Stimulus checks in 2025? Here's what we know
White House considering stimulus checks for taxpayers
President Trump is considering another round of stimulus checks for taxpayers. This comes as Elon Musk's DOGE campaign continues its push towards cutting federal spending.
As tax-filing season is underway, Americans are eager to see what refunds and extra payments may be available to them.
A backlogged $1,400 stimulus check is available to a small number of Americans this tax-filing season, and Elon Musk has indicated he’s discussing refund checks to taxpayers as DOGE sorts through federal government spending.
Otherwise, no stimulus checks are pending for 2025.
Here’s what to know:
Economic impact payments
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The backstory:
During the pandemic, three COVID stimulus payments - or "economic impact payments" - were sent to American households. Specifically, in March 2021, eligible individuals received up to $1,400 per income tax filer and $1,400 per child under the American Rescue Plan Act.
IRS stimulus check 2025
Recently, the IRS identified a very small number of taxpayers who never claimed this credit, or received less than the full amount.
What's next:
Therefore, approximately 1 million taxpayers are due to receive their unclaimed rebate check from the IRS. The payments are only available to those who failed to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax return.
By the numbers:
The payments will be up to $1,400, and will automatically be deposited.
RELATED: $1,400 tax rebate: The program is real but the texts are a scam, BBB warns
Trump stimulus: A DOGE dividend?
The backstory:
Since Donald Trump took office in January, one of his top priorities is cutting and reorganizing spending within the federal government.
The president has tapped billionaire businessman Elon Musk to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been tasked with finding what to cut.
What they're saying:
President Trump and Musk said during an interview that aired Tuesday night with FOX’s Sean Hannity that they expect to find $1 trillion in excess federal spending that could be cut.
When asked on X if some of that money would be refunded to taxpayers, Musk replied that he’ll check with the president on a possible "DOGE dividend."
The Source: Information in this article was taken FROM an FAQ page on the IRS website about the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, from comments in a Feb. 18, 2025, FOX News interview and from a public tweet made by Elon Musk. This story was reported from Detroit.