In recent days, social media and other websites have been buzzing with rumors about a new stimulus check worth approximately USD 2,600, which will be deposited in March 2025.
This announcement has given many people seeking financial relief hope in a difficult economic environment. A thorough investigation revealed that there is no formal statement confirming the stimulus check’s existence.
The IRS has announced that there will be no stimulus check in March
Rumors about the new stimulus check have highlighted how critical it is to exercise caution when consuming information. Neither the US Treasury Department nor the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have confirmed that a check for this amount was issued in March, and the IRS is the only agency authorized to announce stimulus check payments.
The fact that other financial aid programs exist is likely to have confused thousands of Americans. Spreading unconfirmed information only leads to unrealistic expectations and increased uncertainty.
The popularity of news about stimulus check payments stems from a combination of optimism, eye-catching headlines, and a lack of source verification. In this case, the news spreads without question due to the possibility of receiving a large sum of money.
Even though the USD 2,600 stimulus check is fraudulent, other authorized economic support initiatives may benefit a large number of citizens:
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): stimulus payment known for being available to low to moderate-income workers.
- Child Tax Credit (CTC): payments for eligible families in March and April.
- Inflation Relief Payments: implemented in some states to address the rising cost of living.
- Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI): continue to operate for beneficiaries.
- Tax refunds: for those who filed their 2023 tax return.
IRS cuts may lead to refund delays across the country
As part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive effort to reduce the size of the federal government, the IRS is facing a double whammy: a hiring moratorium and the potential loss of thousands of employees in coming weeks.
Several agencies, including the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, have already been impacted by drastic cost-cutting initiatives.
According to several accountants, taxpayers who require assistance or want their returns processed quickly may suffer greatly as a result of an IRS staffing shortage during tax season. The National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA), an independent IRS organization, claims that the IRS already has a labor deficit and is having difficulty recruiting and retaining employees.
Furthermore, Richard Pon, a certified public accountant in San Francisco, stated that mass layoffs will undoubtedly impact tax season because cuts will be felt immediately. According to an IRS employee, here’s what it might mean for American taxpayers:
- Processing centers will be understaffed. Paper returns, which generally take six to eight weeks, are projected to be delayed due to the increased processing times, potentially resulting in double, triple, or quadruple delays.
- Wait times in customer service lines will increase. Despite her four-year term, the National Taxpayer Advocate’s 2024 Annual Report to Congress emphasizes phone service as a serious taxpayer issue, with layoffs expected to exacerbate the problem.
- Processing times might double. To meet the demands of this filing season, the IRS intends to reallocate people from other departments to cover filing season processing, which currently takes four to six months. This will double the processing time of letters and revised returns.
- Less work for the military. In a LinkedIn article, former IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said that military members and their spouses would have less work. According to him, military veterans make up over 10% of IRS staff members, including “on probation” new hires. Spouses of active military people also make up a large portion of IRS staff hired to work during filing season.
