Where Did The Stimulus Money Come From

What Is A Stimulus Check

A stimulus check is a check sent to a taxpayer by the U.S. government. Stimulus checks are intended to stimulate the economy by providing consumers with some spending money. Taxpayers receive this money because its intended to boost consumption and drive revenue at retailers and manufacturers, spurring the economy.

A stimulus check can be part of a larger federal stimulus package designed to support the economy, which was the case with the stimulus payments that were part of the CARES Act in 2020 and the American Rescue Plan in 2021.

Who Is Eligible For A Stimulus Check

The vast majority of Michigan residents are eligible to receive a stimulus check from the federal government this year. Even if you have no income, you are still eligible, but need to take action to receive your stimulus payment. This includes individuals with low or no earnings who normally don’t file taxes. Every American adult earning less than $75,000 is eligible for a stimulus check from the federal government this year. While this site is geared toward Michigan residents, the information is applicable nationwide.If you still have questions about your stimulus check after reviewing this website, call the IRS at or, United Way at .

• Wells Fargo, EasyPay Card

After you sign up, make sure to add your account information on the IRS website. If you dont want to sign up for a bank account, you can also link to your prepaid debit card instead.You can also receive your funds through the Cash App, by providing the IRS with the routing and account numbers connected to your Cash App. You can download the Cash App or locate your Cash App account information here.

What if I havent filed taxes?

What if I dont qualify – where else can I get help?

If you dont qualify for the stimulus payment, we recommend reaching out to Michigan 2-1-1. They can connect you to resources in your community.

Will my payment be reduced or offset if I owe tax, have a payment agreement with the IRS, owe other Federal or State debt, or owe other debt collectors?

Where Does The Stimulus Money Come From

Answer #1:

The money is borrowed from the Federal Reserve on interest and this in turn causes inflation . Our puppet politicians sell this idea to the people as a good thing, when in reality it is burying us into a giant hole of debt. Sooner or later we will be all slaves to international bankers like the Rothschilds and Rockefellers. Those who don’t study history are cursed to relive it. Weimar Republic all over again. Debt free is the way to be. Farewell America. Answer #2:

When the government needs money, they sell notes / securities. These securities are to be paid back by the government with interest. This is not new, and has been around for a long time. US Savings Bonds are an example of this. China is a major financial backer for our stimulus packages. We will, in turn, pay them back with interest.

We do not “print money.” This has been done in the past. Germany did this after a world war and their money became worthless. It’s a myth that we are doing it now.

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Who Will Qualify For An Inflation

The payments are similar to the stimulus checks sent by the federal government in that they are based on income, tax-filing status and household size.

Lower- and middle-income Californians stand to receive the biggest checks.

• Single taxpayers who earn less than $75,000 a year and couples who file jointly and make less than $150,000 a year will receive $350 per taxpayer.
• Taxpayers with dependents will receive an extra $350, regardless of the total number of dependents.

In other words, a couple that earns a combined $125,000 and has two children would qualify for $350 per adult plus $350 for their children, for a total of $1,050.

The Stimulus Had Big Economic Benefits But It Also Fueled Inflation

On the one hand, COVID-19 stimulus undoubtedly helped Americans in some very big, tangible ways. Namely, it reduced poverty beyond merely keeping people afloat during the early days of the pandemic.

According to the U.S. Census Bureaus supplemental poverty measure, the stimulus payments moved 11.7 million people out of poverty in 2020 a drop in the poverty rate from 11.8 to 9.1 percent. And the 2021 poverty rate was estimated to fall even further to 7.7 percent, per a July 2021 report from the Urban Institute. We dont know yet whether this came to fruition, but Laura Wheaton, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and one of the analysts behind the 2021 numbers, told us that it was clear from their analysis that the stimulus checks were driving a dramatic decline in poverty.

More broadly, the stimulus checks also cushioned workers during one of the worst economic crises in modern history, which likely helped the economy bounce back in record time. In April 2020, when Americans were receiving the first round of checks up to $1,200 with the CARES Act the unemployment rate was at a disastrous 14.7 percent. But two years later, its almost returned to its pre-pandemic levels, with many job openings. I hope we dont forget how awesome it was that we supported people so well, and that we recovered as quickly as we did, said Tara Sinclair, a professor of economics at George Washington University.

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Main Street Lending Program

On March 23, 2020, the Fed announced the Main Street Lending Program, which set up an SPV to purchase up to $600 billion in small- and medium-sized business loans. Under the plan, the Fed purchased a 95% stake of each loan, with the bank keeping 5%. To qualify, businesses needed to have either 10,000 or fewer employees or up to $2.5 billion in 2019 revenue.

