how many stimulus checks were there

There were three main federal “stimulus checks” (Economic Impact Payments) during the COVID‑19 pandemic in the United States.

Core answer

• The U.S. government sent three rounds of COVID‑era stimulus checks to eligible individuals and families.

• These came in 2020 and 2021 under three different laws: the CARES Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, and the American Rescue Plan.

Quick Scoop: the three checks

First stimulus check (2020)

• Authorized by the CARES Act , signed March 27, 2020.

• Typical maximum amounts:
  • $1,200 for single filers
  • $2,400 for married couples filing jointly
  • $500 per qualifying child.

• Most payments went out starting April 2020 via direct deposit, paper checks, or prepaid debit cards.

Second stimulus check (early 2021)

• Authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 , signed December 27, 2020.

• Typical maximum amounts:
  • $600 for single filers
  • $1,200 for married couples filing jointly
  • $600 per qualifying child.

• Most payments were issued around January 2021.

Third stimulus check (2021)

• Authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 , signed March 11, 2021.

• Typical maximum amounts:
  • $1,400 for single filers
  • $2,800 for married couples filing jointly
  • $1,400 per qualifying dependent.

• Payments began going out in March 2021 and continued in batches afterward.

At a glance: the three rounds

[3] [9][3] [5][3] [5][3] [10][3][5] [3][5]

Round	Law	Main payment amounts	Main payment timing
First	CARES Act (2020)	$1,200 single; $2,400 married; $500 per child.	Mostly from April 2020.
Second	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021	$600 single; $1,200 married; $600 per child.	Around January 2021.
Third	American Rescue Plan Act of 2021	$1,400 per eligible person (adults and dependents).	Starting March 2021.

“Latest news” & forum chatter

• As of late 2025, discussions about new federal stimulus checks are mostly speculative, appearing in forum threads and opinion pieces rather than confirmed policy.

• Many forum users compare the three pandemic checks to current inflation and wage issues, debating whether future one‑time payments would meaningfully help versus longer‑term policy changes.

TL;DR: For the popular COVID‑19 “stimulus checks,” there were three rounds of federal payments to eligible Americans: in April 2020, January 2021, and March 2021, with varying amounts per person and per dependent.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.