Curious about the timeline for receiving a $5,000 dividend check from DOGE? Here’s the latest information regarding the stimulus and your eligibility based on your income.
During a recent address, President Donald Trump mentioned he might consider a plan to distribute $5,000 stimulus checks to taxpayers in the form of a ‘DOGE dividend.’ He outlined this initiative as a means to return 20% of the savings identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to American taxpayers.
The concept of a ‘DOGE dividend’ was initially proposed by James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm, on Musk’s social media platform, X. He suggested that Trump and Musk should announce a ‘DOGE Dividend’ — a tax refund issued to every taxpayer, funded solely by a portion of the total savings generated by DOGE. Musk responded by saying, “Will check with the President.”
Trump remarked in his speech, “The numbers are incredible, Elon. So many millions, billions — hundreds of billions. And we’re considering giving 20% back to the American citizens, and 20% towards paying down our debt.”
In a recent interview with NewsNation, Fishback expressed optimism about a bill that could translate President Trump’s vision for DOGE into law. He emphasized the importance of not just identifying waste, fraud, and abuse but also ensuring taxpayers are refunded their hard-earned money when it has been wasted or misused, which is the principle behind the DOGE dividend.
Fishback described his discussions with lawmakers in both the House and Senate as “very productive,” and hinted that a plan could be revealed soon.
However, Trump has not shared any further details or specifics regarding the potential ‘DOGE dividend.’
Fishback’s four-page proposal outlines the ‘DOGE dividend’ as a refund “sent exclusively to tax-paying householders.” He noted that unlike past stimulus checks, DOGE checks would not contribute to inflation since they would be “entirely financed by DOGE-driven savings, as opposed to COVID stimulus checks that were financed by deficits.”
According to Fishback, the proposal stipulates that dividends would be issued only to households surpassing a certain income threshold, differing from pandemic-era checks that were distributed “indiscriminately.”
“Many low-income households essentially received transfer payments amounting to 25 to 30% of their annual income during the pandemic,” Fishback explained. “This initiative is designed exclusively for households that are net-payers of federal income tax, which means they are less likely to spend and more likely to save a transfer payment like the DOGE dividend.”
“I’m honored to have the president’s support; the plan is straightforward,” Fishback stated. “DOGE is projected to save X amount of money over the next couple of years. Let’s return 20 percent of that to the hardworking taxpayers who initially sent it to D.C.”
By definition, a dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders, while a refund is a payment returned to someone who previously paid. Conversely, a stimulus check is a direct payment aimed at encouraging consumer spending and boosting the economy.
Who would qualify for the DOGE dividend?
The proposed refund would be directed solely to households classified as net-income taxpayers — individuals who pay more in taxes than they receive back. Reports indicate that the Pew Research Center states most Americans with an adjusted gross income below $40,000 effectively pay no federal income tax.
The envisioned DOGE refund would be distributed per household rather than to individual taxpayers, including those receiving Social Security benefits who meet the tax requirements.
Could $5,000 DOGE stimulus checks happen? Here’s what we know.
$5,000 stimulus checks from the Trump administration’s initiative to reduce federal spending have been proposed, but is it going to materialize?
What is DOGE?
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), officially known as the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, is an initiative established by Trump and led by special government employee Musk.
The aim of DOGE is to significantly reduce federal spending, deregulate and “modernize federal technology and software to enhance governmental efficiency and productivity.”
At its introduction, DOGE aimed to achieve savings of up to $2 trillion annually and claims to have already saved $115 billion.
Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.