On July 17, 2020, the Fed extended the program to nonprofit organizations that didnt have endowments larger than $3 billion, had either fewer than 15,000 employees or less than $5 billion in 2019 revenue, and met a number of other additional requirements. The program purchased stakes in both new loans and loan extensions.

Under the CARES Act, the Treasury Department planned to make a $75 billion equity investment in the SPV. The terms of the loans were five years, with interest deferred for one year and principal payments deferred for two years.

On Oct. 30, 2020, the Fed reduced the minimum size of the loans that the program would purchase. It continued to purchase stakes in loans until Jan. 8, 2021, and it will continue to be funded until its assets mature or are sold.

How The Fed Injects Money Into The Economy

The Federal Reserve doesnt literally print paper dollars. Thats the job of the U.S. Treasury, which also collects taxes and issues debt at the direction of Congress. At this time of crisis, the Fed instead makes large asset purchases on the open market by adding newly created electronic dollars to the reserves of banks such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

In exchange, the Fed receives large amounts of bonds U.S. Treasury securities and agency securities that are backed by bundles of home mortgages.

As a result, markets that had stopped working smoothly started to flow again. Banks get more dollars in reserve and are more prone to lend money without worrying about exhausting their funds because of a run on the bank in a time of panic. Such big purchases of securities by the Fed also effectively increase the money supply and drive down interest rates. This keeps borrowing costs cheap for those who need it.

If the Fed didnt take these and other emergency measures, the system already would have blown up, said Tim Duy, an economist at the University of Oregon who previously worked in the U.S. Treasury. The markets would have crashed 10 times over.

Separately, Congress recently has passed massive spending bills that have swollen the national debt by about $2.4 trillion to help businesses and taxpayers. Much of that money comes from issuing U.S. Treasury securities government debt that is bought by investors who earn interest on it.

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When Will I Get The Payment And What Can I Do If I Dont Get It

The IRS is sending the third round of payments out to American families, but we are not sure how long this will take. We believe the IRS will continue to send the third round of payments until December 2021. Because this third round of stimulus is actually an advance payment of a tax credit for tax year 2021, you should be able to claim this credit on your 2021 tax return if you do not get it by the end of 2021.

How The Government Pulls Coronavirus Relief Money Out Of Thin Air

Once-fringe ideas in economic theory are now nearly official policy as government borrowing surges and the Federal Reserve signals it could buy unlimited debt.

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By Matt Phillips

The United States has responded to the economic havoc wrought by the coronavirus with the biggest relief package in its history: $2 trillion. It essentially replaces a few months of American economic activity with a flood of government money every penny of it borrowed.

And where is all that cash coming from? Mostly out of thin air.

The traditional view of economic theory holds that governments and central banks have distinct responsibilities. A government sets fiscal policy spending the money it raises through taxes and borrowing to run a country. And a central bank uses various levers of monetary policy like buying and selling government securities to change the amount of money in circulation to ensure the smooth operation of the countrys economy.

Its an epic moment in terms of breaking down the orthodoxy of church-and-state separation of the fiscal and monetary authority, said Paul McCulley, a former chief economist of Pimco, a giant asset management shop.

But to the theorys adherents, the lock-step maneuvers by the Fed and the government were not the arrival of a far-out idea but the removal of a fig leaf.

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Amount And Status Of Your Payment

To find the amount of the third payment, create or view your online account or refer to IRS Notice 1444-C, which we mailed after sending the payment.

If you are sent a plus-up Economic Impact Payment after your 2020 tax return is processed:

• The amount of your initial third payment will no longer show in your online account. You will only see the amount of your plus-up payment.
• The status of your initial third payment will no longer show in Get My Payment. You will only see the status of your plus-up payment.

What About The Rest Of The World

Those who draw a straight line between stimulus payments and generationally high inflation have two indisputable facts on their side, according to ABC News:

• No country distributed anywhere near as much stimulus money to its people as the United States

• No country was hit as hard by rising inflation as the United States

Thats as close to a smoking gun as stimulus opponents could ever hope for, but its also a simplification. High inflation has been a worldwide phenomenon but stimulus payments were not.

Other countries that reacted to the virus with comparatively passive monetary policies suffered from similarly high inflation. In the European Union, for example, inflation hit 7.5% close to Americas rate despite limited stimulus that never approached the scale of Americas payments.

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Testing And Health Provisions

The FFCRA includes provisions to make testing for COVID-19 free to everyone without deductibles or copayments. Included waivers allow testing costs to be covered by government programs or insurance.

