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.
But recent Facebook posts claim the IRS will send a fourth round of stimulus checks to people in some states on Nov. 30, 2023.
“If your account information is on file with the IRS, you will automatically get your money deposited into the account they have on file,” one of the posts reads.
Several VERIFY readers, including Sharon and Stephanie, asked if the IRS is sending a fourth round of stimulus checks in November.
THE QUESTION
Is the IRS sending Americans a fourth stimulus check in November 2023?
THE SOURCES
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) spokesperson
- The Treasury Department
- Arizona Department of Revenue
- Virginia Department of Taxation
- Alabama Department of Revenue
- Georgia Department of Revenue
THE ANSWER
No, the IRS isn’t sending Americans a fourth stimulus check in November 2023.
WHAT WE FOUND
A spokesperson for the IRS told VERIFY there are no additional stimulus payments “currently due to go out either this month or at any time in the future.”
The Treasury Department’s website, which has information about how people can receive the three previous stimulus payments if they haven’t already, makes 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 that hasn’t happened, the IRS spokesperson said.
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 confusion online likely stems from state tax rebate programs. At least some of the states mentioned in the online posts are sending tax rebates to some residents. But these are not the same thing as stimulus checks from the federal government.
For example, Arizona issued one-time tax rebates to eligible residents who have dependents in November. The tax rebates were included in a state law signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier in the year.
Virginia residents who had a tax liability in 2022 are also eligible for a rebate of $200 for individuals and $400 for people filing jointly. The state’s General Assembly passed a law authorizing these rebates, which must be issued by Nov. 30, 2023.
Eligible Alabama residents are set to receive a tax rebate of $150 to $300, depending on their 2021 tax year filing status, starting Dec. 1, 2023. These rebates were included as part of the state’s 2023 budget.
Earlier in 2023, Georgia sent tax refunds of $250 to $500 to filers in the state who met eligibility requirements.
The IRS recently issued a reminder 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.
This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: No, el IRS no enviará un cuarto cheque de estímulo
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