Could a $5,000 DOGE Stimulus Check Be Coming Soon? Find Out If You Qualify and What You Need to Know!

There’s been buzz regarding whether a stimulus check, reminiscent of Trump’s administration’s DOGE initiative, will reach your bank account. Will you receive a stimulus check, a refund check, or a dividend, and where will this money come from?

President Donald Trump mentioned he is contemplating a plan to distribute $5,000 stimulus checks as a ‘DOGE dividend’ during a February speech. He characterized this as allocating 20% of the savings identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency back to American taxpayers.

The ‘DOGE dividend’ concept was earlier suggested by James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm, on Musk’s social media platform X, recommending that Trump and Musk “should announce a ‘DOGE Dividend’ — a tax refund check sent to each taxpayer, funded solely by a portion of the total savings achieved by DOGE.” Musk responded, “Will check with the President.”

Here’s what you need to know about the potential DOGE check.

What is DOGE?

The Department of Government Efficiency, formally known as the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, is an initiative created by Trump and spearheaded by ‘special government employee’ Musk.

The mission of DOGE was to cut federal spending, simplify regulations, and modernize federal technology and software to boost government efficiency and productivity.

What’s the latest on the DOGE stimulus check?

Fishback recently shared that discussions with lawmakers from the House of Representatives and Senate were “productive” and yielded valuable feedback.

“The next step is the introduction of a bill, which will be coming soon,” he noted in an interview with Newsweek.

However, the Federal Reserve has yet to comment significantly on the proposal.

“It’s inappropriate for me to speculate on political ideas or fiscal policy,” said Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, during a news conference video shared on social media.

Who would qualify for the DOGE stimulus check?

The proposed refund would be allocated solely to households that are net-income taxpayers—those who pay more in taxes than they receive back. Lower-income Americans may not qualify for the refund, according to news sources. The Pew Research Center highlights that most Americans with an adjusted gross income below $40,000 effectively do not pay federal income tax.

The suggested DOGE refund would be issued per household instead of to each individual taxpayer, including those receiving Social Security benefits that meet the income tax criteria.

Trump has not disclosed any further specifics or guarantees regarding the potential ‘DOGE dividend.’

When can you expect a DOGE stimulus check?

Currently, there is no confirmation that DOGE will issue a stimulus check based on cost-reduction efforts. Any stimulus payment from the U.S. government would require Congressional approval. Do not anticipate a check anytime soon.

Initially, DOGE aimed to save approximately $2 trillion annually. DOGE claims to have already achieved $130 billion in savings via cuts, although this figure has not been substantiated.

According to WHYY.org, these claims seem inconsistent. “An NPR review of over 1,100 contracts released initially indicates that DOGE’s ‘maximally transparent’ calculations still exaggerate its estimated savings by billions,” WHYY.org reports.

The agency has initiated substantial reductions across multiple federal departments, resulting in extensive layoffs of federal employees. Departments affected include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Are you receiving a DOGE check? Public reactions

Currently, there’s no indication of whether or when a DOGE stimulus payment will be allocated to citizens. However, many are still hopeful for additional funds.

Here’s what people are expressing on social media regarding a possible DOGE check:

-USA TODAY Network reporter Maria Francis contributed to this report.