President Trump’s $2,000 tariff dividend check – if it becomes reality – won’t arrive until next year.
This week, President Trump provided more information on the proposed dividend payments.
“We’re going to be issuing dividends later on, somewhere prior to, you know, probably the middle of next year, a little bit later than that. Thousands of dollars for individuals of moderate income, middle income,” Trump said in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office. The remarks were first reported by Axios.
Details on the payments are scarce, other than Trump stating that they would go to low- and moderate-income individuals, and “high-earners” would be excluded.
According to Axios, the cost of the payments could exceed $200 billion if checks are issued to individuals and not per U.S. household. That’s more than the government collected in tariffs in 2025 and about half the amount it projects to receive in fiscal 2026.
Congress would have to approve any payments, something Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stressed when speaking to Fox News. Any payments would “need legislation,” Bessent said, but added the checks “could go out.”
Previous direct payments mailed during the COVID pandemic were distributed by the Treasury Department. The first round was paid in April 2020 and included up to $1,200 per eligible adult and $500 per qualifying child. The second round, paid in December 2020, was up to $600 per person and the third, issued in March 2021, was up to $1,400 per individual.
Those payments were based on income. Income limits for COVID payments were $150,000 for families, $112,500 for heads of household and $75,000 for individuals. People whose incomes exceeded those levels received reduced payments.
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