--- title: '''DOGE Dividends'': Will You Actually Get a $5,000 Check From Trump?' description: There's talk of DOGE sending $5,000 checks to Americans in 2026, but will it happen? Learn about the proposal, eligibility and economic impact. authors: - name: Adam Hardy role: Lead Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/ bio: Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. Adam’s work has also appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Nasdaq, The Penny Hoarder, Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen local and regional newspapers. education: University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 501 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - The Penny Hoarder - Forbes Advisor - Creative Loafing - The New York Times - The Washington Post - Bloomberg - Harvard Law School - The Federal Register - National Consumer Law Center - CBS News - Becker's Hospital Review - Business Insider - Mother Jones - The Week - Fortune - The Philadelphia Inquirer - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) - Education Advisory Board (EAB) - The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) - This Morning with Gordon Deal - Empower - Reddit social: - https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/ editors: - name: Katherine Peach role: Associate Editor url: https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/ bio: Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. She didn’t always intend to write about money. She’s a classically trained pianist who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, in 2007 Katherine began working in financial publishing as an editor for Agora Inc. (Apparently, unearthing ideas about improving your personal finances isn’t such a bad career alternative!) Katherine’s writing and editing work has been featured in Investing Daily, Clever, Investor Junkie, The Palm Beach Letter, Truth & Plenty, Independence Monthly, NICHE, AmericanStyle, AntiqueWeek, Millennial Money, Money Done Right, TheStreet, Sure Dividend and many others. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Studies with concentrations in Archaeology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. education: University of Maryland, Baltimore County at_money_since: 2025 articles: 14 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes published: '2025-02-24T17:28:13.000Z' modified: '2025-02-24T17:28:59.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - News word_count: 1016 canonical: https://money.com/will-government-send-doge-dividend-checks/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Illustration depicting the dream of a stimulus check by DOGE](https://img.money.com/2025/02/News-Will-Doge-Stimulus-Payments-Actually-Happen.jpg?crop=0px%2C166px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85) The Trump administration is considering sending out direct payments to millions of Americans next year. If implemented, checks of up to $5,000 per household — dubbed “DOGE dividend” payments — would go out after the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by multibillionaire Elon Musk wraps up its work in July 2026. President Donald Trump recently told reporters aboard Air Force One that he “loves” the idea of the dividend checks. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House’s National Economic Council, have also signaled their support, although no official policy or legislative proposals have been released. ## A Crypto Wallet is your key to the world of cryptocurrency ### Store all of your crypto and NFTs in one place with ZenGo. Select your state to download yours today! [Download Wallet](https://money.com/pr/xa52b2fb36fc?ap_referrer=%2Fwill-government-send-doge-dividend-checks%2F) Tasked with eliminating wasteful spending by the federal government, DOGE set a goal of uncovering $2 trillion worth of spending cuts by July 2026, when the agency is set to dissolve. For reference, the U.S. annual spending budget is roughly $6.7 trillion. Two-thirds of that is congressionally mandated spending, largely on federal programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Assuming DOGE meets its goal, 20% of the savings, or $400 billion, would be earmarked for DOGE refunds. The payments would need to be authorized by Congress. The idea was developed by James Fishback, a DOGE supporter with connections to the Trump administration who posted a viral [four-page proposal](https://x.com/j_fishback/status/1891933120313663493) on Musk’s social media platform, X. It gained the attention of Musk, who then pitched it to Trump. Here’s what to know about the potential of stimulus-style tax refund checks from DOGE. ## Are ‘DOGE dividend’ checks likely? While the proposal skyrocketed in popularity on the social media site X and appears to have won the approval of the president and his economic advisors, many experts are doubtful the checks will come to fruition as proposed. The first hurdle is economic. The $5,000 check is based on the premise that DOGE reaches its goal of eliminating $2 trillion in wasteful federal spending. Musk himself has already cast doubt on that. In an [interview](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1877256517595893810) in January, Musk said $2 trillion was the “best case outcome.” “You have to have some overage,” he added. “If you try for $2 trillion, you have a good chance at getting $1 \[trillion\].” The DOGE website says the cost-cutting initiative saved an estimated $55 billion during the first month of Trump's presidency. To stay on track to meet its target, however, DOGE would need to be saving over $110 billion per month. “The size of the checks is out of proportion with the size of cuts,” says Ernie Tedeschi, the economics director of the Budget Lab at Yale University. The second hurdle is political. As with stimulus checks, direct payments to Americans would need to be authorized by Congress. Already, the proposal is facing opposition from some Republican lawmakers. