The circulation of information on digital platforms and social media has generated anticipation regarding the possible issuance of federal stimulus checks during December 2025.
The United States Congress is now discussing the potential legislation that would allow for another round of direct payments in the final weeks of the year. Furthermore, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not confirmed the distribution of checks or direct deposits under an economic relief program during this period.
Tariff dividend proposal: new stimulus checks?
The last authorized distribution of Economic Impact Payments was completed in 2021. Any future initiative that contemplates direct cash transfers to taxpayers would require the drafting, debate, and passage of new legislation in Congress. Subsequent tax relief mechanisms have been tied to prior tax years.
In 2024, the IRS proceeded with automatic payments to eligible taxpayers who had not claimed the Recovery Refund Credit on their 2021 returns.
The maximum amount of those automatic payments was $1,400 per person. The tax agency made the transfers without requiring any action from the recipients, using direct deposit or physical checks between December 2024 and January 2025.
Official notification was sent by mail. The final opportunity to claim that credit expired on April 15, 2025, when filing the 2021 tax return, with no further extensions offered.
New stimulus payments approved by Congress?
President Donald Trump promised what he described as a generous dividend, an idea initially floated on his Social Truth platform in November. One post claimed that tariffs are generating significant revenue, so “a dividend of at least $2,000 per person (excluding high-income earners!) will be paid to everyone.”
Budget experts have questioned the financial viability of the proposal. They recalled a previous short-lived administration plan for DOGE dividend checks, tied to budget cuts proposed by billionaire Elon Musk.
“The numbers just don’t add up,” said Erica York, vice president for federal tax policy at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, as reported by the Associated Press. Even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared unprepared to address the issue.
In an interview on ABC’s This Week last month, Bessent stated that he had not discussed the dividend with Trump and suggested it might not come in the form of direct government checks. Instead, she indicated the return could take the form of tax cuts.
NOTUS reporter Violet Jira addressed the likelihood of the payments in November. “At the White House briefing, Karoline Leavitt was asked: Is the Trump administration committed to sending these checks to the American people? And her answer was yes,” Jira recounted.
Does the IRS send text messages? Security warning
“Since that post on Trump’s Social Truth, we’ve gotten more details. For example, he said the checks would go to people with low to middle incomes. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated they would be individuals or families earning $100,000 or less,” Jira added.
“So we’re getting more details about the plan, but as for whether this will actually happen, it’s a little hard to say. There are a couple of factors at play that have made some people skeptical.” The public conversation continues, but the proposal lacks a concrete bill to support it in the legislative process.
The IRS has issued alerts to taxpayers about fraudulent stimulus payment messages designed to steal personal information. These phishing schemes and other scams increase during periods of heightened public interest in potential refunds or economic aid. The agency maintains defined protocols for its interactions with citizens, which allow it to distinguish between legitimate communication and attempted fraud.
