Across three rounds of federal stimulus checks, the amount per person was up to $1,200 from the first round, up to $600 from the second, and up to $1,400 from the third — a maximum of $3,200 per eligible adult. Married couples filing jointly could receive double those figures, and each round also paid an additional amount for qualifying dependents. Actual checks were often smaller because payments phased out above certain income levels.
First Round: Up to $1,200 Per Adult
The CARES Act, signed in March 2020, sent up to $1,200 to each eligible adult and up to $2,400 to married couples filing jointly.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6428 – 2020 Recovery Rebates for Individuals Parents received an extra $500 for each qualifying child under age 17.2GovInfo. Public Law 116-136 – Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act A family of four with two young children could reach $3,400 from this round alone.
Every person listed on the return needed a valid Social Security number for the household to get the full amount. The original CARES Act shut out mixed-status families in which one spouse filed with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, so U.S. citizen spouses and children in those households received nothing at first.
Second Round: Up to $600 Per Adult
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, signed in late December 2020, authorized a smaller second payment: up to $600 per adult and up to $1,200 per couple filing jointly.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6428A – Additional 2020 Recovery Rebates for Individuals The per-child amount rose from $500 to $600, matching the adult figure, and again only children under 17 qualified.
This round also reopened the first payment to mixed-status families. Households with one SSN spouse and one ITIN spouse became eligible going forward and could claim the first-round payment they had been denied.
Third Round: Up to $1,400 Per Person
The American Rescue Plan Act, enacted in March 2021, delivered the largest per-person amount: up to $1,400 per eligible individual and up to $2,800 for married couples filing jointly.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6428B – 2021 Recovery Rebates to Individuals The dependent rules also broadened. The $1,400 applied to every dependent claimed on the return regardless of age, so adult children, college students, and elderly relatives all counted.5U.S. Department of the Treasury. Economic Impact Payments
A family of four with two dependents could receive up to $5,600 from this round. Combined with the first two rounds, that same family’s maximum reached $11,400 across all three payments.
The IRS also issued “plus-up” payments during 2021. If a third-round check was based on an older return and a newer 2020 return showed the taxpayer qualified for more, the agency automatically sent the difference.
Income Limits That Reduced the Amounts
All three rounds started phasing out at the same adjusted gross income thresholds: $75,000 for single filers, $112,500 for heads of household, and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.6Internal Revenue Service. Here’s How Much Individuals Will Get From the Economic Impact Payments Income above those figures reduced the payment; income far enough above them zeroed it out.
The first two rounds reduced payments by $5 for every $100 of income above the threshold. For a single filer with no dependents, the first-round payment reached zero at $99,000 and the second-round payment at $87,000. Joint filers with no dependents hit zero at $198,000 for the first round and $174,000 for the second.
The third round used the same starting thresholds but a much steeper drop. Payments fell to zero at $80,000 for single filers, $120,000 for heads of household, and $160,000 for joint filers with no dependents. For a single filer without dependents, that worked out to roughly a $28 cut per $100 of income above $75,000.
Per-Person Amounts at a Glance
- Round 1 (CARES Act, April 2020): $1,200 per adult, $2,400 per couple, $500 per child under 17. Single filers with no dependents phased out at $99,000.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6428 – 2020 Recovery Rebates for Individuals
- Round 2 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, January 2021): $600 per adult, $1,200 per couple, $600 per child under 17. Single filers with no dependents phased out at $87,000.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6428A – Additional 2020 Recovery Rebates for Individuals
- Round 3 (American Rescue Plan, March 2021): $1,400 per adult, $2,800 per couple, $1,400 per dependent of any age. Single filers with no dependents phased out at $80,000.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6428B – 2021 Recovery Rebates to Individuals
Is It Too Late to Claim a Missed Payment?
Yes. The window to claim any of the three payments through the Recovery Rebate Credit has closed. Federal law gives taxpayers three years from the original filing deadline to claim a refund.
The first and second payments were tied to the 2020 tax year, and the extended filing window for that year ran until May 17, 2024.7Internal Revenue Service. IR-2024-80: Time Running Out to Claim $1 Billion in Refunds for Tax Year 2020 The third payment was tied to the 2021 tax year, and the deadline to file that return and claim the credit was April 15, 2025. The IRS will not process Recovery Rebate Credit claims filed after those dates.
How to Check What You Actually Received
The IRS sent a written notice after each payment: Notice 1444 for the first round, Notice 1444-B for the second, and Letter 6475 for the third.8Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your Letter 6475 If those notices are gone, the exact amounts still appear in the Tax Records section of an IRS online account.9Internal Revenue Service. Economic Impact Payments That is the most reliable way to confirm what was deposited, mailed as a paper check, or loaded onto a prepaid debit card in your name.