2020 stimulus proposal comparison calculator
Compare the estimated household payment under the historical CAAF, HEALS, and HEROES Act proposals using filing status, adjusted gross income, and dependents.
Household inputs
Estimated proposal payments
Proposal calculation breakdown
| Proposal | Base amount | Dependent amount | AGI reduction | Estimated payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAAF Act | $2,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
| HEALS Act | $2,400.00 | $1,500.00 | $0.00 | $3,900.00 |
| HEROES Act | $2,400.00 | $3,600.00 | $0.00 | $6,000.00 |
How the three proposals compare
How to use the 2020 stimulus proposal comparison calculator
What this calculator does
This calculator recreates a historical policy comparison from the summer of 2020. It estimates what one household might have received under three competing second-round stimulus proposals: the Coronavirus Assistance for American Families Act (CAAF), the HEALS Act framework, and the HEROES Act. It is a scenario tool, not a current-benefits checker, tax return, legal determination, or statement that any of these proposals became law in the form modeled here. The model compares the proposed base payment, dependent payment, and a 5% phaseout above the filing-status AGI threshold.
When to use it
Use it to study how proposed relief designs treated filing statuses differently, compare the effect of child and adult dependents, see how an income phaseout changes a payment, or reproduce a 2020 policy example for research, teaching, or historical financial planning. For current federal tax information, use the IRS rather than these historical estimates.
How to calculate
- The calculator opens with a complete demonstration: 2019 taxes filed, married filing jointly, three dependents under 17, no adult dependents, and $105,000 of AGI. Results and a validated example Excel workbook are available immediately.
- Choose Have you filed 2019 taxes? to identify whether the AGI entered comes from 2019 or, if not, 2018. This changes the source-year label, not the proposal math.
- Select Your filing status, enter both dependent counts as whole numbers, and type Your income in 2019 (AGI) in U.S.-style dollars. Commas and a leading dollar sign are accepted; decimal-comma notation and scientific notation are rejected.
- Read the highest estimate, each proposal result, the calculation breakdown, and the shared-scale bar chart. Choose Download Excel to export the current validated inputs and results.
- Reset clears the demonstration and all calculated content. Download Excel is then disabled until every required field contains a complete valid value again.
Input guide
Have you filed 2019 taxes? is required and accepts Yes or No. Choose Yes when the AGI source is the 2019 return; choose No to label it as 2018 AGI. Your filing status is required and accepts single or married filing separately, head of household, or married filing jointly. It controls the full-payment threshold of $75,000, $112,500, or $150,000 and the base amount. A common mistake is using household wages instead of the AGI reported on the relevant return. The IRS explains where adjusted gross income appears on Form 1040.
Your dependents under 17 and Your adult dependents are required whole-number counts from 0 through 50. A realistic entry might be 2 children and 1 adult dependent. Both counts increase CAAF and HEALS estimates; the HEROES estimate combines them but limits the modeled dependent supplement to three people. Do not enter ages, names, negative numbers, or fractions. Your income in 2019 (AGI) is a required dollar amount from $0 through $100,000,000. Enter a value such as $105,000. Higher AGI has no effect below the status threshold, then reduces each proposal by five cents per excess dollar until the payment reaches zero.
Output guide
Highest estimated payment and Highest proposal identify the largest of the three modeled amounts; a tie is labeled as a tie. CAAF Act stimulus, HEALS Act stimulus, and HEROES Act stimulus are estimated U.S.-dollar comparisons, not enacted benefit entitlements. Range between proposals is the largest estimate minus the smallest; zero means all three estimates are equal. Household dependents is the exact sum of the two dependent inputs.
The Proposal calculation breakdown table lists each proposal's base amount, dependent amount, AGI reduction, and final estimated payment. A zero reduction means AGI is at or below the threshold. A zero final payment means the phaseout fully absorbed the preliminary amount. The chart repeats the three final payments from a common zero baseline; taller bars represent larger estimated checks and carry the same values as the result cards and table.
Worked example
For the opening married-joint household with three young dependents and $105,000 AGI, the phaseout threshold is $150,000, so the AGI reduction is $0. CAAF combines a $2,000 joint base with $3,000 for dependents, producing $5,000.00. HEALS combines $2,400 with $1,500, producing $3,900.00. HEROES combines $2,400 with $3,600 for three dependents, producing $6,000.00, the highest estimate. These figures match the opening controls, result cards, table, chart, and workbook checkpoints.
Learn more
The proposals were debated during the COVID-19 emergency and should be understood in that historical context. Review the HEROES Act legislative record and the IRS's archived Economic Impact Payment overview for primary-source context about federal relief payments.
Model assumptions and interpretation
These are simplified proposal estimates. Eligibility could also have depended on taxpayer identification, residency, and other statutory details not represented by the inputs. The archived 2020 Form 1040 shows AGI on line 11, while the Taxpayer Advocate's AGI guidance explains why the correct tax-year amount matters.