How many stimulus checks have there been in 2022

Americans who missed out on a third-stimulus-check payment in 2021 may be able to claim the money in their tax return this year.

Sent out as part of President Biden’s $1.9tn American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law in March 2021, the third stimulus check saw eligible US taxpayers receive up to $1,400 each, with households getting an additional $1,400 per dependent.

Same initial income thresholds as previous stimulus checks - but lower phase-out limit

As was also the case with the first and second stimulus checks - which were approved in April and December 2020, respectively - the full amount went to individuals on up to $75,000 a year and joint filers with an annual income under $150,000.

However, fewer higher earners were eligible for a smaller payment: individuals with an annual income over $80,000 and joint filers earning anything above a combined $160,000 a year were left out.

This compares to a final phase-out limit of $99,000/$198,000 in the first round of stimulus checks, and $87,000/$174,000 in the second.

Over 170 million third stimulus checks sent out

As of July 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said it had distributed over 171 third-stimulus-check payments totaling more than $400 billion - and these figures are now likely to rise during tax season in 2022.

That’s because, while eligibility for the third stimulus check was initially based on Americans’ 2019 or 2020 tax returns, the information in taxpayers’ 2021 declarations will now also be used to determine whether they qualify for a payment.

This means that if, for example, a worker’s earnings were too high in 2019 and 2020 but in 2021 they fell below the income threshold, they will now be able to claim the third stimulus check in the tax declaration they submit this year.

The same is also true of families who in 2021 added dependents to their household. Dependents of all ages are eligible for the $1,400 additional credit.

A further group who can use a 2021 tax return to get their third stimulus check is eligible Americans who did not file a return for the 2019 or 2020 tax years and also did not claim a direct payment by using the IRS' online tool for non-filers.

Taxpayers can claim stimulus check with Recovery Rebate Credit

In each of the above cases, taxpayers can claim the third stimulus check they’re owed by filing for a Recovery Rebate Credit in their 2021 tax return.

You’ll want to check any documentation that the IRS sent regarding the EIP3 or “plus-up payments” received. If you lost the letter that the agency sent, through the IRS website you should be able to find the information in your federal tax account. If you try to claim more of the credit than you are due, it could delay processing of your tax return and thus your refund if you have one coming.

More information on claiming a Recovery Rebate Credit

"Your 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit will reduce any tax you owe for 2021 or be included in your tax refund," the IRS says.

Almost time for tax season in the US

Tax season begins in the US at the end of January (the IRS has not confirmed the opening date on which it will be accepting 2021 returns). Americans will have until 18 April 2022 to file their taxes.

Several states have either passed legislation or are considering plans to give additional stimulus checks to residents.

WASHINGTON — More than a dozen states are sending out checks to millions of people this year, hoping to provide some extra cash to consumers as inflation drives up prices on everyday items across the board. 

Many states are able to send these checks because of excess revenue in their budgets. Many of the payments are officially called tax rebate checks.

The checks draw some parallels to the trio of federal stimulus checks provided to Americans by the federal government during the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic. Those checks were an attempt to help workers being kept out of their workplaces by stay-at-home measures — as well as a nationwide attempt to prevent the economy from stalling. 

But this latest round of payments are coming from state governments, meaning they won't be as widespread as the last ones, and could vary in how much residents in each state are given. 

However, more states appear to be embracing the cash-back plan in 2022. As of July, at least 16 states have stimulus checks that have either passed the legislature or are in the process of approving those checks. 

California

About 23 million California residents will receive Inflation Relief checks of up to $1,050 under a budget deal signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in late June. Under the plan, the vast majority of Californians would receive some form of relief, from as little as $200 to as much as $1,050, depending on income level and the size of your household.

Georgia

Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a bill to send payments to Georgians out of a state budget surplus of more than $2 billion. The Georgia payments come in three varying amounts, depending on how each household files taxes: Single tax filers or married taxpayers filing separately: $250; Head of household filers: $375; Married joint filers: $500

Maine 

Maine sent out $850 relief checks to an estimated 858,000 recipients who had a federal adjusted gross income of less than $100,000 if filing single or if married and filing separately, $150,000 if filing as head of household or $200,000 for couples filing jointly. 

New Mexico 

New Mexico is providing multiple rebates for taxpayers in 2022, according to the state Department of Taxation and Revenue.  

Colorado 

In Colorado, taxpayers will receive rebates of $750 for individual filers and $1,500 for joint filers in summer 2022. 

Hawaii

Hawaii is also providing refunds to its taxpayers and their dependents, Gov. David Ige’s office said. The state’s Department of Taxation anticipates that it will begin processing the refunds in late August 2022. 

Single taxpayers who earn less than $100,000 per year and couples who earn less than $200,000 per year will receive $300, and single taxpayers and couples who earn more will receive $100.

Idaho

The state began sending tax rebates of $75 per taxpayer and dependent, or 12% of their income tax amount – whichever is greater – beginning in March 2022. 

Illinois

Single taxpayers will receive a $50 income tax rebate, while couples will get a $100 rebate. Families will also receive a rebate amount of up to $300 per dependents – or $100 per dependent, with a maximum of three. 

New Jersey 

New Jersey began mailing Middle Class Tax Rebates to eligible residents on July 2. Those who filed a 2020 income tax return and claimed at least one dependent child with a tax balance of $1 or more qualify for the tax rebate. 

The rebate amount is equal to the tax paid after credits, up to a maximum amount of $500. Tax rebates will be issued as a paper check, separate from the income tax refund. 

Indiana

Indiana has slowly been distributing $125-per-taxpayer payments due under an automatic refund law triggered by last year’s large surplus that was boosted by federal COVID-19 relief funding. Legislators are considering GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb’s plan for a second round of refund payments from the state government's budget surplus. 

Virginia

Virginia lawmakers approved a one-time tax rebate of $250 per single taxpayer and $500 for a couple filing jointly. 

Tax rebates won’t be issued until late September 2022, the state Department of Taxation said. Those who are eligible and filed their taxes before July 1 will “likely” receive their rebate in September or October. 

Delaware 

Delaware is sending one-time direct payments of $300 per adult resident – or $600 for married couples – to help people as they face “higher prices at the grocery store and gas pump,” the state Department of Finance said.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts has issued $500 payments to hundreds of thousands of low-income workers. The first round of payments, sent out in March 2022, went to around 480,000 people and a second round of payments went to an estimated 330,000 individuals in June. 

New York

In June, New York began mailing out a homeowner tax rebate credit, which was a one-year program initiated to provide property tax relief to homeowners in 2022. The checks were originally planned to be sent out in the fall of 2022, but the state sent them out early.

South Carolina

South Carolina residents will get a one-time tax rebate of up to around $800 by the end of 2022.  

Florida

Around 59,000 Florida families are receiving a one-time payment of $450 per child as part of the governor's new budget, spokeswoman Christina Pushaw explains in a tweet.  The one-time payments are going out to 59,000 eligible Florida families. Foster families, adoptive families, and single parents are eligible for the payments, Casey DeSantis said during a visit last week in Tampa.

Eligibility for a tax rebate check varies by state. 

Minnesota's governor has proposed sending $2,000 checks to all joint income tax filers who earn up to $273,470 per year, and single filers who make up to $164,000 annually. But the plan has yet to be approved by the state legislature.

Will there be a fourth federal stimulus check?

As of July 2022, the federal government doesn't appear to have any plans to send a fourth stimulus check to all U.S. residents. The Biden administration has not made an appeal to Congress about a fourth stimulus payment, but legislative gridlock as the 2022 midterms approach all but assures any such proposal would be dead on arrival. 

VERIFY contributed to this report. 

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