So, are we getting another stimulus check?
Several stimulus checks have arrived for taxpayers in recent years and in February President Donald Trump said he was considering a plan to pay out $5,000 stimulus checks to American taxpayers from the savings identified by megabillionaire and former Trump advisor Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
No official plan or schedule for such a payout has been released. Any decision on the checks would have to come from Congress, which just barely managed to pass Trump’s massive spending bill in July. The “Big Beautiful Bill” did not contain any provisions for a stimulus check.
Here’s what to know.
Did anyone receive stimulus checks in 2025?
Yes, some people who caught up on their 2021 returns did.
Recovery Rebate Credits of $1,400 were authorized in 2021, one of several stimulus checks issued during the pandemic. In December 2024, former president Joe Biden authorized the rest of the budgeted stimulus funds to be sent out for taxpayers who failed to file their 2021 returns.
The deadline to get in your missing 2021 returns to get that check passed on April 15, 2025. Deadlines for two previous stimulus checks have also passed.
There are no extensions or appeals available for missed deadlines, and any unclaimed stimulus payments become the property of the U.S. Treasury.
Will taxpayers get a DOGE stimulus check?
In February, after weeks of claims from Musk about how much his DOGE committee would save by rooting out fraud, corruption and waste from the federal government, Azoria investment firm CEO James Fishback suggested on Musk’s social media platform X that Trump and Musk should refund American taxpayers with a percentage of the $2 trillion Musk claimed he would recoup, working it out to $5,000 per household.
“We’re considering giving 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% to paying down the debt,” Trump said the same month.
However, Musk lowered DOGE’s goal to $1 trillion after Trump assumed office. In March, he said he was on pace to hit that goal by the end of May. Instead, at a Cabinet meeting in April, Musk lowered the projected savings further to $150 billion in fiscal year 2026.
However, even the savings reported so far have been exaggerated, riddled with errors, or have included claims to savings made before DOGE was formed, while many of the proposed workforce reductions have been blocked ier reversed by courts. On May 30, CNN reported that one of its reporters found that less than half the $175 billion figure claimed at the time was backed up with even basic documentation, making verification difficult if not impossible.
When will I get my tax refund?
By May 9, 2025, the IRS reported that it received nearly 146 million tax returns, processed most of them, and refunded $274.979 billion with an average refund of $2,939, up from last year’s average of $2,869.
However, most of those were filed electronically with the refunds direct-deposited, the fastest way to get your money. If you mailed yours in and are waiting for a check, it might be delayed.
Paper returns normally take 6-8 weeks, and with understaffed processing centers due to layoffs and a hiring freeze this could be “double, triple or quadruple,” certified public accountant Richard Pon in San Francisco told USA TODAY.
How long does it take to get a tax refund?
Depends on how you filed. According to the IRS, if you chose direct deposit you should get it within five days after processing. Mailed refunds may take several weeks. More than 9 out of 10 refunds are issued within 21 days, the IRS said on its website.
Floridians had any extra two weeks to file this year thanks to extensions provided after Tropical Storm Debby, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
However, processing correspondence and amended returns can take up to 4-6 months under normal circumstances, Pon said, and reduce staffing may increase that time.
What can make a tax refund late?
There are several reasons. According to tax preparation site Intuit Turbotax, processing your refund may take longer if:
How can I check the status of my tax refund?
Go to irs.gov/wheres-my-refund or use the IRS2GO mobile app.
If you filed an amended return, go to irs.gov/filing/wheres-my-amended-return.
You’ll need your Social Security number or individual taxpayer ID number, your filing status and the exact refund amount on your return.
If I haven’t received my refund, should I file my taxes again?
“Filing the same tax return again typically won’t speed up your refund and could cause delays,” the IRS said. You should only refile your tax return if all of these apply:
When should I call about my return?
You should only call the IRS if Where’s My Refund recommends it.
Maria Francis, USA TODAY NETWORK, contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Are stimulus checks coming to Florida in July? Where’s my refund? How to check status
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
