This is a brief summary of the new and former relief bills.
The $900 billion stimulus bill is seen as a short-term relief package until early 2021, where President-elect Joe Biden and his administration are expected to introduce yet another stimulus package to address some of what the $900 billion bill leaves out.
New stimulus bill (Dec. 2020) | CARES Act (March 2020) | ||
Total cost of stimulus package | $900 billion | $2.2 trillion | |
Stimulus check maximum payment amount | $600 to single filers earning under $75k per year, $1,200 for joint filers under $150k. Reduced $5 per $100 of income above limits. | $1,200 to single filers earning under $75k per year, $2,400 for joint filers under $150k. Reduced $5 per $100 of income above limits. | |
Stimulus money allocation for child dependents | $600 for all dependents 16 and under. College students 24 and under are not eligible. | $500 for all dependents 16 and under. College students 24 and under are not eligible. | |
Weekly federal unemployment insurance | $300 per week in addition to state benefits. | $600 per week in addition to state benefits. | |
How long enhanced unemployment lasts | Expires March 14 (11 weeks). | Expired July 31 (16 weeks). | |
Paycheck Protection Program | $325 billion total, including $284 billion in PPP loans, $20 billion for businesses in low-income communities and $15 billion for struggling live venues, movie theaters and museums. | Allocated $659 billion total in forgivable loans for small businesses, who must use 75% on payroll to be eligible for forgiveness. $130 billion remains, but expires Aug. 8. | |
Employee tax credit | Renews tax credit from CARES. | Tax credit on 50% of up to $10,000 in wages. | |
Eviction ban | Extends CDC’s eviction moratorium until Jan. 31, 2021 and allocates $25 for rent relief. | Bans late fees until July 25 and evictions until Aug. 24 on properties backed by federal mortgage programs (Fannie Mae, etc.) or that receive federal funds (HUD, etc.) | |
School reopenings | $82 billion, including $4 billion for a governors’ relief fund, over $54 billion for public K-12 and nearly $23 billion for higher education. Plus, an additional $10 billion for non-school child care. | Does not address. | |
Coronavirus testing, tracing and treatment | $69 billion total: $20 billion to purchase vaccines, almost $9 billion to distribute vaccines and about $22 billion for testing, tracing and other COVID-19 programs. | Does not address. |