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Did you get more money in your third stimulus check? All the reasons why

With the $1,400 per person maximum in the stimulus check, you're automatically eligible to receive more money than in the first two payments. Keep in mind a number of other factors could make your potential payment even larger.

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Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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Jessica Dolcourt
Shelby Brown
4 min read
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The third payment brings you more money in multiple ways.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The new stimulus checks for up to $1,400 per person started hitting bank accounts recently, and while you can track your payment online now, the IRS website won't tell you the amount of money you're due. In addition to our stimulus calculator, there are other clues that can reveal every way your check size could increase. 

Many families could see more than $1,400 per person, but they meet the strict income limits that have been tied to the check. (Here's how the third check compares with the previous $600 and $1,200 checks.) It's not just the income limits that have changed, though. Those who qualify as a dependent could be different, as well. 

Additionally, the stimulus bill could give you even more money through the Child Tax Credit, more unemployment insurance and extra tax breaks. (Some Californians could see an extra $600 check, too.) Below, we'll help you determine how much stimulus money you can expect based on the eight factors. It's also possible you won't qualify for a stimulus payment at all. We'll walk you through some hypothetical situations. This story was recently updated.

1. $1,400 per dependent means your check total could grow

While dependents don't get their own checks, they do count toward the family total. With the first check, children age 16 and undercounted for $500 apiece, while adults factored in for up to $1,200. The second check counted child dependents for $600, the same as their parents or guardians.

The third stimulus check raises the figure to $1,400 apiece for everyone (adults would still be calculated on a sliding scale based on adjusted gross income, or AGI). So in theory, a family of four that met all the income requirements could receive up to $5,600 (calculate your estimate here)

Watch this: Stimulus check 3: How much money you'll get

2. Why could more dependents qualify overall? Age isn't a limiting factor anymore

Who counts as a dependent? The next stimulus package would have a different answer. For the first and second checks, a dependent was understood to be any child aged 16 or younger. But the new definition would include anyone you can claim on your tax returns -- such as children over 16, older adults under your care and child dependents of any age with disabilities. If approved, that could bring your family more money by raising the number of overall dependents who qualify.

3. Babies and other additions: What if your household gained a dependent in 2020?

If you have had or adopted a new child, if an older relative moved in with you or if for whatever other reason you've gained a dependent since the last round of stimulus payments, you may see a larger check. In fact, parents of 2020 babies might be able to get $1,100 more.

4. Mixed-status families now qualify for a stimulus payment

Under the new stimulus plan, more families who are considered "mixed-status" would be eligible for a stimulus check. The second payment broadened the rules from the first check by making it possible for families where one spouse is a US citizen to be eligible for a payment. Biden's proposal would work with more scenarios: For example, it would potentially provide stimulus check money to a household of US-citizen children with noncitizen parents. It isn't clear if this would pass as part of the final bill.

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Did you recently get married or have a baby? That could mean more money in a third stimulus payment -- potentially as soon as March.

Sarah Tew/CNET

5. If your job situation changed, you might get more money

If you became unemployed this year or your wages dropped, that could lower your adjusted gross income, which is used to determine your payment. For example, if you got a partial payment with the first or second check, a third check could bring you a full payment if you're no longer employed.

6. What if you recently got married and are filing together for the first time? 

Depending on several variables that include your spouse's filing status and any new dependents, a change in marital status could result in a larger check. For example, if you're single and filing alone, you got $1,200 at most the first time around. Married, you could be eligible for up to $2,400, since the IRS formula used to determine your total stimulus money is based on your combined household income.

If a third stimulus check arrives for $1,400 per person, your spouse could double it to $2,800. Alternatively, if your personal AGI would only get you a partial stimulus check payment on your own, filing jointly with a spouse with an income under the threshold could qualify you for the whole check total.

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With a third check, your stimulus money could add up.

Sarah Tew/CNET

7. Do you share custody of a dependent? It could make a difference

If you meet specific qualifications, you and the child's other parent may both be entitled to claim extra stimulus money. That means you could get an extra $500 or more in the third stimulus check, especially if anything in your situation changed between the time you filed your 2019 tax return and your future 2020 return. The third check allowance would be based on your most recent tax filing.

8. Incarcerated individuals can get a third stimulus check

A federal judge ruled in 2020 that the IRS owes stimulus checks to inmates in prison who qualify. As the ruling currently stands, these people may be entitled to a third stimulus check as well as the first two, with more potential money for dependents.

Bonus: stimulus checks and undocumented residents

In the past, Democrats proposed that undocumented US residents be eligible for stimulus relief funds if they pay taxes (through an ITIN number). This provision was part of the Heroes Act that passed the House of Representatives in two forms but didn't become law. 

With the third check, you'd need to have a Social Security number to be eligible, or be part of a mixed-status family where one household member has a Social Security number, if that's approved. On Feb. 4, the Senate passed an amendment blocking stimulus payments for undocumented immigrants. Though the amendment isn't binding, it seems unlikely that senators would change their position now that they're on the record.

Here's everything else you need to know about stimulus checks today, including how to claim any missing stimulus money on your 2020 tax return and how to contact the IRS about your missing payment.