Once the Senate finally passes its version of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief legislation, and once that version is combined with the already-passed House version of the bill and then sent to the president’s desk for his signature, most people have a good idea of what happens next.
The latest stimulus update is that the upper chamber of Congress could move to a vote on the bill, which includes funding for $1,400 stimulus checks, as soon as today. Once the Senate does so, it starts the clock, as it were, on as much as 20 hours of debate, after which a so-called “vote-a-rama” begins that lasts until all amendments to the bill are finished being dealt with. Then the final vote, then the merger with the House bill, then it’s signed into law and we, finally, start receiving the third round of stimulus checks. Except there’s also one thing people might be forgetting, if they even realize it at all: When you add it all up, people are actually going to get a lot more than $1,400 from the new stimulus bill.
That’s because there’s a lot more in terms of aid in the bill that directly impacts Americans beyond the $1,400 stimulus checks that everyone has been focused on.
For example, a family of four is set to receive $5,600 from the new stimulus checks alone, which amounts to $1,400 per person. Thanks to a new child tax credit, families can also get cash payments of up to $3,600 for the year. Beyond this bill, the Biden administration has said its priorities for the rest of the year include other ways of sending aid directly to Americans, including by pushing Congress to pass some sort of student loan relief.
Already, President Biden has paused most federal student loan payments, as well as interest and collections, until September 30 of this year. Biden has also asked the Justice Department to review the legality of the cancellation of student debt through executive action.
One important caveat to all this, by the way, is a late-stage change to the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, with President Biden on Wednesday reportedly backing a change to how the phase-out payments are structured. If you make more than a certain amount, you won’t get the full $1,400 stimulus payment — and you’ll get nothing at all past a certain income level.
Here’s what those new levels are, per CNBC. The phase-out amounts, as well as the new max levels to receive any payment at all, are as follows:
- $75,000 for single filers (which is the same as the bill the House passed); this is now capped at $80,000, which means individuals who make more than that won’t receive a new stimulus check of any amount.
- $112,500 for heads of households (same as the House plan); now capped at $120,000.
- $150,000 for joint filers (same as the House plan); now capped at $160,000.
