No, the federal government isn’t sending Americans a fourth stimulus check in 2023

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has passed three bills that included stimulus checks, formally known as Economic Impact Payments, sent to millions of Americans.

The three payments totaled more than $3,000 for each eligible American. The most recent of those payments came in March 2021.

Several VERIFY readers, including Laura, have reached out to the team to ask if all Americans are getting a fourth stimulus check in 2023. 

THE QUESTION

Is the federal government sending Americans another stimulus check in 2023?

THE SOURCES

• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• Congress
• Mark Steber, chief tax information officer with Jackson Hewitt Tax Services

THE ANSWER

No, the federal government is not sending Americans another stimulus check in 2023. Congress would have to pass a new law authorizing a fourth stimulus check, and that has not happened. 

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WHAT WE FOUND

A spokesperson for the IRS told VERIFY that a law authorizing a fourth stimulus check for 2023 has not been passed. IRS and U.S. Department of Treasury websites, which have information about how people can receive the three previous stimulus payments if they haven’t already, make no mention of a fourth payment. 

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.

“At this time, we’re not hearing that there are plans for additional federal stimulus checks in 2023,” Mark Steber, chief tax information officer with Jackson Hewitt, told VERIFY.

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 Inflation Reduction Act, which Congress passed in August 2022, and the federal government’s 2023 omnibus spending bill, passed in December 2022, do not include any mention of Economic Impact Payments or stimulus checks. 

Those who qualify for one of the original three stimulus payments, but did not receive at least one, can still claim them. You have three years to claim your stimulus payments, the IRS spokesperson said. 

In order to claim a missing stimulus payment, you need to file a tax return for either 2020 or 2021, or both, and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit.