Will Congress approve sending you a second stimulus check by the end of 2020? We hope so! The timing of another direct payment depends on whether negotiations pick up after having stalled for more than a month. With the Senate back in session (and the House of Representatives returning next week), Republican and Democratic lawmakers may be continuing negotiations on a new coronavirus stimulus bill, as both parties say they want to reach a deal.
The White House reportedly approved a $1.5 trillion price tag for a new stimulus package, up from the original $1 trillion proposal, according to Politico. The Democrats have also come down from their initial $3 trillion proposal to $2.2 trillion. With that being the case, it’s possible we could start seeing some movement on a finalized bill soon — but we won’t know for sure until it actually happens.
If Congress passes legislation or if there’s a new executive action to issue stimulus checks using money from emergency pandemic programs, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said it would take about a week for the IRS to start sending out payments.
We took a guess at some possible dates that eligible Americans could see a first check, and at who gets priority over others, if a new round of direct payments is authorized. CNET’s stimulus check calculator can also help you estimate your potential pay. This story is updated often.
Possible dates the IRS could send a new stimulus check
Here are some possible dates that the IRS could send the first checks, based on when a bill could pass or when a unilateral executive order from President Donald Trump could occur. For reference, we also include the timeline for the now-expired CARES Act. The payments don’t go out to everyone at once, so read on for which groups of people could get their payment first.
When the House returns next week, it will have 12 working days before it’s scheduled to break again for the election. The Senate has 22 working days during the current session, which started earlier this week, before it breaks for the election.
Note that these dates are speculative and change frequently in response to the latest from Washington.
WHEN COULD THE SECOND STIMULUS CHECKS GO OUT?
| Date passed by Senate | Date passed by House | Date signed | First checks sent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original CARES Act | March 25 | March 26 | March 27 | April 15 |
| If Senate passes | If House passes | If president signs | First checks could be sent | |
| Final negotiated bill | Sept. 21 | Sept. 22 | Sept. 23 | Week of Sept. 28 |
| Sept. 30 | Oct. 1 | Oct. 2 | Week of Oct. 12 | |
| Oct. 16 | Oct. 19 | Oct. 20 | Week of Oct. 26 | |
| If order signed | Direct deposit could start | First paper checks could start | First EIP cards could start | |
| Presidential order | Sept. 12 | Week of Sept. 21 | Week of Sept. 28 | Week of Oct. 19 |
Originally published here.
