Stimulus Payments Coming To PA: Calculate How Much You'll Get

Washington lawmakers have approved a $900 billion coronavirus relief package that includes a second round of stimulus checks.

For millions of Pennsylvania residents, it means direct cash payments. It also means expanded and extended federal unemployment benefits, a stay on evictions and help for business and schools.

The direct $600 payments will go to adults who made less than $75,000 individually and less than $150,000 as a couple in 2019. Payments will decrease for people who made over $75,000 and won't be available for people who earned more than $99,000. Adults will also get $600 for each child they claim as a dependent.

So how much will you get? Personal finance website Grow has created a tool to allow you to calculate your individual payment.

See the stimulus payment calculator here.

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) said the relief bill is "welcome and long overdue" but "nowhere near what must be done to address the full scope of our nation’s public health and economic crisis."

He said the bill lacks the critically-needed" money to state and local governments to prevent service cuts and layoffs of firefighters, law enforcement and local health departments. "It also lacks meaningful policies and investments to protect nursing home residents and workers and to allow seniors and people with disabilities to receive needed care at home," Casey said.

Here are some additional highlights included in the relief package:

• Federal unemployment benefits will provide an extra $300 a week and extend coverage to those eligible for another 11 weeks, running through at least March 14. The benefits also extend to self-employed and gig workers who are drawing from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. Many federal benefits were set to expire the day after Christmas. The money is half of the $600 per week unemployed people got under the previous relief package. Pennsylvania has faced an unprecedented surge in unemployment throughout the pandemic.
• A federal moratorium on evictions would be extended through Jan. 31. The current moratorium was set to expire at the end of the year. Before that, Gov. Tom Wolf initially issued an eviction moratorium on May 7 that went through July 24. The moratorium was eventually extended through Aug. 31.
• It's unclear exactly how much SEPTA and PennDOT will get.SEPTA has been losing roughly $1 million a day due to service cuts and lower ridership.
• There would be more than $284 billion under the Paycheck Protection Program, which has been expanded to help a wider array of businesses.
• Schools would receive $82 billion for HVAC repairs in an effort to help get children and teachers back into school safely.