# Stimulus Check, what are your plans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543 "2020-04-11T02:01:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/61 "2020-04-14T15:40:01Z")
Weird, I posted this exact thing in the Quarantine thread several weeks ago, but now it appears to be gone? Do those threads eventually vanish? Anyway, I’m able to work from home, so I don’t need the money to survive. That said, there is an existing cc debt I need to pay off, mostly car repair costs, so that’s what this is going toward. And paying off whatever little I have left from buying said car (about $200 left on that. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/62 "2020-04-14T15:45:08Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I think the idea is to get some money flowing again through the economy, mainly your local one. We’re likely to spend a lot of it on take-out at local restaurants, and probably donate to charity that helps people with food insecurity. I am still working and pulling a paycheck, though, so those are options I have. I realize I am fortunate. > > Each to his own, but sticking it in a bank account or paying off the credit card gives the money to some far-away bank. I don’t think that was intended, if you are still working now and getting a paycheck. Clearly if one is out of work the money is going to be used to pay for housing and food. I want my cc debt cleared up asap so I CAN spend more money on the things I enjoy… If I have money to put toward it, it makes zero sense not to do so, because otherwise you’re just spending more money in fees. Meaning you have LESS for spending on the economy. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/63 "2020-04-14T17:54:40Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > But to add insult to sodomy the amount we will now owe next April will probably be high enough to incur us an underpayment penalty. Were it “free money” I’d have donated it. But now I’ll just hang on to it so I can give it all back (plus the penalty for being an American living under Trump). Assuming you are talking about your 2020 taxes. Is there any reason you can’t take it (stimulus money) and use it to pay estimated taxes this year, so you don’t own for underpaying for 2020? Or, if you are employed, increasing your withholding from your paycheck? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/64 "2020-04-15T17:38:56Z")
We got ours today. I’m just sitting on it for now. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/65 "2020-04-15T18:07:49Z")
Hookers and blow, of course. Actually, our dishwasher just died so I’ll be ordering a new one from Lowe’s or HD today. That’s the only concrete plan we have for it. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/66 "2020-04-15T20:54:34Z")
Just received a notice that the funds hit the bank today. All $2,400 of it. But I am not happy about it. The funds didn’t go into my account. They went into my parent’s account, which would be fine except my parents passed away in 2019 and 2020, and this is an estate account. And it’s such a pain in the ass to maintain an estate account that I was going to close this account just as soon as the 2019 taxes were paid. Which they were, federal taxes earlier and state taxes today. Fuck it, Donald J Trump insisted that his signature be on the check, and if he’s dumb enough to pay it to the deceased, well, who are the dead to complain? So I’ll deal with that clusterfuck eventually. In the meantime, our stimulus money is still just a promise. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/67 "2020-04-15T21:23:44Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Assuming you are talking about your 2020 taxes. Is there any reason you can’t take it (stimulus money) and use it to pay estimated taxes this year, so you don’t own for underpaying for 2020? Or, if you are employed, increasing your withholding from your paycheck? Yep, very good reason: It’s easier to bitch about than to bother with. 🙂 Got surprised this season is all–nice problem to have, some might say. There’s more to it, but not on a public message board. I’m just bummed that we earn barely too much to get a check, and not enough to make a few million in tax breaks. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/68 "2020-04-15T21:56:05Z")
This is disturbing. **[Millions of Americans Might Not Get Stimulus Checks. Some Might Be Tricked Into Paying TurboTax to Get Theirs.](https://www.propublica.org/article/millions-of-americans-might-not-get-stimulus-checks-some-might-be-tricked-into-paying-turbotax-to-get-theirs#942688)** > [@](#): > > Congress has approved billions of dollars of checks for Americans hard hit by the biggest round of layoffs in U.S. history. But millions of Americans will have to wait months for that money — and millions more may never get the money at all. > > That’s because the rescue legislation left it to the IRS, an agency gutted by Congress, to organize the complex logistics of delivering the money to those entitled to it. As the IRS has struggled, for-profit tax preparation companies, notably Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, have stepped in with websites to help people get their checks. > > But Intuit is not just acting as a conduit: It is also misleading unwary Americans by steering them to paid services that they could otherwise get for free. > … > > Intuit has had a much more nimble approach. On April 4, the company rolled out a new “stimulus registration product” as part of its new Coronavirus Tax Center. But the site, marketed as “free,” sometimes steers customers into products that cost money, in the same way ProPublica has documented over the past year. What’s more, customers who use it are signing away their personal data to the Silicon Valley firm, which the company can use to pitch third-party financial products to their customers. > > The coronavirus rescue checks are yet another manifestation of a problem that has existed for decades. As ProPublica has documented, the IRS has long deferred to private industry instead of creating its own tax preparation and filing apparatus. The result has been that millions of Americans have paid billions of dollars to corporations for tax preparation they should have been able to get free of charge. > … > > Things got even more confusing on Friday, when, a week