Why a Second Stimulus Check Could Come Quicker Than the First

House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi introduced the Heroes Act on Tuesday — a new coronavirus relief bill that would provide another stimulus check for the American people. The proposal has a few key differences from the last round of payments, though it is still in its early stages of development. However, experts say the IRS will almost certainly distribute the amounts faster than the last stimulus check.

Pelosi brought a new stimulus check proposal to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, calling for another round of payments worth up to $1,200 per taxpayer, according to a report by CNBC. The outlet spoke to federal tax policy expert Chuck Marr about the bill, and he seemed to approve of it in its current state. In addition to the changes present in the Heroes Act, Marr noted that these stimulus checks would probably reach the American people faster since the IRS already has payment information for them on file.

“They fixed the first two holes, which is good. The second round is more generous, and for the most part, it’s simpler,” said Marr, who serves as the director of federal tax policy for The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The U.S. government passed the CARES Act back in March, which approved the first round of stimulus checks to go out. However, two months later, 20 million Americans are still waiting for their payment to arrive. This is because the IRS had the task of disbursing the checks and was told to use the payment information on file from 2018 and 2019 tax returns.

That process worked for many Americans but did not for many others. Huge groups of people, including low-income families, certain types of Social Security beneficiaries and full-time college students did not have the right kind of information on file. They had to jump through hoops in the hopes of getting a stimulus check.

This time around, the IRS already has that information on file from the CARES Act, so no matter what kind of relief package is passed, getting the payments out will be faster. Still, Pelosi’s plan is not quite as generous as some other proposals on the floor right now. Lawmakers like Sen. Bernie Sanders have suggested recurring relief payments throughout the coronavirus pandemic, worth as much as $2,000.

Any proposal for the second round of stimulus payments will have to go through a lengthy legislative process before the government puts it into effect. Whenever it does, the IRS will have the payment information on-hand ready and waiting.

For updates on your stimulus check, visit the IRS’ Get My Payment website. For the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization.