Are we getting a 4th stimulus check in 2022?

Updated March 18, 2022

Stimulus payments are a topic of hot debate in the United States. Whether it's between our elected officials, or strangers on social media, it's a subject that has proven to be controversial over the past 18 months.

As many families continue to struggle due to the fallout of COVID-19, there is a demand among part of the population to distribute more stimulus payments to help people get back on their feet.

On the other hand, there are a lot of people that believe that these stimulus payments are hurting more than they are helping. Many Americans believe that the stimulus payments are drawing from money that the federal government doesn't have, which continues to grow the national deficit.

This most recent payment was a part of a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package named the American Rescue Plan, and speculation is starting to swirl that a fourth stimulus payment could be on the horizon.

Let’s take a look at the facts to try and determine the likelihood of a fourth stimulus payment.

New Development: Stimulus checks worth between $600-$1,100 are currently scheduled to go out to 750k eligible Californians in November.

Are there plans for another stimulus payment?

House Democrat Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lead a charge in 2021 lobbying President Biden to send recurring stimulus payments to needy Americans, citing that the payments that have been distributed so far simply aren’t enough to help many Americans pay for basic necessities as complications arising from the pandemic continue to wreak havoc.

54 progressive Democrats signed a letter urging the President to approve a plan that would allow for recurring payments, and we could see that proposal build steam in the coming weeks based on how the 3rd stimulus package performs.

On the other hand, we might see that demand die down as vaccination rates continue to rise and we see more of a return to normal.

In any event, President Biden has not commented publicly regarding whether or not he supports a 4th round of stimulus checks.

How likely is it to be approved?

As is the case with most political issues, Democrats and Republicans are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to additional stimulus payments.

If another stimulus bill is on the way, Senate Democrats have their work cut out for them. The most recent COVID relief package was just barely passed with a 51-50 vote where literally every Republican voted against the bill.

In fact, the bill was only passed due to a utilization of a budget reconciliation process which allows certain legislature relating to budget, debt, and taxes to pass with what’s referred to as a “simple majority vote”, as opposed to a full 60-vote majority in the Senate which is usually required.

What to do if you haven't received the third stimulus payment yet

We've heard from a staggering amount of our readers who believe they are still owed a stimulus payment that was never disbursed to them. If you believe you haven't received a stimulus check that you were eligible for, you may be entitled to what is referred to as a "plus-up" payment.

Check out our guide for what to do if you haven't received your stimulus check.

The Child Tax Credit

As of July 15th, 2021 families with children will begin to receive automatic monthly payments if they meet certain eligibility requirements.

• Families making less than $150k as a couple, or less than $112,500 individually
• $3k per child 6-17 years old
• 3,600 per child under 6 years old

According to the White House, if you've filed tax returns for 2019 or 2020, the payments will automatically be distributed and you don't need to take any action.

The White House released a webpage with a full overview of the program here.

Social Security

The steep incline of inflation has many social security recipients worried that the cost of living is quickly exceeding their income.

A bill named the Social Security Enhancement and Protection Act was recently reintroduced to Congress in an effort to keep social security recipients out of poverty.

The bill would gradually increase the payroll tax rate in order to account for the increase in social security benefits.

What to do if you’re in need of extra income immediately

If the stimulus payments are falling short and you find yourself in urgent need of more money, we have a few suggestions for getting back on track!

Start a side hustle

Think Save Retire has a whole library of different tactics for side hustling that you can find here.

There are a lot more options for making extra cash than you might think. For instance, we have a definitive guide for getting paid to play video games, or how to turn your shopping obsession into a lucrative side business.  

Whatever your skillset might be, it's likely that there's a side hustle that suits you.

Get free gift cards

The best kind of gift cards are free gift cards. If you need a few bucks to supplement your income, we can help with 17 ways to get free gift cards.

If you've got internet access, there are multiple websites that will reward you with gift cards for taking surveys, performing small tasks, scanning your grocery store receipts and more.

Get help to pay off your credit cards

Many Americans have unfortunately had to put necessary and incidental expenses on their credit card during the pandemic. Through the power of compound interest, it's disturbing how quickly debt can spiral out of control.

If you have less than $10,000 in debt you can use a personal loan from AmOne to pay off all your balances so you can consolidate your debt to one bill instead of multiple.

While it's generally inadvisable except in dire cases for borrowers with limited options due to bad credit, online payday loans are also an option in cases of absolute emergency.

Mortgage refinancing

If you are a home owner looking for a little relief, refinancing your mortgage could potentially lower your monthly payment considerably.

Use the mortgage refinance calculator at whatsmypayment.com to crunch your numbers and apply for pre-approval.