Will You Receive a $5,000 DOGE Dividend Check? Here’s What We Know

“What savings will taxpayers see?” inquired another reader from Ross Twp.

Last month, the Trump administration announced it was contemplating a plan to allocate 20% of the $2 trillion target in federal savings to provide payments, or DOGE dividends, to taxpayers. An additional 20% would be directed toward reducing the national debt.

However, you won’t be seeing a DOGE stimulus hitting your bank account just yet — that requires congressional approval.

Here’s the current situation regarding stimulus checks:

Will I be eligible for a dividend?

It’s too early to determine. A proposal for the DOGE dividends developed by Azoria investment firm CEO James Fischback, which he shared on social media platform X while tagging Musk, indicates that a $5,000 check could potentially be sent to nearly 79 million taxpaying households if the $2 trillion target is achieved.

“I’ll check with the president,” Musk replied in response.

According to Fishback’s proposal, only individuals who will pay federal income tax in 2025 would qualify for a check. As of this week, however, there are no signs that this proposal will advance.

Trump has not provided further insights into the potential for DOGE dividends, but The Associated Press reported last month that Trump expressed enthusiasm for the concept.

What is DOGE?

The Department of Government Efficiency is an initiative from the Trump administration, and although named as such, it is not an official government agency.

According to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January, DOGE is a temporary initiative, with its advisory committee expected to conclude its work in 2026.

In addition to the aim of modernizing government technology and efficiency, DOGE staff are also tasked with reducing federal spending.

DOGE claims on its website to have achieved $105 billion in savings so far, averaging just over $652 per taxpayer. Some of these reported savings included early lease terminations in the Dayton region.

These findings and others raise questions regarding the actual savings resulting from the DOGE initiative.

When was the last stimulus issued?

Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service issued a stimulus check to taxpayers who did not claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns.

This credit was available for taxpayers who had not received prior stimulus payments.

Individuals who failed to file a 2021 tax return might still qualify for a stimulus check if they submit their returns and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit by April 15, according to the IRS.

Before this, the last stimulus check distributed to taxpayers occurred in 2021 as part of federal relief measures during the pandemic. This round of congressionally authorized checks included $1,400 payouts to individual taxpayers, incorporated in the American Rescue Plan Act.