Who Will Qualify For The Second Round Of Stimulus Checks?
Did you know that millions of dead people are getting paid? Tens of millions of Americans didn’t qualify for a first round COVID-19 stimulus check. As they anxiously wait to learn if they qualify for a second round, dead people are getting paid.
A San Franciscan named Terry wrote on social media that after his father died in April his stimulus check arrived promptly in the mail.
“My father died April 3 and yep, Wednesday his stimulus check for $1,200 was right in his account,” claims Terry in an ABC News report.
So, why are dead people receiving $1,200 stimulus checks?
It’s a cross between bureaucratic logistics bungling and a lag in death certificate verification.
As long as you filed a tax return in 2018 or 2019, you’ll automatically get a payment via bank deposit or mail. Because the legislation was passed so quickly, anyone who died after filing 2018 taxes and before the recent CARES Act was passed are getting checks.
Millions of dead people are probably getting checks. Certified public accountant Jim McHale, also interviewed by ABC News, can attest.
“Hypothetically every person who died following the filing of a tax return in 2018 will be receiving a check…I’m guessing it’s in the millions, the low millions,” said McHale.
Dead people receiving money in the United States is not a new problem. However, this bureaucratic bungling highlights the need of many living Americans still waiting for a check.
And, for those who never qualified for the first stimulus check.
So, who will qualify for the second round of coronavirus stimulus payments?
And, is it too early to assume the second round of checks will ever be issued?
To answer these questions, its best to examine the CARES Act.
The CARES Act and the Heroes Act Stimulus Check
The coronavirus, known under the official viral strain of, “COVID-19,” originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019.
Since then, the virus has encircled the globe in a matter of months.
As of this posting, over 4.9 million people were infected with COVID-19. There have been over 323,000 deaths globally and 92,000 deaths in the United States alone.
Over 30% of all global COVID-19 infections are in the United States.
COVID-19 has disrupted industry on a global scale. It has also caused forced unemployment statistics not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Over 36.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance since March 2020.
The American political establishment rapidly passed legislation to deal with the economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
On March 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed and ratified the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
The CARES Act was part of a $2.2 trillion-dollar economic stimulus bill designed to help Americans and businesses negatively affected by the pandemic.
The CARES Act sent one-time $1,200 stimulus checks to qualifying Americans.
Individuals who make up to $75,000 would receive $1,200. Married couples would receive $2,400.
Qualifying individuals with kids would receive $500 for each child.
Individuals making $100,000, or married couples making double that amount, don’t qualify.
(Image courtesy Frankieleon via CC BY 2.0) About 130 million Americans have received stimulus checks collectively worth $200 billion so far via bank deposit or mail. These checks are officially known as, “economic impact payments.”
The problem with the first round of stimulus checks were the number of conditions which disqualified payments for millions.
That could change with a second round of stimulus payments.
Second Chance Stimulus Check Via the Heroes Act
The first round of stimulus checks reached many people, but not enough.
For one thing, people who didn’t pay child support didn’t get one.
However, many people couldn’t pay child support because they lost their job due to the pandemic. So, a catch-22 situation prevents them from benefiting.
Incarcerated individuals don’t qualify
If you haven’t filed taxes in years, you probably don’t qualify.
Freelance worker and independent contractors could qualify for payment under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provision of the CARES Act. Unfortunately, most states have exacting conditions that disqualify such workers.
Specific groups of people who didn’t qualify during the first round of stimulus checks may qualify during the second issuance.
Those who didn’t qualify before, but may for the second check, include:
- Adult dependents who are claimed on taxes by others
- College students
- Undocumented immigrants
Those who received the first check would qualify for a second one. Additionally, the $500-per-child payment would rise to $1,200 each.
On May 15, 2020, the House of Representatives passed the Heroes Act, which would initiate a second round of stimulus check payments.
As long as the Senate passes the bill, and the president signs it, it will become law.
Don’t begin celebrating yet.
“Dead on Arrival”
Senate republicans, and even some democrats, are against the federal spending strain a second stimulus check would cause.
House democrat Elaine Luria, representing Norfolk, Virginia, voted against the Heroes Act which passed in the House.
“This $3 trillion package and the previous relief bills would double federal spending for this year and spending of this scale requires careful consideration and input from all members, not just one party,” said Luria.
Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called the Heroes Act, “dead on arrival,” before the bill was even approved in the House.
So, what does this mean for you if you didn’t qualify for the first round of checks?
The Heroes Act, and the second round of stimulus payments, may never become reality.
Even if the Heroes Act is ratified, it may look drastically different than the original House version. It may offer lesser check amounts and/or include new qualifications.
If you’re still waiting on that first check, or didn’t qualify, know that dead people aren’t benefiting more than you anymore.
The I.R.S. wants anyone who received a stimulus check as a relative on behalf of a dead recipient to return it immediately.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
