By: James Morgan
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – As many Americans begin to receive stimulus payments in the mail or through direct deposits, some college students may be surprised to find themselves eligible in this round of checks.
Dependents ages 17 and older were previously ineligible for stimulus payments in both the March and December relief bills.
The biggest differences between these payments and the previous two stimulus bills are the amount distributed and the extended eligibility for dependents.
“This pays the full amount, $1,400, to dependents or children in the household.” Mervin Jebaraj, the director of the U of A Center for Business and Economic Research, said. “It’s a much more significant chunk of change heading to households.”
Although adult dependents are eligible for the stimulus payments, Jebaraj said they should not expect to personally see a check or direct deposit unless they file taxes independently.
“If you file taxes on your own, it goes to you,” Jebaraj said. “If your parents are claiming you as a dependent, it definitely goes to them.”
The stimulus bill not only provides direct payments to Americans, but also extends unemployment benefits through September 6.
Jebaraj said the relief package will also help students who are unemployed or economically displaced because of the pandemic.
“It provides a $300 weekly boost to unemployment benefits to help workers get closer to what they were making at their jobs,” Jebaraj said.
Jebaraj said he expects this bill to be the last COVID-19 relief package that sends direct payments if the vaccination campaign continues at its current trajectory.
Dependents eligible for payments in latest stimulus package
