Why is your $1,390 IRS payment missing? What Americans need to know about the payment rumor and Trump’s $2,000 tariff dividend

A $1,390 IRS direct deposit rumor has resurfaced online, leaving some Americans wondering whether a new federal relief payment is sitting in their bank account.

It is not. There is no new federal stimulus check of $1,390 being issued by the IRS. The last round of federal Economic Impact Payments was tied to the pandemic, and the deadline to claim the final Recovery Rebate Credit passed on April 15, 2025.

The $2,000 tariff dividend is different. President Donald Trump has proposed sending Americans payments funded by tariff revenue, but the proposal does not amount to an approved federal payment program.

Why the $1,390 IRS payment rumor keeps coming back

The $1,390 figure is not tied to a new IRS stimulus program. Rumors about federal payments tend to recycle old programs, proposed rebates and unrelated tax benefits. They can look convincing because they often use familiar government terms such as “IRS,” “direct deposit,” “stimulus” and “relief payment.”

The pandemic-era stimulus program also created a lasting expectation that another payment could appear whenever Americans face higher prices or economic uncertainty.

That expectation has made relief-check claims particularly easy to circulate on social media.

The IRS has repeatedly warned taxpayers about stimulus-check scams. The agency has also said the Recovery Rebate Credit has expired.

For anyone who receives a message claiming that a $1,390 payment is waiting, the safest starting point is not the link in the message. Check information directly through the IRS and other official government websites.

The last federal stimulus deadline has already passed

The final federal stimulus-related opportunity was the Recovery Rebate Credit. It was connected to the third round of Economic Impact Payments issued in 2021. Taxpayers who were eligible but had not received the full amount could claim the credit through their tax return.

That window is now closed. The deadline was April 15, 2025. The IRS said about 1 million taxpayers who had not previously claimed eligible payments received checks through a separate effort.

What about Trump's proposed $2,000 tariff dividend?

The tariff dividend is a separate issue. Trump has proposed using tariff revenue to provide Americans with payments. On Nov. 9, he said on Truth Social that a dividend of at least $2,000 per person would be paid, excluding high-income people.

The statement created immediate interest because it sounded like a new nationwide payment program.

The practical details, though, were not settled in the information provided by the administration. Officials had not confirmed how the program would work, who would qualify, how it would be funded or when payments could begin.

A presidential statement proposing a payment is therefore not the same thing as an IRS payment that taxpayers can currently claim.

Why a tariff dividend would work differently from a tax refund

A tariff-funded payment would also have a different financial basis from an ordinary tax refund.

A tax refund generally returns money connected to a taxpayer's federal income-tax account. A tariff dividend, as proposed, would instead be linked to revenue collected from tariffs.

That difference affects the mechanics of the program.

Congressional authority, eligibility rules, payment amounts and the source of funding would all matter. The government would also need a mechanism for distributing the money.

What happened to the proposed DOGE dividend?

Another payment proposal has also faded from the headlines. During the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, there was discussion of a potential “DOGE dividend.” The idea involved returning a portion of government savings to Americans.

The concept was associated with an ambitious estimate of $2 trillion in potential savings.

That estimate did not translate into $5,000 checks.

The savings figure cited later was far smaller, at roughly $214 billion, and there was no confirmed federal program distributing dividend checks from those savings.

Could Americans still receive relief payments from their states?

Federal stimulus rumors should not be confused with state-level relief programs.

States have their own tax systems and can create separate rebates or payments. Those programs can have different eligibility rules, amounts and deadlines.

New York, for example, launched a one-time refund program for eligible residents who had paid increased sales taxes associated with inflation. Residents who filed a 2023 state income-tax return could qualify, and the state said no separate application was required for eligible taxpayers.

Other states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and New Jersey, have also implemented or considered various forms of relief.

How to spot a fake IRS payment message

The warning signs are often simple. Be cautious if a text or email tells you to click a link to “claim” a government payment, asks for bank details or demands a processing fee.

The IRS generally communicates with taxpayers primarily through the mail. It does not ask people to enter banking information through unsolicited messages to receive a supposed stimulus payment.

Scammers know that a promised deposit can create urgency. A message saying money is waiting can tempt people to act before checking whether the program actually exists.