Second Stimulus Check Calculator
Estimate the second-round 2020 Economic Impact Payment from filing status, adjusted gross income, and qualifying children.
Your 2020 tax details
Estimated payment
Payment calculation breakdown
| Component | Rate | Count or base | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible adults | $600 each | 2 | $1,200.00 |
| Qualifying children | $600 each | 2 | $1,200.00 |
| Income phaseout | 5% above threshold | $10,000.00 | – $500.00 |
| Estimated payment | Maximum minus reduction | – | $1,900.00 |
How to use the Second Stimulus Check Calculator
What this calculator does
This calculator estimates the second-round 2020 U.S. Economic Impact Payment, often called the second stimulus check. The model starts with $600 for each eligible adult and $600 for each qualifying child under age 17, then applies the statutory income phaseout. It is a historical planning and verification tool: it can help you understand the payment formula or compare an old payment record with the amount implied by basic tax-return facts. It does not establish legal eligibility, resolve Social Security number rules, determine dependency status, or replace the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit worksheet.
When to use it
Use it to reconstruct a household's expected second payment, explain why a payment was smaller than the maximum, compare filing-status thresholds, or prepare questions before reviewing old IRS account records or a 2020 tax return. The IRS confirms that the second payment was generally $600 per eligible adult plus $600 per qualifying child, subject to eligibility and income limits in the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit payment guidance.
How to calculate
- The calculator opens with a ready-to-use demonstration: married filing jointly, $160,000 AGI, and two qualifying children. Its workbook is validated at startup, so Download Excel is immediately available.
- Choose Filing status. Replace Adjusted gross income (AGI) with the relevant 2020 amount and enter the whole-number count for Qualifying children under 17.
- Read Estimated second stimulus check first, then use the supporting cards and breakdown table to see the maximum amount and phaseout.
- Select Download Excel to export the current inputs and results as a genuine XLSX workbook. Select Reset to clear the demonstration and all calculated content; export remains disabled until a complete valid state is entered again.
Input guide
Filing status is required and accepts Single or married filing separately, Head of household, or Married filing jointly. It controls both the adult count and the income threshold. Joint filing uses two eligible adults and a $150,000 threshold; head of household uses one adult and $112,500; single or married filing separately uses one adult and $75,000. A common mistake is choosing a current filing status rather than the status relevant to the 2020 return.
Adjusted gross income (AGI) is required, entered in U.S. dollars, and must be a finite nonnegative amount no greater than $1 trillion. Commas are accepted as thousands separators and a period is the decimal mark; scientific notation and decimal-comma notation are rejected. Higher AGI has no effect until it exceeds the threshold, after which each additional dollar reduces the estimate by five cents. Use $160,000 for the startup example. Do not substitute gross wages for AGI.
Qualifying children under 17 is required and accepts a whole number from 0 to 100. Each child adds $600 to the maximum before phaseout. The startup value is 2. Do not include adult dependents: the second-round rules generally limited this addition to qualifying children under age 17. Treasury's Economic Impact Payments overview summarizes the second-round adult and child amounts.
Output guide
Estimated second stimulus check is the calculated dollar amount after phaseout, never below zero. Adult amount is $600 for one eligible adult or $1,200 for a joint return. Child amount is $600 multiplied by the child count. Income above threshold is the portion of AGI subject to phaseout. Phaseout reduction equals 5% of that excess, capped at the maximum payment. The summary pills repeat filing status, maximum payment, and reduction. The breakdown table shows the same canonical values as the workbook: component, rate, count or base, and amount. A zero estimate means the computed phaseout fully absorbed the maximum; it does not by itself prove ineligibility under every legal rule.
Worked example
For married filing jointly with $160,000 AGI and two qualifying children, the adult amount is 2 × $600 = $1,200 and the child amount is 2 × $600 = $1,200. The maximum is therefore $2,400. Joint filers begin phasing out above $150,000, so excess income is $10,000. Five percent of $10,000 is $500. The displayed estimate is $2,400 – $500 = $1,900.00. The downloadable workbook reproduces these inputs and results with typed numeric cells.
Formula and interpretation
The core identity is: maximum payment = $600 × eligible adults + $600 × qualifying children. The income reduction is 5% × max(0, AGI – filing-status threshold). The estimate is max(0, maximum payment – reduction). Because adding a child also raises the maximum, it extends the income range over which a partial payment can remain positive. The IRS's 2020 eligibility guidance describes additional conditions that this calculator intentionally does not model, including dependency and valid Social Security number requirements.
Historical limitations
The IRS has issued all first, second, and third Economic Impact Payments, and the old payment-status application is no longer available. For historical payment records, review the IRS information on Economic Impact Payments and Recovery Rebate Credits. This calculator is not tax advice and should not be used to claim that a current payment is due.