The legislation also provides a temporary 6.2% increase in Medicaid payments to states so long as the states promise not to restrict eligibility or charge cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing services or treatment.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program gets coverage of diagnostic products related to COVID-19 along with additional funding for testing veterans, members of Native American tribes, and testing costs for uninsured Americans.

What Is The Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law March 18, 2020, as the second major legislative initiative designed to address COVID-19. The FFCRA, effective April 1 through Dec. 31, 2020, provided expanded nutrition assistance, paid sick leave, enhanced unemployment insurance coverage, free coronavirus testing, and increased federal Medicaid funding.

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Individuals And Families $18 Trillion

Stimulus checks

$14 bil.

$24 bil.

Between March and July 2020, at the height of the deadly first wave of the outbreak, unemployed workers were able to get $600 per week on top of what their state provided in jobless aid. Self-employed and gig workers, who typically would not qualify for unemployment benefits, also were eligible to receive support.

Another big chunk went to families: More than 150 million households received stimulus checks. And about $62 billion was ultimately spent expanding the food stamp program known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

What was the impact?

The nearly $2 trillion that went to these groups helped avoid the kind of economic collapse that many had feared, and it aided the recovery by giving consumers money to spend on food, electronics, home furnishings and other goods.

It also helped prevent millions of people from falling into poverty. A University of Michigan analysis of Census Bureau surveys found the largest benefits went to the poorest households and those with children.

In addition to complaints that President Bidens stimulus money contributed to inflation, Republican lawmakers and governors blamed the more generous jobless benefits for discouraging people from returning to the work force and prompting a labor shortage. Several states ended the program ahead of its Sept. 5 expiration last year, saying that would propel people back into the work force.

Where Is All The Money The Us Is Spending Coming From

Savings: The world has been and still appears to be awash in savings, one big reason interest rates on U.S. Treasury debtand debt of many foreign governmentswere so low before COVID-19 hit. This suggests that there is ample room to increase borrowing now at a relatively low cost.

Portfolio shifts into U.S. Treasury debt: People and institutions with savings are particularly eager to invest the money in U.S. Treasury debt right now. At times of crisis, institutions, individuals, and foreign governments often prefer the safety of Treasuries instead of putting their money into the stock market, corporate bonds, or real estate. For instance, billions of dollars have moved from money market mutual funds that invest in corporate short-term IOUs to money market funds that invest solely in U.S. government debt. This makes it easier for the U.S. Treasury to borrow more without being forced to pay much higher interest rates.

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Did Stimulus Checks Cause Inflation

America stayed afloat during the pandemic thanks to a $5 trillion avalanche of money transferred from the government back to the people during 2020-21. The biggest share, according to The New York Times, was paid directly to households and businesses.

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More than $1 trillion made its way into personal bank accounts through direct stimulus payments and advance Child Tax Credits alone. Trillions more reached them indirectly through enhancements to programs like SNAP.

Prices soon began increasing across the entire economy, and not long after, inflation was rising at its fastest rate in 40 years. Its easy to draw a straight cause-and-effect line between the two events, but the connection between todays high inflation and the largest cash injection in Americas economic history is a bit more complicated than that.

What If I Am Married To Someone Who Owes Child Support Will My Tax Return Be Applied To The Child Support Arrears They May Owe

• Yes,unless you are eligible for relief. If youdo not owe child support butyouare married tosomeonewhoowes child support,you may need to file an Injured Spouse Claim and Allocation -Form 8379

• In some instances, the IRS offsets a portion of the payment sent to a spouse who filed an injured spouse claim if it has been offset by the non-injured spouses past-due child support. The FAQ on the IRS stimulus FAQ www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payment-information-center website states: The IRS is aware that in some instances a portion of the payment sent to a spouse who filed an injured spouse claim with his or her 2019 tax return has been offset by the non-injured spouses past-due child support. The IRS is working with the Bureau of the Fiscal Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Support Enforcement, to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. If you filed an injured spouse claim with your return and are impacted by this issue, you do not need to take any action. The injured spouse will receive their unpaid half of the total payment when the issue is resolved.

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If I Owe Child Support Will Mytax Return Be Applied Tomychild Supportarrears

• Maybe.Federal law and regulationsdetermine when federal payments are intercepted and applied to child support arrears.

• IfTANFhas been received for your child,thetotalamount of past due supportonall ofyourchild support cases must be at least $150

• IfTANFhasnotbeenreceivedfor your child,thetotalamount of past due supportonall ofyour child support casesmust be at least $500