Fourth Stimulus Check Update: When Americans Would See New Direct Payments

A Fourth Stimulus Check doesn’t appear to be something that will be coming anytime soon—if at all—but if the Biden Administration did decide to send out another round of direct payments to Americans for economic assistance, those eligible for funds would still need to wait a little while for the funds to appear in their bank accounts.

Americans have continued to call for a fourth round of payments, and have been joined by experts and other lawmakers as well, citing the need to help the neediest of Americans and help pull a record number of people out of poverty. While the President hasn’t called for such payments in either of his two new economic plans, the idea of a fourth payment—should circumstances call for it—hasn't been entirely scrapped either. However, due to the political system in the United States, if a payment was proposed, Americans would still need to wait for Congress to approve it before seeing money.

Holdup in Congress has threatened stimulus payments before, with Americans receiving an initial $1,200 in April 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but then not seeing any financial boosters again until December of that same year, after then-President Donald Trump had already lost the election to his successor. That payment of $600 came after Congress remained in a stalemate for much for the year over an additional payment, and even rejected Trump’s support for a $2,000 check.

As for the third payment of $1,400, which came with Biden’s Administration in March, it was passed because of the use of Budget Reconciliation, which allowed Senate Democrats to avoid the filibuster and pass the legislation approving it without a single Republican vote.

With Congress heavily divided—Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the House while the Senate is split 50/50--and the Filibuster still in play, meaning 10 Republicans need to cross party lines in order for measures Democrats support in full to pass, a fourth stimulus check could face pushback if it is proposed. Not only could it be killed entirely if Republicans don’t support it, but the eligibility some Americans had for previous payments could be changed, meaning fewer people would wind up receiving the help.

The path to a fourth stimulus check still won’t begin unless the Administration chooses to approve one, meaning Americans will still need to wait regardless of Congress, though reports have also indicated that calls for automatic payments if certain economic triggers are met have been heard by White House staff. “Automatic stabilizers” would be sent out in these situations if approved, and would avoid the process of lengthy negotiations altogether.

Of course, while a fourth payment isn’t currently on the table, some Americans are set to start receiving extra funds soon enough. The expanded Child Tax Credit will see money deposited into the accounts of eligible parents beginning in July, with $300 for every child under the age of 6 and $250 for those between 6-13. Those payments will continue on a monthly basis until December, unless the American Families Plan, which calls for an extension of that through 2025, passes.

In addition to those funds, eligible parents and caretakers could claim up to an additional $8,000-$16,000 when they file their 2021 taxes next year as well if they have monetary proof of the expenses they accrued during the year to care for a dependent, CNET reports.