IRS Shoots Down Rumors of More Stimulus Checks

By Alec Regimbal, SFGate, San Francisco (TNS)

The IRS has no plans to send a fourth round of stimulus checks, despite claims made in a series of widely-shared social media posts.

The Facebook posts, which began appearing last month, generally repeat the same false information. They claim a fourth round of stimulus checks, with payments ranging from a few hundred dollars and a few thousand dollars, will be sent to residents of 10 states starting Nov. 30.

Anthony Burke, a spokesperson with the IRS, told SFGATE his office has received multiple calls about the rumors. But he said the promises of more money are not true.

“There is no fourth round of [stimulus checks] from the Treasury Department,” he said.

Three rounds of stimulus checks—known officially as Economic Impact Payments—were sent by the federal government to income tax filers between March 2020 and March 2021 as a way to offset some of the hardships of the COVID pandemic. An estimated 476 million payments—totaling $814 billion—were made during that time, according to a federal oversight committee.

The IRS also allowed taxpayers who either had, or adopted, a new child in 2021 to claim cash payments as part of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit.

It’s unclear what prompted the rumors. In August, CBS News reported that some residents in Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana and New Mexico may receive a check from their state by the end of the year, but that is due to state budget factors rather than any federal program.

The bottom line is this: If you live in California, don’t expect to receive a stimulus check from the government anytime soon.

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