Have there been similar rumors about government checks in previous years?

1. Pattern: Rumors return on a predictable cycle

Media and fact‑check archives show stimulus‑check rumors have recurred every year since the pandemic payments, with notable waves in 2023, 2024 and intensified bursts in 2025; fact‑checking organizations and newsrooms repeatedly debunk new permutations even when dollar amounts change (e.g., $1,390, $1,702, $2,000) ^{[1] [4] [2]}.

2. Why the rumors resurface: policy talk, leftover payments and state rebates

Reporting finds three main fuels: policy proposals floated publicly (tariff‑funded “dividend” plans, DOGE proposals) that create hope even without legislation; the IRS’s late‑2024 “clean‑up” automatic payments to people who missed earlier credits, which some people misread as new stimulus; and legitimate state rebates that get misattributed as federal checks ^{[3] [5] [6]}.

3. The role of political messaging and proposals

High‑profile political promises and proposals—such as discussions of $2,000 “tariff dividend” checks—stoke speculation but have not produced statute authorizing nationwide payments; news outlets report those proposals remain unapproved and that administration or Congressional statements often lag behind social posts that announce checks as if finalized ^{[7] [4]}.

4. Fact‑checkers and federal officials tell the same story

National fact‑checkers and the IRS repeatedly state there is no approved new federal payment and warn that any legitimate program would be announced formally and appear on .gov channels; multiple local and national news organizations cited official denials during 2025 rumor waves ^{[2] [8] [9]}.

5. Scams piggyback on the hope for relief

Coverage documents an uptick in phishing, fake‑IRS pages and fraud tied to check rumors; authorities warn that criminals use “fake check” narratives to harvest personal and banking data—so viral posts promising surprise deposits are both false and dangerous ^{[10] [11]}.

6. How earlier true payments complicate public perception

The last broad federal economic impact payments were delivered in 2021; subsequent targeted “automatic” adjustments and late‑2024 payments to correct missed credits mean some people legitimately received money after 2021, creating fertile ground for claims that another round is “coming” ^{[12] [5]}.

7. Geographic and program nuances that get lost in the headlines

Several outlets stress that some real disbursements in 2025 were state programs (e.g., Alaska’s PFD) or routine federal benefits like Social Security and tax refunds—not new federal stimulus—yet social posts often blur these together and attribute them to a national IRS program ^{[6] [13]}.

8. Two competing perspectives in coverage

Mainstream fact‑checks and federal spokespeople uniformly say no new national checks are authorized ^{[4] [8]}. Some political actors and commentators, however, continue to promote proposals and timelines (often speculative) for tariff‑funded or administrative payouts, keeping the story alive even without legislative approval ^{[3] [14]}.

9. Practical takeaways for readers

Trust only official channels (IRS/Treasury/State revenue sites) for announcements; treat social posts claiming surprise deposits as suspect; do not click links or provide personal data to claim a “check” ^{[11] [10]}. If you received a payment and it wasn’t logged on your IRS account or confirmed by an official notice, verify before acting.

Limitations: available sources focus on reporting through November 2025 and document recurring rumor cycles and denials; they do not provide a comprehensive timeline of every rumor since 2020 and do not offer internal IRS documents explaining why rumor dynamics vary by year (available sources do not mention that).