A recent Census Bureau survey shows that almost half of US households have suffered a painful blow to their pocket during the severe recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic, prompting calls for the federal government offer Americans more direct financial assistance.
While it’s unclear whether Congress will pass a second stimulus check anytime soon, lawmakers are at least considering opening the key. The $ 3 billion proposal for Omnibus Health Solutions and Economic Recovery, or HEROES, would authorize another batch of stimulus payments for most households.
The bill was passed by the House in May and is now awaiting debate in the Senate. Adding to the political push for more stimulus money, Trump administration officials earlier this month said they are considering a second round of financing.
The first round of stimulus checks, led by Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act in March, faced criticism from advocacy groups and taxpayers for their exclusion of some Americans.
For example, the initial round of stimulus payments provided $ 500 for each child under the age of 17, which meant that millions of high school seniors and youth ages 17 and older did not qualify for the payments. Trump administration faces litigation on the exclusion of the bill of some immigrants and their American spouses from payments.
Overall, most Americans would get more money on a second stimulus under the HEROES Act, according to the American Enterprise Institute. Their analysis found that the average household would receive $ 2,170, compared to $ 1,729 for the first stimulus controls.
The reason for the sweetened payments: an increase in the number and size of payments for children and dependents, many of which were excluded from the first round of stimulus payments. Listed below is who would be eligible for a stimulus check under the HEROES Act:
Low and middle income households
HEROES sets the same income limits for obtaining a check as the CARES Act. That means most high-income households would not see a payment unless they have qualifying children or dependents for one. Single taxpayers with a maximum adjusted gross income of $ 75,000 would be eligible for a second stimulus check, along with married couples with a total household income of no more than $ 150,000 and filing their taxes together.
Above that limit, the payment would decrease to gradually eliminate above $ 98,000 for single taxpayers and $ 199,000 for married taxpayers.
Children, including those 17 and 18 years old.
Parents of older teens can be happy to know that the HEROES Act targets additional payments of $ 1,200 for each child in the family, up to three children.
The first stimulus check was less generous when it came to providing support to families with children. According to CARES, eligible families earned $ 500 for each child, but only for children who had not yet turned 17. This is because the bill was based on the definition of a qualifying child for the Child Tax Credit, which is cut off once he or she turns 17. .
University students
College students who are claimed as dependents on their parents’ taxes would qualify for a payment of $ 1,200 under the HEROES Act.
That’s more generous than the first round of encouragement, which excluded adults declared as dependents of other taxpayer declarations. That included many college students who may be adults in the eyes of the law, but who are still claimed as dependents on their parents’ tax returns.
That angered many families, who noted that numerous college students suffered lost earnings and higher costs, such as quickly moving off campus when universities closed due to the pandemic.
Americans married to immigrants
Unlike CARES, the HEROES Act would provide stimulus verification to U.S. citizens who are married to immigrants without a Social Security number.
In the first round, they were prevented from receiving payments, an issue that caused at least two discrimination lawsuits. This is because CARES requires both spouses to have Social Security numbers, while critics noted that immigrants without a Green Card often use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number to file taxes.
On top of that, because HEROES targets payments to taxpayers with a valid tax ID number, rather than a Social Security number, more resident aliens may qualify for the payments, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
Who would not receive payments?
The richest Americans, unless they have children or dependents who qualify for a payment of $ 1,200, would be excluded. Like the first round of encouragement, the limit would be $ 98,000 for single taxpayers and $ 199,000 for married couples.
HEROES also limits the number of payments each family can claim for children or dependents to three. This means that families with four or more children will receive payments for three children, but not for any additional children.
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