The tax filing deadline of April 15 is just one day away. And ahead of that, many taxpayers are wondering if there’s a stimulus check on the way for them.
There is not any kind of stimulus check on the way, at least not one that will likely go out to the majority of Americans. However, there is one last chance to grab such a check, for those who missed out on their opportunity back in 2021.
On three occasions during the pandemic — twice in 2020 and once again in 2021 — the federal government sent out stimulus checks to most Americans.
Stimulus Check 2025 Update: Payments For Eligible Taxpayers
In late 2024, the IRS announced plans to issue payments to “eligible people who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns.” The IRS realized that many eligible taxpayers had filed their returns without claiming the credit.
For most people, the IRS said at the time, no action was needed to receive the payments, which were sent in December and meant to arrive by the end of January. However, as the IRS said, if taxpayers hadn’t yet filed their tax returns for 2021, they faced a deadline of April 15 to “file their returns to claim the credit and any other refund they might be owed.”
Per Newsweek, the check will be deposited using the banking information that the IRS has on file, or as a paper check. Information for receiving the payment is here.
How Long Will It Take?
There is a question, however, of exactly how fast the IRS can move these days, when it comes to processing of tax returns, as well as various other major functions. That’s because the government cuts brought by Elon Musk’s DOGE and the Trump Administration have left the IRS short-staffed this year, right in the middle of tax season.
According to CNBC, the subtraction of thousands of workers from the ranks of the IRS “ could affect the agency’s essential functions — from audits and collection enforcement to the processing of tax returns and refunds — during the height of tax season.”
The IRS has already lost 6,000 to 7,000 probationary employees, with more cuts reportedly to come in the next few months. The courts have pushed back on the cuts, but the resolution of that is likely a long way away.
The level of funding for the IRS is something that the two parties have often fought about in Washington in recent years, with Republican Congresses frequently cutting funding to the agency. Under President Joseph Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act authorized new funding for the IRS over a ten-year period, which Republicans turned into a misleading talking point about “Biden’s army of 87,000 new IRS agents.”
Could There Be Another Stimulus Check?
It does not appear that the Trump Administration or Congress is giving any consideration to another round of stimulus checks for all or most Americans, beyond the ones that remain outstanding from the previous rounds.
The government is currently in cost-cutting mode, and widespread stimulus checks tend to cost a lot. Also, at a time when inflation remains a problem, the government is unlikely to take an action that many economists believe made inflation worse the last time around.
Could that change, in the event of a recession? It’s possible, but it’s not on the radar at the moment.
US Treasury Check. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
There was a proposal back in February for a DOGE Dividend, under which a portion of the money saved by DOGE would be distributed to taxpayers, in the form of a $5,000 check.
The idea was floated by James Fishback, the head of an investment firm. Elon Musk had said on X that he would share the idea with Trump, who subsequently spoke of the idea at a conference. However, the idea has been mentioned rarely since, and Musk has indicated that the $2 trillion figure of money saved by DOGE is much smaller.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter
