$600 stimulus check qualifications: Income limit, age and more

Now that Congress has passed and President Donald Trump has signed off on a relief bill worth $900 billion in stimulus aid, we can work out who will qualify to get the bill’s second stimulus check for up to $600.

While Trump is still pushing for $2,000 instead of $600 per person in that second stimulus check, the IRS has already begun issuing $600 maximum payments through direct deposit and check. (Generate a personal payment estimate with our stimulus check calculator.)

Below we take a look at the eligibility requirements that’ve shifted in the second stimulus check and who may not qualify to get the second stimulus payment. There’s also a chart to help you understand which groups of people may get a $600 second stimulus check. This story was recently updated.

The next stimulus payment lowers the income limit

The coronavirus rescue bill has now been signed into law, setting the income limits for a $600 second check will stick closely to the first, with a few adjustments. As with the first direct payment under the CARES Act, the income limits are based on your adjusted gross income, or AGI. 

In one change for the $600 check, Congress decided to just use your 2019 AGI to determine if you qualify for a stimulus check, assuming you meet all the other requirements — not your AGI from 2018. (More below for people who don’t normally file taxes.) 

Here are the income limits for the second stimulus check. The first figure below represents the lower income limit to receive the full amount. Above that figure, your check amount would decrease on a sliding scale the higher your AGI, until it hits the second figure, which is the most you can make before you’re disqualified. Check out our stimulus check calculator to get an estimate for your specific situation. These income limits do not count qualified children.

Adults and their children can receive $600 apiece with the second stimulus payment

With the second stimulus check, each eligible adult will get up to $600, decreasing as income raises (more on this above) and each child dependent — age 16 and younger — can also qualify for a $600 payment. There is no cap on how many children you can claim for a payment.

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Second stimulus checks: Everything you need to know

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As with the first stimulus check, children age 17 and above and dependent adults will not be eligible for the $600 dependent payout. This excludes roughly 13.5 million adult dependents from contributing to the household total, according to the People’s Policy Project.

Read more: Nobody can take your stimulus check away, right? Know your rights

There’s one important change to qualify ‘mixed-status’ families

In the $900 billion stimulus package, a US citizen who has a noncitizen spouse are eligible for a payment as long as they have Social Security numbers. This has been referred to as a “mixed-status” household when it comes to citizenship.

In the CARES Act from March, households with a person who was not a US citizen were not eligible to receive a stimulus check, even if one spouse and a child were US citizens.

Excluded: Noncitizens who file federal taxes and are not married to US citizens

The CARES Act made a Social Security number a requirement for a payment. While earlier proposals would’ve expanded the eligibility to those with an ITIN instead of a Social Security number because they’re classified as a resident or nonresident alien, this group of people is again excluded in the final bill text.

Could my stimulus check be garnished if I have child support debt?

If you owed child support, your first stimulus money could be garnished for arrears (the amount you owe). In the new bill, those who owe child support will not have their payment docked to cover past-due payments.

Incarcerated citizens can get a second stimulus payment as the law stands

After months of back and forth, the IRS was ordered by a federal judge to send the first stimulus checks to people who are incarcerated. They are not excluded from the new law, which means eligibility for this group currently stands.

Will my taxes affect the amount of my stimulus payment? What if I don’t typically file? 

For most people, taxes and stimulus checks are tightly connected. For example, the most important factor in setting income limits is AGI, which determines how much of the total amount you could receive, be it $600 or $1,200 for individuals and $1,200 or $2,400 for married couples (excluding children for now).

Read below for your eligibility if you don’t typically file taxes.

If you’re an older or retired adult, here’s what you need to know now

Many older adults, including retirees over age 65, received a first stimulus check under the CARES Act, and will be eligible for a second one. For older adults and retired people, factors like your tax filings, your AGI, your pension and if you’re part of the SSDI program (more below) will affect if you receive a second payment. 

I haven’t submitted my 2019 federal tax return. Will I still get the second stimulus check?

With the second payment, the IRS will use your 2019 tax returns to determine eligibility. People who weren’t required to file a federal income tax return in 2018 or 2019 may still be eligible to receive the first stimulus check under the CARES Act. And this group will qualify again. Here are reasons you might not have been required to file:

With the first stimulus check, nonfilers needed to provide the IRS with some information before they could receive their payment. (If you still haven’t received a first check even though you were eligible, the IRS said you can claim it on your taxes in 2021.) This fall, the IRS attempted to contact 9 million Americans who may have fallen into this category but who haven’t requested their payment. Those in this group can claim their payment on next year’s taxes.

Under the new law, those who used the IRS the Nonfiler portal to file for the first check will also receive a second payment. We’ve reached out to the IRS and US Treasury to clarify what action, if any, these “nonfilers” will need to take.

Will I qualify for a stimulus payment if I have SSI or SSDI?

Those who are part of the SSI or SSDI program qualified for a check under the CARES Act. Recipients wouldn’t receive their payments via their Direct Express card, which the government typically uses to distribute federal benefits, but through a non-Direct Express bank account or as a paper check. SSDI recipients can file next year to request a payment for themselves and dependents.

Under the new law, these recipients will again qualify to receive payments, along with Railroad Retirement Board and Veterans Administration beneficiaries.

For more, here’s what we know about the contents of the new stimulus package. We also have information on the chances of a third stimulus check in 2021. Here are the top things you should know about the second stimulus check.