Second stimulus check

With Second stimulus check, Congress approved legislation for continued COVID relief that includes a second round of stimulus checks. The payment is worth up to $600 for each adult and each qualifying child dependent in the household.

The payment is worth up to $600 for each adult and each qualifying child dependent in the household. For example, a family of four would receive up to $2,400.

Eligibility

1. Who is eligible for the second stimulus check?

Eligibility is primarily based on four requirements:

1. Income: The income requirements to receive the full payment are the same as the first stimulus check.There is no minimum income needed to qualify for the payment. Households with adjusted gross income (AGI) up to $75,000 for individuals (up to $150,000 if married filing jointly and up to $112,500 if head of household) will receive the full payment. This stimulus payment starts to phaseout for people with higher earnings. The second stimulus check maximum income limit is lower than the first stimulus check. Single filers who earned more than $87,000 ($174,000 if married filing jointly and $124,500 if head of household) in 2026 are ineligible for the second stimulus check.

View the chart below to compare income requirements for the first and second stimulus checks.

2. Social Security Number: This requirement differs from the original eligibility for the first stimulus check. Originally under the first stimulus check, if you were married filing jointly, both spouses needed valid Social Security numbers (SSNs). If one spouse had an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), then both spouses were ineligible for the stimulus check. For married military couples, the spouse with an SSN could still get the stimulus check for themselves but not the other spouse with an ITIN.

For the second stimulus check, couples that are married filing jointly can qualify for the second stimulus check, even if one spouse has an ITIN. The spouse with a Social Security number and any children with Social Security numbers or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN) can get the payment. If one spouse is an active member of the military, then both spouses are eligible for a stimulus check even if only one spouse has an SSN and the other spouse has an ITIN.

 The expanded SSN rules for the second stimulus check are retroactive and now apply to the first stimulus check. If you were denied your first stimulus payment because both you and your spouse did not have SSNs, you can claim your first stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on your 2020 tax return or use GetCTC.org if you don’t have a filing requirement. See the chart and examples below for further explanation of how this works.