WASHINGTON — Congress has passed a $900 COVID-19 relief bill that will send a new round of direct payments to Americans, but half of what they were back in March.
How much is the new stimulus check?
On direct payments, the bill provides $600 to individuals making up to $75,000 per year and $1,200 to couples making up to $150,000, with payments phased out for higher incomes. An additional $600 payment will be made per dependent child, similar to the last round of relief payments in the spring.
Under the CARES Act, millions of Americans received checks up to $1,200 per adult, and an additional $500 for each eligible child, for individuals making less than $75,000 and couples making less than $150,000 annually.
What about unemployment benefits?
The bill combines coronavirus-fighting funds with financial relief for individuals and businesses. It would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses, restaurants, and theaters and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.
The $300 per week bonus jobless benefit was half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the $1.8 billion CARES Act in March. That more generous benefit and would be limited to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks. The direct $600 stimulus payment was also half the March payment.
