Will you get more money in second stimulus check than the first?

A “skinny”, $900 billion bipartisan coronavirus relief and spending package bill has finally been passed in Congress and approved by Donald Trump in the eleventh hour. The bill includes a $600 direct payment for every eligible American. On 29 December the IRS and the Treasury Department announced that the payments had begun, with recipients signed up for direct deposit the first to receive the money.

Will my second stimulus check be bigger than the first one?

As things stand, the base amount per qualifying adult for the second stimulus check will max out at $600 per person, half the total possible amount authorised back in March. Though the amount for each child dependent aged 16 and younger has gone up by $100 per child, it’s highly unlikely that this will increase the overall check amount you receive (strictly speaking, not unless you have 7 or more dependents under 16 and are a single filer).

What’s happening with the proposal of $2,000 stimulus checks?

All week Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been facilitating a hold up on the question of a vote in the upper chamber on a bill to increase the second stimulus check maximum to $2,000. The bill, called the CASH Act, passed in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives on 29 December. Since then, McConnell has failed to put the bill up for a vote in the Senate.

He has also mixed the bill with issues serving Trump’s agenda on unfounded election fraud claims and repealing Section 230 – a legal protection for internet platforms ahead of Georgia’s Senate runoffs. This serves to make it less likely to pass, refusing Americans the extra stimulus cash while also proving GOP support for Trump’s unrelated agenda ahead of the Senate election.

Find out if you’re eligible for the second stimulus check here.

Below is a breakdown of the maximum possible amount you could be entitled to depending on your status: