More economic help is on the way.

A $1.9 trillion economic aid package proposed by President Joe Biden cleared the Senate over the weekend and is headed to the House for final approval Tuesday, March 9. The president is expected to sign the bill into law, which could take effect as soon as March 14.

Called the American Rescue Plan Act, it is one of the largest economic aid packages in U.S. history, and it’s the third federal relief package since the pandemic shuttered large parts of the economy and the country, starting in March, 2020. 

Here are highlights.

$1,400 checks

Individuals making up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 will receive direct payments of $1,400 per person. Dependent children will also be eligible for $1,400 checks per person. Checks will gradually phase out and disappear for people who earn $80,000 or more, and couples earning $150,000 or more. 

The income caps are lower than initial earlier House plans for the checks. Biden’s initial proposal would have allowed payments for individuals earning up to $100,000, single parents making up to $150,000, and married couples earning up to $200,000. 

Unemployment benefits

An $300 supplemental benefit per week will remain in place for people who have lost their jobs, through September, 2021. Biden’s original plan called for increasing the supplemental benefit to $400. Federal income tax for people who lost their jobs and received unemployment benefits in 2020 will also be waived for amounts up to $10,200 for people who earned under $150,000.

Child tax credit updates

The stimulus package will temporarily increase the child tax credit to $3,600 from $2,000 for children up to the age of 5, and $3,000 for children between the ages of 6 and 17  in 2021. The bill will also expand the credit to lower-income earners who previously did not qualify for the credit. The credit will take the form of a monthly payment from the Department of Treasury.

Aid to cities, states and businesses 

The bill provides $350 billion for cities, states, territories and tribal governments struggling in the wake of the pandemic. The money will go to help colleges and universities, transit agencies, as well as child care providers and food assistance organizations. Money will also go to small businesses, live venues and restaurants. Additionally, about $14 billion in aid is slated for U.S. airlines that do not furlough their workers. 

Health care

The package temporarily increases subsidies for Affordable Care Act health care plans, and includes subsidies for COBRA continuation of coverage through 2021, for people who have been laid off or furloughed.

Also included is approximately  $15 billion for Covid-19 vaccination distribution, and hiring of health care workers to assist in vaccination efforts, as well as $46 billion for additional Covid-19 testing, tracing, and monitoring. 

Managing your money during Covid-19

Consider putting some of the payment towards savings. It might be a good idea to pad your emergency and rainy day funds with extra cash in case financial stress continues or if something unexpected like a layoff happens. Consider maximizing your savings by contributing to your retirement fund, or paying off debt.

Good to know: The U.S. Treasury  is in the process of updating information about its online portal for stimulus checks, which it launched in 2020. If you have questions about stimulus checks, you can find answers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) here. 

And for more information about managing your money during the pandemic, check out our Covid-19 resource center.

The post Here’s What’s Inside the $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill appeared first on Stash Learn.

The stimulus package, which follows the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that passed in March, 2020, provides much-needed aid to the nearly 11 million people who are still unemployed, as well as businesses still struggling with shutdowns related to the pandemic.

Here are key details:

• Adults who earn up to $75,000 are slated to receive $600 direct payments, and married couples earning up to $150,000 will receive $1,200. Parents will receive an additional $600 per child.
• The package will also reinstate supplemental federal unemployment payments, providing out-of-work individuals with an additional $300 per week through March 14, 2021.
• The deal also allocates $284 billion for small businesses, $82 billion for schools and universities, $25 billion for rental assistance, $13 billion for food stamp support, and $10 billion for childcare facilities. 

Note: The president’s signature is required for the stimulus package to be approved.

How soon will you get your money?

Checks will reportedly start going out within the next week, perhaps as soon as Monday, December 28, 2020.

How people previously got direct payments under the CARES Act

Although details about the most recent round of payments are yet to come, here’s what happened in the spring. Recipients who qualified automatically received payments via direct deposit or mail. People who enrolled in direct deposit for their 2018 or 2019 tax returns also received stimulus payments that way. (So if you haven’t already done so, now might be a good time to consider filing your taxes for 2018 and 2019.)

It reportedly took about two weeks before the first direct payments started going out in April, 2020.

People who signed up for direct deposit of their tax refunds into their Stash banking accounts when they filed their 2019 taxes had relief money deposited into their Stash accounts*. The U.S. Treasury also has an online portal, where users could securely enter their bank account information for a direct stimulus payment. You’re likely to be able to access it here. 

For people who don’t typically file tax returns, a group that includes many senior citizens, Social Security recipients, and retired railroad workers, the IRS said it would use information on the form SSA-1099 or form RRB-1099 to generate payments.

If you didn’t file your tax return for some other reason, such as not earning enough income, you can probably still use the IRS online portal to apply for a stimulus check.

Note: People who still have not received their payments from the spring may be able to claim a rebate credit with their 2020 taxes, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Managing your money during the pandemic

Consider putting some of the payment towards savings. It might be a good idea to pad your emergency and rainy day funds with extra cash in case financial stress continues or if something unexpected like a layoff happens. Consider  maximizing your savings by contributing to your retirement fund, or paying off debt.

And remember that you can have your stimulus check directly deposited into your Stash account. Learn more about setting up Direct Deposit with Stash here. 

The post Here’s What the $900 Billion Stimulus Act Could Mean for You appeared first on Stash Learn.

The $1 trillion plan, called the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act was announced on July 27, 2020. The HEALS Act is intended as a follow-up to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed by Congress in March, 2020. However, the HEALS Act differs in some significant ways from the CARES Act.

HEALS Act vs.CARES Act

The rules around who will receive a stimulus check, and how much they’ll receive, will reportedly remain the same. Under the HEALS Act, if it’s passed by Congress, individuals who earn up to $75,000 would receive the full $1,200 payment. Married couples who make up to $150,000 would receive $2,400. For each additional $100 earned, the payments would decrease by $5. Individuals who make $99,000 or more and couples who make $198,000 or more would not receive payments.

Families would also receive an extra $500 for each dependent. While the CARES Act limited that $500 to dependents 17 and younger, the HEALS Act won’t apply the same age limit, so college age students would not be excluded. 

As a part of the CARES Act, unemployed Americans have received an extra $600 per week in unemployment. That extra money expires at the end of July, 2020. The HEALS Act would decrease the additional benefit amount to $200 per week. 

The HEALS Act is the Republican response to the bill passed by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in May, 2020. The $3 trillion Democratic bill, known as the HEROES Act, includes a second round of stimulus checks and an extension of the $600 weekly stipend. Republicans in Congress have suggested that the $600 stipend is too high, and gives people an incentive not to work.

What you can expect

Because of the gap between the $1 trillion Republican proposal and the $3 trillion Democratic proposal, negotiations are necessary and expected. But since both proposals include a stimulus check, it seems likely that you can expect to receive another check if you got one when the CARES Act was passed. 

Although details have yet to be worked out, here’s what happened the last time. Recipients who qualified automatically received payments via direct deposit or mail. People who enrolled in direct deposit for their 2018 or 2019 tax returns also received stimulus payments that way. (So if you haven’t already done so, now might be a good time to consider filing your taxes for 2018 and 2019.)

People who signed up for direct deposit of their tax refunds into their Stash banking accounts when they filed their 2019 taxes had relief money deposited into their Stash accounts. The U.S. Treasury also has an online portal, where users could securely enter their bank account information for a direct stimulus payment. You’re likely to be able to access it here. 

For people who don’t typically file tax returns, a group that includes many senior citizens, Social Security recipients, and retired railroad workers, the IRS said it would use information on the form SSA-1099 or form RRB-1099 to generate payments.

If you didn’t file your tax return for some other reason, such as not earning enough income, you can probably still use the IRS online portal to apply for a stimulus check.

Managing your finances during uncertain times

This second stimulus payment—if and when it is passed by Congress—is meant to provide another wave of relief to the millions of Americans affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. If you’re experiencing continued financial strain because of a layoff or lost work, you might use this payment for buying groceries or paying the bills.

If you can, consider putting some of the payment towards savings. It might be a good idea to pad your emergency and rainy day funds with extra cash in case financial stress continues or if something unexpected like a layoff happens. If you’ve found yourself with more savings than you typically have right now, maximize your savings by contributing more to your retirement fund or paying off debt.

You can find out more about managing your money during the Covid-19 pandemic here.

The post What the Next Round of Stimulus Checks Could Mean for You appeared first on Stash Learn.