US citizens to receive federal payments?
The answer is No. The IRS has confirmed there are no plans for additional federal stimulus or relief payments in 2025. The last such payment was the $1,400 Recovery Rebate Credit from 2021, with the final claim deadline set for April 15, 2025. Any posts suggesting new deposits are coming this month are false.
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In 2024, the Internal Revenue Service announced that they would issue automatic payments to eligible people who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns. The maximum payment was $1,400 per individual. No action was needed for eligible taxpayers to receive those payments, which went out automatically from December 2024 to January 2025. The payments were automatically direct deposited or sent by check. Eligible taxpayers received letters notifying them of the payment.
The new round of misinformation seems to come from viral posts in October claiming people would receive a $1,702 “stimulus payment.” In reality, those posts were talking about Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend — a yearly payment given to eligible Alaska residents from the state’s oil and mineral revenue. It is not a federal stimulus or an IRS payment.
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How to avoid IRS scams
Officials warn that scammers often use viral claims to trick people into giving away personal information. The IRS is urging taxpayers to report any suspicious emails, texts, phone calls, or social media messages that promise stimulus payments.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises people to:Use only the official IRS.gov website for information or forms.Ignore any unexpected messages claiming to be from the IRS.
Never pay fees to “unlock” or “process” stimulus payments — legitimate payments are always free.
Be cautious of fake check scams that ask you to send back part of the “payment.”
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Trump’s $2,000 “Dividend” Proposal
Interest in supposed “IRS payments” has also grown as President Donald Trump promotes his plan to give most Americans a $2,000 “dividend.” He says the money would come from record tariff revenues, and any remaining funds would go toward reducing the national debt.
Trump says the proposal would share the benefits of U.S. tariff income, exclude high-income earners, and help ease financial pressure on working families. “A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
In the post he defended tariffs, saying the U.S. is the richest and most respected nation, with low inflation, a record stock market and strong 401(k) gains. Trump also pledged to begin paying down the country’s $37 trillion national debt, adding that leftover funds from dividend payments would go toward the balance. Currently, the tariff revenue payments remain proposals. No payments have been approved.