You might get a surprise $8,000 stimulus payment soon – here’s what we know

One of the most consequential pieces of legislation passed by Congress in recent memory was the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. This was the economic rescue package that President Biden signed into law back in March. And it funded a new wave of stimulus checks, for one thing, among a host of other benefits -- like paying for a new child tax credit many people might not even be aware of.

You might already know that a new six-month series of stimulus checks is about to begin, in July. This will total up to $3,600, when paired with a tax credit next year, for each eligible child a family has. The expansion of the federal child tax credit is what made this particular benefit possible, and you can read more about that here. Meanwhile, the IRS is still sending out new stimulus checks for up to $1,400. And there are still plenty of other benefits from the American Rescue Plan to learn about. Like the expanded Child and Dependent Care Credit, which we'll talk more about below.