When Was the First COVID Stimulus Check? Key Dates and How the First Round Worked

When people ask, “When was the first stimulus check?”, they are usually talking about the first COVID-19 Economic Impact Payment (EIP) that went out during the early months of the pandemic in 2020.

Because stimulus payments were tied to tax returns, income, and household details, the exact timing and amount was different for each person. But there are clear general timelines and rules for that first federal stimulus round.

This article focuses on the federal COVID stimulus checks, not state-level relief or other assistance programs.

The First Federal COVID Stimulus Check: Core Timeline

The first round of federal COVID-19 stimulus checks—also known as the first Economic Impact Payment—was created by the CARES Act, which became law in late March 2020.

From there:

Law passed: Late March 2020
First payments issued:Mid-April 2020 by the IRS
Most direct deposits: Posted within the first few weeks after that
Paper checks and debit cards: Rolled out over several months, depending on IRS processing and mailing schedules

So when people say “the first stimulus check”, they are usually referring to payments that started landing in bank accounts in mid-April 2020, based on 2018 or 2019 tax data.

Different households saw different timing:

People with direct deposit info on file with the IRS typically received money first
People expecting paper checks or prepaid debit cards usually waited longer
People not required to file taxes often had to use an online IRS tool, which also affected when they were paid

What That First Stimulus Check Actually Was

The first “stimulus check” wasn’t a separate benefit program in the long term. Technically, it was:

A refundable tax credit for the 2020 tax year, paid out early as an advance direct payment.

Key ideas:

Refundable tax credit: You could receive it even if you owed no income tax
Advance payment: The IRS sent it out in 2020 based on prior tax returns, then it was reconciled on your 2020 tax return
Not taxable income: For federal tax purposes, these payments were not treated as income

This structure is common for federal relief:

Many stimulus payments are set up as tax credits, then paid upfront
Eligibility is usually based on Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and filing status
Actual amounts can be adjusted later through the tax filing process

Who Generally Qualified for the First Stimulus Check?

Eligibility for the first COVID stimulus check depended on several variables, not just income.

Common factors that influenced eligibility

Income level
- Determined using AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) from your most recent tax return on file at the time (2018 or 2019 for most people)
- Payments were reduced (“phased out”) for people above certain AGI levels
- A phase-out means the benefit gradually shrinks as income rises, rather than stopping all at once
Filing status
- Single
- Married filing jointly
- Head of household
  Each status came with different AGI phase-out ranges and different maximum payment amounts
Household size and dependents
- The program allowed additional amounts per qualifying child dependent, up to a certain age
- Whether someone counted as a dependent depended on IRS rules, not just whether they lived with you
Citizenship and residency status
- Federal stimulus programs typically focus on:
  - U.S. citizens
  - Resident aliens who meet IRS rules
- Nonresident aliens were generally not eligible
- Rules around Social Security Numbers (SSNs) versus Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) affected many mixed-status households, especially in the first round
Tax filing history
- People who had filed recent tax returns were usually processed first
- People who did not file because of low income, Social Security status, or other reasons sometimes had to use special tools set up by the IRS to provide information

Because of all these variables, two people with the same income could have different outcomes depending on household size, dependents, and filing status.

Payment Amounts: Why They Weren’t the Same for Everyone

The first round of COVID stimulus checks followed a tiered structure, tied to:

Maximum base amount for the taxpayer(s)
Additional amount per qualifying child
Phase-outs as income rose above specific AGI levels

In very general terms:

People below certain AGI thresholds could receive a full base amount
People with child dependents could receive more
People above upper AGI ranges could see their payment reduced to zero

Because this article is not tied to your specific case, it’s important to note:

Exact amounts and thresholds varied by:
- Tax year
- Filing status (single, married, head of household)
- Number and type of dependents
The IRS used your most recent return on file at that time, which didn’t always match your actual 2020 situation

This is why some people saw their payment adjusted later when they filed their 2020 tax return—either as an extra credit (if they were underpaid) or no clawback (in most cases, overpayments were not taken back for this specific program).

How the First Stimulus Checks Were Sent Out

The method the government used to send out the first stimulus checks had a big effect on when people actually received money.

