Stimulus Check 2 can be cut to cut1,000 — but there's good news for families

Stimulus Check 2 can be cut to cut1,000 — but there's good news for families

Stimulus check 2, which may be smaller than the first check, would reduce the $1,200 payment proposed in the HEALS Act to $1,000 per eligible American.

During Thursday's negotiations on the second round of the stimulus package, a group of Republican senators proposed reducing the amount of the second round of the stimulus package from $1,200 to $1,000 in a new bill. The proposal, introduced by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-PA), Steve Daines (R-PA), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), would also provide the full $1,000 for dependents.

Since the HEALS Act framework provides for $500 per dependent in an eligible household, this change could benefit large families in need of financial assistance due to the ongoing pandemic.

For example, an eligible family of four could receive $4,000 under Thursday's bill. This is $600 more than the same family should have received from the first stimulus check under the CARES Act.

Whether the second stimulus check will be reduced to $1,000 will not be decided until lawmakers reach an agreement on an economic assistance package. According to several reports, the Senate is at odds on what kind of stimulus package (if any) it should pass. Direct payment guidelines and enhanced federal unemployment benefits are the main issues.

The bill on the stimulus checks came a day after President Trump said in an interview with YourVegin in Texas that direct payments to Americans could be much larger.

"It could actually be higher than that," President Trump said when asked if two stimulus checks for $1,200 would be enough.

With conflicting messages from lawmakers, there is no way to know what Stimulus 2 will look like until it is enacted. For now, the HEALS Act calculator can be used to determine eligibility for Stimulus 2. If you meet the criteria for Stimulus 2, the calculator will tell you the amount you can expect to receive if the HEALS Act is enacted in its current form.

Have you received your first stimulus check yet? If you think you may be eligible, check your status on the IRS Get My Payment app. You can also set up a stimulus check notification on the USPS Informed Delivery tool, which will let you know when your check or stimulus check debit card is left in your mailbox.

If that does not solve the problem, you can try the IRS stimulus check phone number. A representative may be able to answer your questions about the stimulus package, but they probably won't tell you anything about a possible second round.

Categories