How to check a stimulus check claim
Every real federal payment has a law behind it and an IRS announcement in front of it. Here is how to test a claim against both in a few minutes, and how the scams that ride on these claims work.
Money & Benefits · Agencie
Internal Revenue Service
The IRS sets the filing season, issues refunds, and announces each autumn the inflation-adjusted tax brackets, standard deduction and retirement-plan limits for the following year.
Trackers
Notices and filings
Child tax credit 2026: $2,200 per child
The 2025 tax law made the larger credit permanent and set it at $2,200. What that means on a 2026 return, who qualifies, and why part of it arrives in late February.
Where's My Refund, explained
The 21-day figure is a typical case, not a promise. Here is what decides your refund date, what the tool can and cannot tell you, and when a delay is normal.
Is a fourth stimulus check coming in 2026?
The claim circulates every few weeks with a dollar amount and a date. There is no law authorizing a fourth federal payment and the IRS has announced none.