Stimulus Check Calculator

Estimate a federal stimulus (Economic Impact Payment) using the published IRS formula for each relief bill. Pick a round, enter your filing status, adjusted gross income, and dependents to see the payment amount and how much the income phase-out reduced it.

Quick Facts

AGI thresholds
$75,000 single · $112,500 head of household · $150,000 married filing jointly
Same starting thresholds apply to all three rounds; the phase-out method and rate differ by round.
Phase-out method
5% of AGI over the threshold (Rounds 1–2) · straight-line to $0 (Round 3)
Round 3 reaches $0 at $80,000 single, $120,000 head of household, or $160,000 married filing jointly.

Your Results

Calculated
Estimated stimulus payment
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After the income phase-out
Maximum payment
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Before the phase-out, at full eligibility
Phase-out reduction
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Amount subtracted for AGI over the threshold
Percent of maximum received
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Payment ÷ maximum payment

Ready

Choose a round, filing status, AGI, and dependents, then press Calculate.

How the Stimulus Check Calculator works

The United States paid three rounds of federal stimulus checks — officially Economic Impact Payments — in 2020 and 2021. Each round set a maximum payment per filer and dependent, then reduced that maximum for higher earners using a published IRS phase-out formula based on adjusted gross income (AGI). This calculator applies the exact published formula for whichever round you select, so you can estimate what a household with a given AGI, filing status, and dependent count would have received.

The three rounds

  • Round 1 — CARES Act (March 2020): up to $1,200 per adult ($2,400 married filing jointly) plus $500 per qualifying child under 17.
  • Round 2 — December 2020 relief bill: up to $600 per adult ($1,200 married filing jointly) plus $600 per qualifying child under 17.
  • Round 3 — American Rescue Plan (March 2021): up to $1,400 per adult ($2,800 married filing jointly) plus $1,400 per dependent of any age.

The phase-out formula

All three rounds start the phase-out at the same AGI thresholds: $75,000 for single filers (and married filing separately), $112,500 for head of household, and $150,000 for married filing jointly. From there the methods differ:

  • Rounds 1 and 2: the maximum payment is reduced by 5% of the AGI over the threshold — sometimes described as "$5 for every $100 over the limit." Larger households phase out more slowly because their maximum payment is bigger.
  • Round 3: the maximum payment is reduced on a straight line between the threshold and a fixed upper limit — $80,000 (single), $120,000 (head of household), or $160,000 (married filing jointly) — where the payment reaches exactly $0, regardless of household size.

Worked example

A single filer with no dependents and $77,500 AGI, checking Round 3: the maximum payment is $1,400. AGI is $2,500 above the $75,000 threshold, which is 50% of the way through the $5,000 phase-out band ($75,000 to $80,000), so the payment is reduced by 50% to about $700. The same filer checking Round 1 would see a much smaller reduction: 5% of $2,500 is $125, leaving roughly $1,075 of the $1,200 maximum.

What this tool does not do

All three rounds were already paid out; this calculator only reconstructs the formula for estimation and record-checking, not for submitting a new claim. If you were eligible for a payment you never received, the IRS handled that through the Recovery Rebate Credit on the corresponding year's federal tax return, and this tool does not calculate that credit or file anything on your behalf. It also assumes exactly one AGI value and does not model the "plus-up" payments the IRS issued to some households after processing a later tax return.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is my stimulus check calculated?
Each round starts with a maximum payment: a base amount for your filing status plus a fixed amount per dependent. If your adjusted gross income (AGI) is above the threshold for your filing status, the payment is reduced. Rounds 1 and 2 (CARES Act and December 2020) reduce the payment by 5% of the AGI over the threshold. Round 3 (American Rescue Plan) reduces the payment on a straight line to zero between the lower and upper AGI limits.
What is the difference between the three stimulus rounds?
Round 1 (CARES Act, 2020) paid up to $1,200 per adult ($2,400 married filing jointly) plus $500 per qualifying child under 17. Round 2 (December 2020) paid up to $600 per adult ($1,200 MFJ) plus $600 per qualifying child. Round 3 (American Rescue Plan, March 2021) paid up to $1,400 per adult ($2,800 MFJ) plus $1,400 per dependent of any age. All three use AGI thresholds of $75,000 single, $112,500 head of household, and $150,000 married filing jointly, but the phase-out method and the income level where the payment reaches $0 differ by round.
Why does the third stimulus check phase out faster than the first two?
Rounds 1 and 2 use a 5%-of-excess-AGI reduction, which phases out slowly and can take tens of thousands of dollars of AGI to reach $0 for larger households. Round 3 instead phases out completely over a fixed, narrow band — $75,000 to $80,000 for single filers, $112,500 to $120,000 for head of household, and $150,000 to $160,000 for married filing jointly — regardless of household size, so it reaches $0 faster per dollar of AGI above the threshold.
Does this calculator file taxes or claim the Recovery Rebate Credit?
No. This tool only estimates the payment amount from the published IRS formulas for each round. All three stimulus rounds were paid out in 2020 and 2021; if you were eligible but never received a payment, it would have been claimed as the Recovery Rebate Credit on the matching year's federal tax return. This calculator does not file returns or submit claims.

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