Financial Help Is Still Coming From the Biden Administration. Will You Get A Check?

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Will you be on the receiving end of extra funds from your state?

Key points

• Many Americans are hoping for a fourth stimulus check.
• A total of 21 states are sending out payments to residents.
• Much of the money for these payments comes from the Biden administration, which gave billions to the states in the American Rescue Plan Act.

Shortly after President Joe Biden took office, he signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. This plan is well known for providing $1,400 stimulus checks for each adult and dependent who had income below a certain threshold. This money was deposited directly into people’s bank accounts or was sent via check from the IRS.

Since the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal government has not taken action to provide more direct financial relief to Americans. But, provisions of that act have made it possible for many states to send stimulus payments — so Biden’s bill is still paying off.

Here’s how the Biden administration has made ongoing help possible

The American Rescue Plan Act did not just give money to people directly. It also provided $350 billion in financial relief for state and local governments.

Since states received a hefty sum of money under the Biden administration’s COVID relief bill, many now have a surplus. And many are choosing to use these federal funds to offer the same type of direct relief that the federal government once did.

This means the federal funds made available by the coronavirus legislation are, in many cases, the direct reason why residents of close to half of U.S. states have already received a payment this year or on track for one soon.

Will you get a piece of Biden’s stimulus relief?

In order for you to directly reap financial benefits from the funds provided by the Biden administration, you will need to live in one of the states that is offering additional direct payments to its residents.

There is currently a long list of 21 states that are on track to send out stimulus payments or that have started to do so already. These states include:

• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Vermont
• Virginia

The specifics of the relief each state is offering will vary depending on jurisdiction. In some places, residents will receive thousands while in others only a few hundred dollars will be sent out.

The important thing, though, is to be aware that relief is still on the table thanks to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 legislation that passed early in Biden’s term. So even though Congress is unlikely to move forward with providing a fourth check, you might indirectly end up getting one anyway thanks to the federal government.