2018 or 2019 adjusted gross income (AGI) of $75,000 or less would receive a $1,200 payment, which is the same amount that a head of household with an AGI of $90,000 or less would receive. However, when dependents, regardless of age, are added to that, those amounts increase by $500 per dependent. Under the CARES Act, however, those same families, should dependents have been 17 or older, would not have received the extra money.
The total amount of individual payments will vary greatly from family to family. Those curious to see their family’s most likely payment total can utilize an online tool created by the Omni Calculator Project, which allows Americans to calculate their check total. Available by clicking here, one simply needs to input the requested information, which includes your filing status, how many dependents you have, and your adjusted gross income (AGI) for 2019.
As CNET points out, should a second round of stimulus checks be approved, they will be distributed either by mail or direct deposit, which will be the quicker of the two options. Some payments may also be distributed via an EIP card, which is similar to a debit card.