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would prefer the money go toward U.S. debt payments. Similarly, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) [said Friday](https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6369146502112) that the U.S. is not in a position to be sending checks to Americans. Ultimately, Tedeschi notes, it’s too early to say whether DOGE checks are likely to happen. ## Take your Cryptocurrency potential to the next level ### Crypto Wallets make life on the blockchain simple and secure. Take control of your investment by downloading your wallet today. [Learn More](https://money.com/pr/e53f59d44e69?ap_referrer=%2Fwill-government-send-doge-dividend-checks%2F) ## Who would be eligible? According to Fishback, who is also CEO of investment firm Azoria, the refund payment would go to households that pay federal taxes. Roughly 70% of U.S. Americans have a federal tax liability, meaning that an estimated 80 to 90 million households could be eligible for a check under this stipulation. Millions of low-income Americans do not owe federal income taxes due to deductions and tax credits. Therefore, they would not qualify for a check if Fishback's qualifications are used. This is a direct reversal from stimulus checks sent out during the pandemic, as they excluded high-income earners. ## Would the checks spur inflation? Many politicians and economists point to pandemic-era stimulus checks as a [major contributor to the recent bout of inflation](https://money.com/state-stimulus-checks-inflation/) in the U.S. The three rounds of stimulus checks, which were dispersed mostly over a three-year period, totaled approximately $815 billion. Now, with policymakers still struggling to get inflation in check, many economic experts are wondering what injecting $400 billion all at once in the form of $5,000 checks might do to consumer prices. When asked whether DOGE checks could be inflationary, Hassett of Trump's National Economic Council recently said, “absolutely not,” stating that the DOGE checks would be coming from money that was already set to be spent by the government. Similarly, Treasury Secretary Bessent claimed that “everything that President Trump’s administration is doing will be disinflationary.” Economists outside the Trump administration aren’t so convinced. Nonpartisan policymakers at the Federal Reserve — the U.S. central banking system that controls interest rates — are already concerned that fresh tariffs from the Trump administration could reignite inflation, according to [minutes of the latest Fed meeting](https://money.com/will-federal-reserve-hike-interest-rates/) (at which they held rates steady). With tariffs and threats of tariffs already impacting U.S. supply chains, an infusion of $5,000 checks to millions of households may pour gasoline on the fire by spurring consumer demand **—** or in other words, incentivizing people to go buy stuff at the same time businesses are struggling to get items onto shelves. As we saw during the pandemic, supply-chain issues plus increased consumer demand are a recipe for inflation. Certain goods could be at particular risk of price hikes. According to Tedeschi, “consumers are more likely to spend lump-sum checks on large durable goods,” which are major purchases like cars or appliances. These types of goods are among the many items expected to become [more expensive due to tariffs](https://money.com/trump-tariffs-price-increases/) and resulting supply-chain issues. Increased demand for those goods would exacerbate the issue. Another way the dividend checks could spur inflation, Tedeschi says, is if DOGE doesn’t meet its spending-cut goal. For example, if the department decided to send out the full $5,000 but missed the $2 trillion mark, that could cause prices on everyday goods to rise, too. “This might happen,” Tedeschi says, “if the administration exaggerates how effective DOGE has been.” ## Compare Crypto Wallets Today ### Own crypto—and bank, borrow, invest—all in one app ![Start Investing](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/35181/medium_5684f912-7a5b-41aa-9612-d176140b8756.webp) Our Partner [Start Investing](https://money.com/go/2cb14c6f3e23?bidid=4105758991&pmeta=p129-c1003-u24464&ptid=669907287&ptoken=27ea0ff4f78d32b3d39a6b54df520f22) ### Watch 2,000 crypto markets across multiple exchange ![Start Investing](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/37687/medium_e07d0277-9443-4943-95ae-3c4b5f116dda.webp) Our Partner [Start Investing](https://money.com/go/18ea4f7be533?bidid=4105758987&pmeta=p129-c1003-u24464&ptid=669907287&ptoken=bf83f426758399c486b08d1f5cb1bdab) ### Zero wallets hacked since 2018 ![Start Investing](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/21764/medium_697ebd7c-81e9-4b79-a9b5-4208486d7fc5.png) Our Partner [Start Investing](https://money.com/go/f3713c75c9f8?bidid=4105758989&pmeta=p129-c1003-u24464&ptid=669907287&ptoken=5e4ad719276a1ff395f13d5e9a3e2d7d) ### Robust security measures ![Start Investing](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25167/medium_6ffb8e26-c174-4c4b-b1bd-3da570a5fe64.png) Our Partner [Start Investing](https://money.com/go/875e2f2ddd22?bidid=4105758990&pmeta=p129-c1003-u24464&ptid=669907287&ptoken=2e6159f8867910f6eb20f16af4dbac27) ### Secure vault, user-friendly interface, and FDIC insured ![Start Investing](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/15529/medium_919a3dd7-f2c3-4ff2-a42d-661bfc3d4aec.png) Our Partner [Start Investing](https://money.com/go/3f3ba87eb750?bidid=4105758986&pmeta=p129-c1003-u24464&ptid=669907287&ptoken=cbca27c3a93be9df2a0398c4ea9c6465) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/21764/medium_697ebd7c-81e9-4b79-a9b5-4208486d7fc5.png) Take control of your investments with Zengo [Learn More](https://money.com/pr/lfeba95b206d?ap_referrer=%2Fwill-government-send-doge-dividend-checks%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/will-government-send-doge-dividend-checks/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stimulus Check", "item": "https://money.com/stimulus-check/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "'DOGE Dividends': Will You Actually Get a $5,000 Check From Trump?" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/will-government-send-doge-dividend-checks/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/will-government-send-doge-dividend-checks/", "name": "'DOGE Dividends': Will You Actually Get a $5,000 Check From Trump?", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2025-02-24T17:28:13.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/will-government-send-doge-dividend-checks/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/will-government-send-doge-dividend-checks/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2025-02-24T17:28:59.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "'DOGE Dividends': Will You Actually Get a $5,000 Check From Trump?", "articleSection": "Economy and Politics", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2025/02/News-Will-Doge-Stimulus-Payments-Actually-Happen.jpg?crop=0px%2C166px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85", "width": 1012, "height": 569, "caption": "News-Will-Doge-Stimulus-Payments-Actually-Happen" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adam Hardy", "url": "https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/#author", "description": "Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. 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