The White House says a 'large number' of Americans will receive $1,400 stimulus checks by the end of March
The White House says many Americans can expect to get a $1,400 stimulus check this month.
Individuals earning below $75,000 annually can receive the full amount.
Under the last stimulus bill, the IRS distributed 147 million checks in two months.
The White House said on Monday that many Americans could expect to get a $1,400 stimulus check within a few weeks.
The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the Biden administration was aiming to distribute a significant number of checks this month.
"We expect a large number of Americans to receive relief by the end of the month," she said, later adding that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was "focused like a laser" on getting checks out the door this month.
House Democrats are on course to approve a $1.9 trillion relief bill as soon as Tuesday. It contains direct payments in addition to other provisions such as $350 billion in aid to states, $300 weekly federal unemployment benefits, and a large expansion of the child tax credit.
Individuals earning up to $75,000 can receive the $1,400 check. Couples making up to $150,000 also qualify for the full amount.
Households above both those income thresholds could get a smaller amount, but eligibility is capped at individuals earning above $80,000 and couples making more than $160,000. Biden authorized lowering the eligibility thresholds last week after a push from moderate Senate Democrats.
Still, the vast majority of Americans would be eligible to get a direct payment. The left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated that the legislation would benefit 86% of adults and 85% of children.
It would be the third wave of one-time checks that the federal government has authorized during the pandemic. Congress early last year approved $1,200 stimulus checks, most of which the IRS sent within a month.
Lawmakers approved sending $600 relief checks as part of a pandemic aid package in December. The IRS sent 147 million payments to eligible taxpayers it had on file in less than two months.
People who did not receive a check in either round can file to get one in their 2020 tax return.
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