Common distribution methods

Method	Who It Typically Reached First	Timing Factors
Direct deposit	People with bank info on file with IRS (refunds, etc.)	Fastest; often mid–late April 2020
Paper checks	People without direct deposit info	Slower; mailed in batches over months
Prepaid debit cards	Some people the IRS chose to pay via card instead of check	Timing similar to mailed checks, varied

Key points:

The IRS prioritized direct deposit because it is faster and cheaper
Bank processing times, weekends, and holidays could affect when funds actually showed up for individuals
Address changes, closed bank accounts, and mail delays could cause returned or reissued payments

This same pattern shows up in other federal and state relief programs as well:

Direct deposit is usually fastest
Paper checks are typically slower and more prone to delays
Prepaid cards are used for some relief efforts, but not consistently across all programs

How the First Round Fits Into the Three COVID Stimulus “Rounds”

The first federal COVID stimulus check was part of a series of three main federal rounds of Economic Impact Payments:

Round	Common Name	General Period Payments Began
1️⃣	CARES Act – First stimulus check	Mid-April 2020
2️⃣	December 2020 legislation	Late December 2020 / January 2021
3️⃣	American Rescue Plan (ARP)	March 2021 onward

Each round had:

Different maximum amounts
Different AGI phase-out ranges
Different rules for dependents
Slightly different treatment of mixed-status households, adult dependents, and children

So when you see articles or posts about “second” or “third” stimulus checks, they are referring to these later rounds, not the original mid‑April 2020 start of payments.

How This Differs From Ongoing Cash Assistance Programs

The first COVID stimulus check was a one-time emergency relief payment, different from ongoing programs like:

TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) – monthly cash assistance, usually administered by states, means-tested based on income and assets
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) – monthly federal benefit for certain older adults or disabled individuals with limited income/resources
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) – monthly food benefits loaded onto an EBT card; eligibility and amounts depend heavily on state rules and household size
EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) – a refundable tax credit for workers with low to moderate earned income, claimed on the tax return
Child Tax Credit (CTC) – tax credit for qualifying children; sometimes partially or fully refundable, and sometimes paid monthly (as in 2021) during special relief periods

Key differences compared with the first stimulus check:

Feature	First COVID Stimulus Check	Ongoing Programs (like TANF, SNAP, EITC)
Type of benefit	One-time direct payment / tax credit	Ongoing monthly or yearly benefits
How you get it	Often automatic via IRS (if on record)	Usually require applications or tax returns
Basis for amount	AGI, filing status, dependents	Household size, income, expenses, state rules
Administered by	Federal (IRS, Treasury)	Federal + state agencies, sometimes jointly

The first stimulus check was unusual in how broad and fast it tried to be, compared with more targeted, means-tested programs that usually involve formal applications and more detailed income and asset checks.

Why Individual Experiences With the First Check Were So Different

Even though there was one federal law authorizing the first COVID stimulus check, individual experiences varied widely because of all the moving parts:

State of residence
- Some states and localities added their own relief payments or protections
- State tax rules could affect how people understood their overall situation, even though the federal stimulus itself was not typically taxable by the IRS
Income and AGI
- Families just under certain AGI thresholds could receive the full amount
- Households just above those lines saw partial or no payment because of phase-outs
Household composition
- Number of qualifying dependents
- Whether dependents were children or adult dependents
- Whether someone else claimed you as a dependent affected whether you received your own check
Filing status and return history
- Single vs. married vs. head of household
- Whether you had filed taxes recently, and for which year
- Whether your 2018/2019 income matched your actual 2020 income
Citizenship and immigration status
- Whether everyone had SSNs or used ITINs
- Whether the household was mixed-status (some members citizens, some not)
- How IRS rules treated resident vs. nonresident aliens
Payment method
- Direct deposit vs. paper check vs. debit card
- Closed bank accounts, address changes, garnishments, and other complications

Because of this, two households that looked very similar on the surface—same state, same income range—could still have received different amounts or different timing depending on these details.

In the end, the first COVID stimulus checks began rolling out in mid-April 2020, but the actual experience of that “first check” depended heavily on your state, income, household size, tax filing status, and eligibility under federal rules at that time. Understanding the general structure—federal law, IRS administration, AGI-based phase-outs, and payment methods—helps explain the big picture, but the specific outcome for any one person hinged on their own situation.