Government begins sending $600 COVID-19 stimulus payments

On Wednesday, the U.S. federal government began mailing out COVID-19 stimulus checks worth $600 for most Americans, amid ongoing efforts to raise the amount to $2,000. The $600 amount was part of the $900 billion coronavirus relief package negotiated in Congress for months and signed by President Donald Trump on Sunday.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the government has already begun sending the money into Americans’ accounts, via direct deposit, and that paper checks would begin to go out Wednesday. The direct infusions of cash will continue to be deposited and sent through the mail into next week, Mnuchin said. 

The payments are the second direct aid sent to Americans as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The first checks for $1,200 were given out in April after Congress passed the initial relief package, the CARES Act.  Similar to the first payments early this year, the new $600 amount will be sent to all eligible Americans and $1,200 will be given for married couples. There will be an additional $600 per child. All Americans who made up to $75,000 in 2019, or $150,000 for married couples filing jointly, will receive the full amount. The qualifying income figures are determined by recipients’ 2019 federal tax return.