House nears completion of Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan

[634-5789]

House committees have completed much of the work to draft the pieces of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan into legislative text. Next stop is the Budget Committee where it will be combined as a single package, slated to pass in the House before the end of the month.

The highlights: $1,400 survival checks to most Americans, with decreasing payments for individuals making more than $75,000/year ($150,000 for couples) and cutting off at $100,000 ($200,000 for couples) in income. That will be based on 2020 income for people who have filed prior to the checks being cut. Those who haven't will eventually get the full amount after they've completed their returns; $400/week supplements to unemployment insurance checks through August 29; $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments; $20 billion to speed up the national vaccination program; and $170 billion to help schools and colleges reopen safely. The big highlight, potentially groundbreaking and extremely smart, is the expansion of child credits to more families, with larger checks. Lower-income families will finally be able to get the full credit of $3,600/annually for every child under 6, and $3,000 for children 6-17. Those payments will come every month (or as frequently as possible if an underfunded and overburdened IRS can't feasibly provide them monthly).

There are 1.1 million people living in "deep poverty," whose families will be lifted to 50% of the poverty line. Republicans will argue that this is a disincentive to work because that's always the excuse of Republicans to punish poor people. Instead, it punishes millions of low-income workers. To use an example from CBPP: "A single mother of a toddler, who earns $10,000 a year providing in-home care to older people (with work hours that fluctuate significantly from month to month), now receives a Child Tax Credit of $1,125. Under the Biden plan, she'd receive $3,600, a gain of $2,475."


https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/2/17/2016610/-House-Democrats-on-target-to-pass-groundbreaking-essential-COVID-19-relief-by-end-of-month

[mvd]

1. Does that mean you have to file taxes for 2020?

Or are 2019 returns ok?

[634-5789]

2. I believe that they will use 2019's...

[wryter2000]

5. My question, too

I hope you're right.

[drray23]

4. they will go by the most recent you have filled

so if you dont have 2020 filled by mid-march or so when checks go out, they will use 2019 returns.
Of course,if your income fell a lot after 2019 you should go fill your return asap so they go by that.

[mvd]

6. Thanks to both of you!

I want to get my direct deposit info updated as it has changed since I did my 2019 return. But perhaps I will wait to see what is said about that.

[wryter2000]

3. It's great that it's 2020 income

That's super important for people who had a good income before the pandemic but lost that income in 2020.

I wonder if that means I won't get anything until I do my taxes. My 2019 income qualifies me for the full amount. I can afford to wait for the money. For people who can't wait, I guess they need to do their taxes asap.

Never mind. My question has been answered upthread.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

7. What kind of help will people on SSI get

Who are just one person.not a family?