after the TurboTax site launched, the IRS announced a separate [IRS.gov](http://IRS.gov) tool for people who don’t need to file their taxes to register to receive their checks. > > Users reading the fine print on the IRS tool would find that it, too, was created by Intuit. > > Even though the same company created both tools, they look very different. The TurboTax version created by Intuit offers a slick design and user-friendly Q&A to enter personal data, along with multiple digital off-ramps to paid TurboTax products. > > The [IRS.gov](http://IRS.gov) version, also created by Intuit, is a clunky PDF-style form filled with jargon and small type. It is titled, “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here.” > … This article is way too long and detailed for me to capture the essence with a few quoted paragraphs. If you or someone you know does not file with the IRS because of earning too little $$, suggest you read the whole article carefully… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/69 "2020-04-15T22:01:21Z")
Got mine yesterday. Imma gonna splurge on a couple of Happy Meals. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/70 "2020-04-15T22:06:13Z")
Mine is pending. Most will say in the bank but some will eventually be used to by myself a birthday present from a company in Hong Kong. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/71 "2020-04-15T22:08:38Z")
My daughter and SIL got theirs - they plan to take their menagerie to the vet with some of it. Not sure what will happen with the rest. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/72 "2020-04-15T23:33:46Z")
Mine hasn’t shown up yet, unless it came in since I checked; but I know where it’s going – to two different local repair shops. One of the tractors needed some work; so did the work van. Both sets of repairs came in at significantly more than I’d guesstimated in advance. Which, of course, I should have expected; and sort of did, though I was hoping otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/73 "2020-04-16T01:55:36Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > This will be my third dress. I can spend hours on the site, customizing the dresses. I’m leaning toward a red one this time. I’m getting a bad link message with your link. Did the company die? ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/74 "2020-04-16T02:09:32Z")
I know it’s intended to be spent but I’m saving it (and the student loan deferral and the car insurance discount) until I know the wife and I don’t lose our jobs. No way in Hades I’m spending it before I’m absolutely certain. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/75 "2020-04-16T02:16:10Z")
I am gonna purchase some substances that will allow me to forget this nightmare. Even if they are temporary. Live now! ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/76 "2020-04-16T14:10:59Z")
We’re going to give it away. Some will go to a group of women in our town who are buying food for health care workers. Some will go to the local food bank. We’re still figuring out where to give the rest (we want to give locally to things we can trust), but we’re going to hold on to a good portion to donate to a local organization that provides food and presents for families in need at Christmas time. I will also increase the tips I’m giving when we get takeout. But the first thing I’m going to do is hit the local liquor store to replenish our wine and beer stocks. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/77 "2020-04-16T21:21:14Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’m getting a bad link message with your link. Did the company die? No, as far as I know[it’s working fine](https://www.eshakti.com/). ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/78 "2020-04-16T21:34:48Z")
I will be disbursing it to my wife in $200-400 chunks over the next 3-4 months. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/79 "2020-04-16T22:31:57Z")
Lots of surprises. Firstly I was surprised to get anything because NY State usually poaches whatever I get from the feds because I’m behind on my taxes. I’m in a payment plan but just a couple months ago they took my state and fed refunds and the proceeds from savings bonds I redeemed. Another surprise was that they used my daughters’ ages (16) as of when I filed my taxes as opposed their ages now (17) so I got money for them. So, I bought a nice Egyptian doumbek, I’m putting most of it in savings (my contract ends in June), and keeping some out for bills and a little extra in allowances. Our laptop is in bad shape with multiple cracks on the screen and a non-functioning keyboard (we use an external), so that might be the big splurge. ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/80 "2020-04-16T23:15:20Z")
I feel like my situation is an outlier, so we’ll see how it plays out. I’m about halfway through a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, so for the past couple years, I’ve had to opt to receive a paper check for my federal refund. That includes the 2018 and 2019 federal returns, so I was expecting to have my stimulus checks (married, filing jointly) mailed (with his name on them, oh joy), possibly receiving them in late May or sometime in June, at the earliest. Then, I learn that the IRS is providing a website where folks can check on the status of their payment. I go yesterday and find out that, lo and behold, I can opt to receive a direct deposit after all. I enter the relevant information, a fairly simple and straightforward process. Suspiciously so, thinks I, considering we’re talking about a government resource that was thrown together in no doubt great haste, and that has to serve up to hundreds of millions of folks. I’ve always been a pessimist, btw. Now, a day later, I have no payment date as of yet, but I do have a statement assuring me I’m eligible for the payment. Since I wasn’t on the direct-deposit initial list, it could be several days before my situation is ‘updated’ appropriately. Watch this space for further news on how this shakes out. As for how I’ll use it, when I get it: a new roof, more than likely. Replacement has been needed for years, and in the past few months, a leak has developed in one spot, with the potential for two more appearing as time has gone by. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543.md?page=5)