Economic impact payments: Uses, payment methods, and costs to recipients

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis threatens many Americans’ financial and physical health. New research by the Financial Health Network’s Dan Murphy examines how the delivery of economic impact payments, commonly known as stimulus checks, impacted the program’s effectiveness. This new research shows that during the time it took some Americans to receive the stimulus checks, tens of millions of federal dollars were lost in trying to access payments.

On Wednesday, February 17, The Brookings Institution released Murphy’s new report, “Economic Impact Payments: Uses, Payment Methods, and Costs to Recipients” and host Murphy to present the paper’s key findings and recommendations. You can read the full report here. Murphy also provided recommendations for the new administration on how to improve any new rounds of direct payments. Representative Jesús “Chuy” García opened the event with keynote remarks. Georgetown Professor Sonal Shah responded to the paper, followed by a conversation with Murphy moderated by Aaron Klein.

Viewers submitted questions via email to [email protected] or via Twitter using #StimulusChecks.