Fourth stimulus check isn’t coming in 2024

Congress passed three bills during the COVID-19 pandemic that included stimulus checks, formally known as Economic Impact Payments, sent to millions of eligible Americans.

The three payments totaled more than $3,000 per person. The last of these payments came in March 2021.

Rumors about a fourth stimulus check often circulate online. That’s led some VERIFY readers to ask whether they will receive a fourth check in 2024.   

Is the federal government sending a fourth stimulus check in 2024?

No, the federal government isn’t sending a fourth stimulus check in 2024. 

A spokesperson for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) told VERIFY in November 2023 that there are no additional stimulus payments due to go out “at any time in the future.”

The IRS and U.S. Department of Treasury websites, which have information about how people can receive the three previous stimulus payments if they haven’t already, make no mention of a fourth payment, either. 

For Americans to receive another stimulus check, Congress would have to pass legislation authorizing the payment and President Biden would need to sign it into law. But a search of congressional legislation shows that hasn’t happened. 

The previous three stimulus checks were part of legislation that was passed by Congress and signed by the sitting president. The first check for $1,200 was part of the CARES Act passed in March 2020. The second check for $600 was part of a spending package that was passed in December 2020. The third check for $1,400 was included in the American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021.

The IRS issued a reminder in November 2023 that anyone who did not receive one or more of the original federal stimulus payments can still claim them. 

To receive a missing stimulus payment, taxpayers need to file a tax return for either 2020 or 2021, or both, and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit.

In most cases, people must file a Recovery Rebate Credit claim for 2020 by May 17, 2024, the IRS spokesperson said. The deadline for filing a 2021 claim is generally April 15, 2025.