Rumors of new stimulus checks arriving before year’s end are circulating online, but Congress hasn’t approved payments, and the IRS hasn’t confirmed December distributions.
The false claims matter because millions of Americans still struggle with inflation and rising costs, making the promise of government relief particularly enticing — and dangerous when it is not real.
The last official stimulus payments went out in 2021. The IRS issued automatic payments to eligible taxpayers who had not claimed their Recovery Rebate Credit on 2021 returns, with a maximum of $1,400 per person sent between December 2024 and January 2025.
That program’s deadline passed on April 15, 2025, with no extensions available.
President Donald Trump had discussed potential “tariff dividend” checks during a December 2 cabinet meeting.
“Next year is projected to be the largest tax refund season ever, and we’re going to be giving back refunds out of the tariffs,” Trump said, Fox 4 KDFW reported.”We’re going to be giving a nice dividend to the people in addition to reducing debt.”
Trump previously said on Truth Social that “a dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”
Budget experts have dismissed the proposal.
“The numbers just don’t check out,” said Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, per the Associated Press.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared surprised by the dividend announcement. He told ABC’s “This Week” he hadn’t discussed it with Trump and suggested any rebate might come through tax cuts rather than direct payments, per AP.
The IRS warned about fake stimulus messages targeting taxpayers. The agency never contacts people through email, texts, or social media — only through official letters that can be verified through secure IRS accounts.
Online claims of $1,702 or $1,390 payments often trace back to state programs like Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend or are outright scams, reported Fox.
Any future federal stimulus would require new congressional legislation. Until then, Americans should ignore online rumors and protect their personal information from scammers promising government money.
