Congress hasn’t yet agreed who’ll be eligible to receive a second stimulus check, but it’s expected that more people will be included the second time around.
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The months-long journey towards getting a second stimulus check might be inching towards a conclusion, if another direct payment could take place. Both chambers of Congress could soon be able to vote on a bill that includes another check. Failing an act from Congress, a possible new executive order could draw stimulus money from existing pandemic programs to fund more aid.
We break down the basics of stimulus check eligibility in a handy chart below to make it easy to learn how factors like your income, your number of dependents and a range of rules and exceptions will impact whether you might qualify for another round of stimulus money, should there be one.
It’s possible that at least one new group could qualify to receive up to $1,200 apiece and contribute to an even larger sum for family groups than was originally allowed with the first stimulus payment. CNET’s stimulus check calculator can also estimate what you could receive. We recently updated this story.
Stimulus check eligibility: Which groups could make the cut
We won’t know for certain who will qualify for a new stimulus payment until Congress passes the legislation. We can, however, draw from the first stimulus check’s eligibility requirements and the Heroes Act and HEALS Act proposals (neither of which is law) to get an idea of who may or may not get a second check, including a few unexpected qualifiers below.
Both Republicans and Democrats are using adjusted gross income, or AGI, to determine the payment amount for individuals and families, which would cap at $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples.
Who might qualify for the next stimulus check
| Qualifying group | Likely to be in final bill | Unlikely to be in final bill |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | An AGI of less than $99,000, under both proposals | |
| Head of household | An AGI of less than $146,500, under both proposals | |
| Couple filing jointly income | An AGI less than $198,000, under both proposals | |
| Dependents of any age | No dependents limit specified, under HEALS Act | Up to 3 dependents, under Heroes Act |
| Noncitizens who pay taxes | Under Heroes Act | |
| Incarcerated people | Under CARES Act | |
| Owe child support | CARES Act excludes those who owe child support. Heroes Act includes them | |
| US citizen living abroad | Included under CARES Act | |
| Live in U.S. territory | Under CARES Act, payments handled by each territory’s tax authority | |
| SSDI recipients | Included under CARES Act | |
| Non tax filers | Included under CARES Act |
How rules over dependents could change
While the initial payments authorized under the CARES Act included $500 for dependents aged 16 and younger, the HEALS and Heroes Act would both loop in any dependent, regardless of age, including college students and adult dependents. The Democratic plan would extend $1,200 each, for up to three dependents, so a family of five people could receive a maximum of $6,000. The Republican plan would provide $500 for each dependent you claim on your taxes, but the HEALS Act doesn’t specify a cap on the number of dependents.
Who the first stimulus payment skipped over
For the payments authorized under the CARES Act, which became law in March, these groups were excluded:
- Single taxpayers with an AGI over $99,000.
- Heads of households with an AGI over $136,500.
- Married couples with an AGI over $198,000.
- Children over 16 and college students under age 24.
- Nonresident aliens, as defined by the US government.
- People who are incarcerated.
- People who died since the previous tax filing. (Their families may not collect on their behalf and are expected to return the payment.)
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When will Congress finalize new stimulus check requirements?
If a stimulus check is authorized by Congress and not an executive order, here’s the flow. Talks between Republican and Democratic negotiators on the new stimulus package have been stalled for over a month, but the two sides have signaled they’re willing to pick up the debate. The Senate has officially returned from recess today and the House, after passing USPS funding, is back next week. If the sides reach a deal, the stimulus bill will take effect after the president signs it into law.
While we won’t know for sure until the two sides come together on the next stimulus package, we have a good idea of when a check could be sent if a new bill passes.
For more, here’s what we know about the major proposals for a second stimulus package. We also have information on unemployment insurance, what you can do if you’ve lost your job, if you could receive two refund checks from the IRS and what to know about evictions.
Shelby Brown contributed to this report.