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$1,400 checks are coming in the new coronavirus relief bill. Here’s who will get them and who won’t

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$1,400 checks are coming in the new coronavirus relief bill. Here’s who will get them and who won’t. 

The $1,400 stimulus check is now law. The COVID-19 stimulus bill was signed off by the house on Wednesday and President Biden signed the bill into law on Thursday. A Whitehouse Statement has confirmed this and states that 85% of households will be eligible for the stimulus check.  The Whitehouse goes on to say, “This legislation is about giving the backbone of this nation – the essential workers, the working people who built this country, the people who keep this country going – a fighting chance.” For the first and second stimulus checks, qualified dependents were classed as those who were 16 or younger. The new bill signed by President Biden on Thursday allows $1,400 per dependent of any age to be added onto the checks of their parents or guardians [Courier Journal].

Qualification for the new stimulus check will also be dependent on your household income. A single taxpayer with a AGI (adjusted gross income) of $75,000 or less will quality for the stimulus check. A single tax payer with an AGI greater than $80,000 will not qualify for a stimulus check. A head of household with an AGI of less than $112,500 will qualify for a stimulus check whereas a head of household with an AGI greater than $120,000 will not qualify for a stimulus check. A married couple who are filing jointly with an AGI of less than $150,000 will be eligible for a stimulus check, whereas a married couple with an AGI of greater than $160,000 will not be eligible for a stimulus check.

The new law also includes mixed-status families who were not included in the first 2 stimulus checks. If one spouse is a US resident with a social security number and the other spouse isn’t, they may be eligible for a stimulus check. If one spouse is a “permanent lawful resident” with a social security number and the other isn’t, they may be eligible for a stimulus check.  If neither parent is a “permanent lawful resident’, but they have a child who was born in the UK with a social security number, they may be eligible for a stimulus check. Prison inmates remain eligible for stimulus checks, provided they meet the criteria.

The IRS website states, “the IRS cannot deny a payment to someone who is incarcerated if they meet the criteria.” It is the responsibility of each institution to pass out the relevant paperwork to the prison population and then collect it in time for the deadline. Some prisons have been accused of actively intercepting the IRS paperwork intended for the inmates as well as blocking two newsletters that had informed inmates of their right to claim the check. “This money can be invaluable to help people starting over,” said Brittany Herrington, a program coordinator with a mental health center in Kentucky [NBC].

The checks will be sent out during the first round of stimulus checks in April 2020, it took about two weeks for the federal government to start distributing the money. It took around one week for the second round of checks to be sent out. If the IRS is able to keep with previous timelines, Americans could start receiving stimulus checks sometime between late March to early April.   One issue that complicates this round of stimulus checks is that they will be sent out at the same time as the IRS is dealing with tax returns. 

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

POLITICS EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: USA TODAY

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