The three rounds, what you were owed, claim deadlines — and the scams using 'stimulus' now
| Round | Per adult | Per dependent | Your household |
|---|
The stimulus era produced three rounds of federal payments in 2020–21 — up to $3,200 per adult and $2,500 per child in total — plus a permanent ecosystem of rumors and scams that outlived the money. This checker computes what your household was actually due, states the (now-closed) claim-deadline reality plainly, and arms you against the "fourth stimulus" messages still circulating.
| Round | Law | Amount | Phaseout (single) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — March 2020 | CARES Act | $1,200/adult + $500/child under 17 | $75k–$99k |
| 2 — December 2020 | CAA | $600 each (adults & kids) | $75k–$87k |
| 3 — March 2021 | ARPA | $1,400 each (all dependents, any age) | $75k–$80k hard cliff |
Missed payments were claimable as the Recovery Rebate Credit on 2020/2021 returns — with the refund statute setting hard deadlines: May 17, 2024 for rounds 1–2 and April 15, 2025 for round 3. Both have passed; roughly $1B+ went permanently unclaimed, concentrated among non-filers. If you believe you filed and were shorted, an IRS account transcript (irs.gov/account) shows what was issued — errors on filed returns have different correction paths worth a tax pro's look, but the ordinary claim door is shut.
No fourth federal payment exists, has been enacted, or is scheduled — a fact unchanged since 2021 while a scam economy grew around the opposite claim:
The stimulus reflex — "is the government sending me something?" — has better answers today: the EITC (up to $8,046, 20% of eligible workers unclaimed), the Child Tax Credit, and simply filing when you're below the requirement but had withholding. The refund statute gives three years — 2023's unclaimed refunds remain claimable into 2027.
No — nothing enacted, nothing scheduled, no bill advancing. Every message saying otherwise is content-farming or phishing. If Congress ever passed one, you'd hear it from every legitimate outlet simultaneously, not a text.
The deadline (April 15, 2025) has passed for unfiled claims. If you FILED a 2021 return and the credit was mishandled, transcript review and amended-return paths may exist — a tax professional can assess; the plain claim window cannot reopen.
No — none of the three rounds were income, and receiving them didn't reduce refunds. They also weren't offset for most debts (round 1 child-support excepted).
States with surpluses periodically send rebates (CA's Middle Class Tax Refund, CO's TABOR refunds, etc.) — real, automatic for filers, announced on official state revenue sites. Anyone asking you to 'register' or 'verify' for one is a scammer.
irs.gov/account → tax records → account transcripts for 2020/2021 list every economic impact payment issued. Letters 6475/1444 said the same at the time.
Don't click; the IRS initiates contact by postal mail, period. Report to [email protected] and delete. If you entered bank details somewhere, contact your bank immediately and freeze your credit (see the Identity Theft Recovery tool).
Yes — every figure computes locally in your browser.
The stimulus story is settled history with an active scam epilogue: know what you were due, verify via transcript if it matters, and treat every future 'pending payment' message as the phishing it is. The real unclaimed money is in the credits — go run the EITC tool.