There is no fourth stimulus check for Social Security recipients. Congress has not passed any law authorizing a new round of Economic Impact Payments since the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, and the IRS has confirmed that all three prior rounds have been fully issued.1Internal Revenue Service. Economic Impact Payments The deadlines to claim any missed payments from those rounds have also expired. What Social Security recipients do have coming is a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment starting in January 2026.2Social Security Administration. Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
The Deadlines to Claim Past Stimulus Money Have Passed
If you never received one of the three pandemic-era payments and were eligible, the IRS used the Recovery Rebate Credit as the mechanism to claim it on a tax return. Both windows are now closed.
The deadline to claim the first and second payments by filing a 2020 tax return was May 17, 2024. The deadline to claim the third payment by filing a 2021 tax return was April 15, 2025.3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 5486-A – Recovery Rebate Credit There is no current mechanism to go back and collect those funds.
What Social Security Recipients Are Actually Getting in 2026
Benefits will rise by 2.8% starting in January 2026 through the annual cost-of-living adjustment.2Social Security Administration. Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information The COLA is calculated from the Consumer Price Index and is meant to keep benefits roughly in step with inflation. It is not extra money in the way a stimulus payment was. It adjusts your existing benefit upward to reflect higher prices, and it applies automatically to every recipient.
For many people, some or all of the increase gets absorbed by rising Medicare Part B premiums, which are deducted from Social Security checks. Even so, the COLA is the primary tool Congress has in place for ongoing benefit adjustments, and it is the actual increase you will see in your January payment.
Bills That Have Been Introduced but Have Not Passed
Several proposals for new direct payments circulate in Congress, and headlines about them fuel a lot of the “fourth stimulus” chatter. The most recent high-profile bill is the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025, introduced by Senator Hawley, which would use tariff revenue to fund rebates for eligible individuals.4Congress.gov. S.2475 – 119th Congress – American Worker Rebate Act of 2025 It was referred to the Senate Finance Committee and has not advanced.5GovInfo. S. 2475 – American Worker Rebate Act of 2025
A bill being introduced is not the same as a bill becoming law. Proposals like this are filed regularly and almost never reach a vote. If a new payment were actually authorized, the IRS and SSA would announce it through official channels well before any money went out. Until then, treat any claim that a fourth check has been “approved” as false.
Watch Out for Fourth Stimulus Scams
Fraudsters routinely claim that a “4th stimulus check” has been approved and that you need to hand over personal information or pay a fee to receive it. None of that is real. The IRS contacts taxpayers by mail first and does not call to demand immediate payment, leave threatening voicemails, or threaten arrest.6Internal Revenue Service. Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2026 It will never ask for gift card numbers, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.
If someone contacts you by phone, email, text, or social media claiming you are owed stimulus money, it is a scam. To verify whether any federal payment program exists, go directly to irs.gov rather than following links from messages you did not ask for.
Real Assistance Programs Worth Checking
With no fourth check coming, the practical question is what help is actually available. Social Security recipients are often eligible for more than they realize, particularly those living on SSI alone.
- SNAP. Food assistance is available to Social Security recipients with limited income. Eligibility depends on household size, income, and expenses.
- Medicare Savings Programs. If you pay Medicare premiums out of pocket, your state may cover some or all of them depending on your income.
- LIHEAP. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps cover heating and cooling costs, with applications handled through state or local agencies.
- State rebates. Some states have issued their own inflation relief or property tax rebates. These vary widely and change year to year, so check your state revenue department’s website for current programs.
None of these replace a stimulus check, but they are real programs with real money behind them, and they are where a Social Security recipient looking for additional support should actually spend their time.