Residents in some states getting tax rebate, not an IRS stimulus check | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Residents in certain states will receive a fourth stimulus check on Nov. 30

A Nov. 17 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims millions of people in states across the country can expect extra money in their bank accounts in the coming weeks.

“STIMULUS CHECKS COMING Due date: Nov. 30, 2023,” reads the start of the post. “I’ve just been informed that on November 30, 2023, the 4th round of checks for the following states will be issued: Alabama, Arizona, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee In (sic) Texas.”

It states taxpayers with information on file with the IRS will automatically receive a payment between $500 and $3,284.

The post received nearly 100 shares in five days. Another version of the claim was shared more than 100 times before it was deleted.

More from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:

Our rating: False

The IRS said the Treasury Department is not issuing a fourth round of stimulus checks. Some states named in the post are sending rebates to eligible taxpayers, but those are not stimulus checks and don't match the figures listed in the post.

State tax rebates not the same as stimulus checks

The Treasury Department’s website states the federal government only sent three rounds of stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the last of which was dispersed in March 2021.

“There is no fourth round of Economic Impact Payments from the Treasury Department,” said an IRS spokesperson, who declined to be named.

Representatives for various states named in the post also said the claim is false.

Kathleen Jacob, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Revenue, said the agency “does not have any plans to issue stimulus checks in November 2023.”

Fact check: No, Biden didn't sign a new stimulus bill to fight inflation

The Arizona Department of Revenue gave rebates to nearly 750,000 taxpayers who claimed the state’s tax credits for dependents on their 2021 tax return, as reported by the Arizona Republic. The state had a deadline of Nov. 15 to issue the rebates.

“These are not ‘stimulus’ checks,” Arizona revenue spokesperson Rebecca Wilder told USA TODAY. “This is completely unrelated.”

A stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, is displayed in San Antonio. Stimulus checks, paused student loan payments and the need to stay at home may have helped you cut back on your debt for the first time. Keep that momentum going and take control of your finances.
A stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, is displayed in San Antonio. Stimulus checks, paused student loan payments and the need to stay at home may have helped you cut back on your debt for the first time. Keep that momentum going and take control of your finances.

Two other states have one-time rebates. Virginia taxpayers who had a tax liability in 2022 were eligible to receive a rebate of up to $200 individually, which the state must issue by Nov. 30. And Alabama is sending a one-time tax rebate to eligible taxpayers starting on Dec. 1.

USA TODAY previously debunked a claim that a fourth round of stimulus checks would be administered in February 2022.

USA TODAY reached out to revenue departments in other states named in the post and to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim of IRS stimulus checks on Nov. 30 | Fact check