When will your next stimulus check arrive? Here are 4 key things to know – CNET

 Negotiations to pass a new economic relief bill have seemingly taken a turn away from including a second stimulus check, at least for now, though retroactive unemployment insurance is still up for debate. Instead, talks to authorize a new stimulus payment will likely resume in the new year.

We have an idea when a second stimulus payment could be sent if a coronavirus relief bill is passed by certain milestone dates — see our chart below.

In addition, it’s also important to keep in mind:

This story is frequently updated with new information.

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Next stimulus checks: What to expect

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When will the new stimulus bill get a vote? 

While the date to vote on a package has been a moving target for months, top leaders are now eyeing a vote before Dec. 11. That means lawmakers will have to move fast to put together a final bill. Since we can’t officially rule out another stimulus check yet — negotiations haven’t yet begun on the newest proposal — you’ll see that possibility reflected in Scenario 1 in the chart below.

Right now, it seems the Senate is leaning toward a stopgap stimulus bill that doesn’t include another stimulus check. With Congress under a deadline to pass a new federal budget by Dec. 11, the Senate may also try to attach more economic aid to a government funding bill.

After President-elect Joe Biden becomes US president on Jan. 20, the new administration could try again for a larger bill that could includes another direct payment. That would mean a check would likely go out in February at the earliest. See the chart below for possible dates. (Here are separate stimulus measures Biden could take if there’s no stimulus bill by inauguration).

Read more: How big will your next stimulus check be? Calculate your estimate

How soon could the IRS make a second payment, if approved?

In August, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said it would take about a week from the time that another direct payment is approved to the time the IRS could process the first batch. 

“I can get out 50 million payments really quickly. A lot of it into people’s direct accounts,” Mnuchin said then. 

If a check doesn’t arrive until 2021, there will be a new Treasury secretary — it isn’t clear if a transition of power would cause a delay in sending out money. Biden has selected Janet Yellen, the previous chair of the US Federal Reserve, for the Treasury position, though she would need to be confirmed by the Senate before taking office.

Even if the checks were to go out faster the second time by following the existing IRS protocol from the first payment, that doesn’t necessarily mean your stimulus money would arrive a week after a bill went live. The following section explains more.

How quickly could I get my next stimulus check?

Here’s one stimulus check truth of many: Not everyone will get a payment at the same time. With the first check, the IRS divided stimulus payments into three main groups depending on the form in which you received the money. We explain more in the next section.

In the chart below, these speculative dates show when you might see a payment. The second scenario is possible if the House and Senate are called back to vote and the session officially extended. We also sketched out two timelines if a bill becomes law after Biden’s Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 to give you an idea of how long you might have to wait.

Check? EIP card? What do these different groups mean?

The three groups you see above are just the beginning. They represent the IRS’ staggered timeline for sending out payments with the first stimulus check. We dive more into the five stimulus check payment priority groups here.