$15 billion in new stimulus checks just went out – here’s who gets paid

On Thursday, the federal government transferred the first of several new massive piles of money from its coffers to the bank accounts of tens of millions of Americans. New IRS stimulus checks -- for as much as $300 per eligible child -- were sent to qualified families as part of an expansion of the federal child tax credit. And the tax agency has already shared some big updates about how much money, exactly, was sent out, as well as who received it.

All told, this new wave of stimulus checks sent out Thursday totaled around $15 billion. Of that amount, about 86% was distributed to recipients electronically, in the form of a banking direct deposit. What that means, among other things, is that anyone who was eligible to receive one of these new checks -- and who didn't receive it on Thursday -- will need to wait a few more days. As it's likely to be on its way in the form of a paper check, in the mail.