Millions of Americans Could Get a $1,400 Stimulus Check in 2022. Here's Why.

Are you eligible to receive another stimulus payment in 2022?

Lawmakers are unlikely to pass another coronavirus relief bill to provide an additional stimulus check -- despite many calls for them to do so. But that doesn't mean that every American is no longer entitled to receive a stimulus check in their bank accounts.

In fact, millions of people could see another $1,400 payment in 2022. Here's why.

New parents will get a 2022 stimulus check

Stimulus checks will be coming in 2022 for one particular group of people across the United States: parents who had a baby in 2021.

When President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law in March, it provided for $1,400 stimulus payments for both adults and dependents. And children -- including newborn babies -- count as dependents who are eligible for the checks.

Most people received the $1,400 payments for their children already, as the government based the amount people received on the information provided on their 2020 tax returns. So anyone whose babies were born in time to be declared on their 2020 taxes would have received the full amount of funds they were due.

But for people who had babies in 2021, those children were not listed on the returns that the IRS used to determine the stimulus payment. As a result, any eligible parent who had one or more babies in 2021 should be entitled to a $1,400 check for each child when they file this year's tax returns in 2022.

Of course, parents need to meet income requirements in order to be eligible to claim the $1,400 check. Parents with incomes up to $75,000 as single tax filers or $150,000 as married joint filers are entitled to the full $1,400 per child. For those who make above those income thresholds, however, payments begin to phase out. And single filers with incomes above $80,000 or married joint filers with incomes above $160,000 will not be entitled to receive any of the $1,400 stimulus payment for their new baby.

Look out for Child Tax Credit funds

The American Rescue Plan Act expanded the Child Tax Credit as well, providing parents with a credit of up to $3,600 for children under age six and $3,000 for children six and over. These credits are fully refundable, and the IRS began distributing part of the money in July and is sending payments of $250 or $300 per month from July through December of 2021.

Parents of eligible children should already be seeing this money in their bank account. But again, the IRS won't be able to send the money for new babies they don't know about. For those who had babies in 2021, this extra money should be coming to them when they file their returns next year.

Parents who are owed $1,400 in stimulus funds (as well as expanded Child Tax Credit money) for their 2021 newborns should make sure they file their taxes next year in order to claim this money. Generally, the IRS begins accepting returns in late January, so filing early could be helpful if you want to claim your funds sooner rather than later.