The Biden economic relief package, formally known as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, is a $1.9 trillion stimulus package signed on March 11, 2021, to combat the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It provided $1,400 direct payments, extended unemployment benefits, expanded child tax credits, and funded vaccinations.
The act included $300 billion in unemployment benefits scheduled to extend through Labor Day 2021, as well as an expanded child tax credit. In addition, the act called for the distribution of $50 billion to small businesses and another $25 billion for relief for small and mid-sized restaurants.
Starting in March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) provided Economic Impact Payments of up to $1,200 per adult for eligible individuals and $500 per qualifying child under age 17.
Qualification for the $1,400 stimulus check (the third Economic Impact Payment) in 2021 depended on your 2021 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and filing status, with full amounts for single filers earning up to $75,000 (phasing out at $80,000) and joint filers up to $150,000 (phasing out at $160,000), plus $1,400 per dependent; you needed a valid Social Security Number and had to claim it as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return if you missed the payment, with deadlines typically in April 2025.
To apply: Register in Grants.gov • Download the corresponding Certificate and Agreement and Program Profile and complete offline and submit through grants.gov. Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424).
However, the payment amounts may vary, according to the IRS. The full credit amount is available to individual taxpayers with up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and to married couples who file jointly with up to $150,000 for 2021.
Visit the IRS Get My Payment (GMP) portal at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment to see if you can expect a 2021 Economic Impact Payment. The GMP portal will provide the date when your payment was or will be sent.
Stimulus payments
Economic Impact Payment (EIP) eligibility was generally for U.S. citizens/residents with valid Social Security numbers, not claimed as dependents, and under specific income limits (e.g., up to $75k single, $150k married) for the 2020/2021 stimulus rounds, but all payments have now been issued, so current eligibility involves claiming any missing amounts as a Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) on your 2020 or 2021 tax return by filing if you qualify, even if you don't normally file. Social Security recipients and others receiving federal benefits were also eligible, and non-filers used an IRS tool for the first payments.
The American Rescue Plan extended employment assistance, starting in March 2021, and waived some federal taxes on unemployment benefits to assist those who lost work due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Internal Revenue Service announced in December that it would be distributing about $2.4 billion — up to $1,400 per individual — worth of stimulus checks to U.S. taxpayers who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns.
Stimulus payments, called “Recovery Rebate Credits” by the IRS, were issued in 2020 and 2021. Individuals who didn't receive their 2021 payment had until April 15, 2025, to file or amend a tax return and claim a missing payment. That deadline has now passed.
The 2021 stimulus payments were worth up to $1,400 per individual, or $2,800 per married couple. A family of four could receive up to $5,600 with two eligible dependents.
Your family income must be under 200% of the federal poverty level. For a own family of four, that's kind of $62,400 consistent with year. Applications closed in advance in 2025, and only 200 households were picked via a random lottery. You also can't be enrolled in every other guaranteed income program.
Qualification for the $1,400 stimulus check (the third Economic Impact Payment) in 2021 depended on your 2021 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and filing status, with full amounts for single filers earning up to $75,000 (phasing out at $80,000) and joint filers up to $150,000 (phasing out at $160,000), plus $1,400 per dependent; you needed a valid Social Security Number and had to claim it as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return if you missed the payment, with deadlines typically in April 2025.
$1,400 for an eligible individual who has a valid Social Security number (SSN) ($2,800 for married couples filing a joint return if both spouses have a valid SSN or if one spouse has a valid SSN and one spouse was an active member of the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the taxable year) plus.
Check the status of your stimulus check on the IRS Get My Payment website.
For the third stimulus check, any household member that has an SSN qualifies for a payment. This is different than the first and second stimulus check, where at least one tax filer must have an SSN for the household to claim the stimulus checks.
Through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, the CARES Act provides for payments to State, Local, and Tribal governments navigating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The American Relief Act, 2025, provides more than $16 billion in disaster relief payments to producers who suffered revenue, quality or production losses to crops, trees, bushes, or vines due to qualifying disaster events in calendar years 2023 and 2024.
Qualifying Populations include individuals and families who are: experiencing or at risk of homelessness; fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking; at greatest risk of housing instability; and in need of supportive services or assistance that would ...