(NEXSTAR) – For months, the prospect of turning tariff revenue into rebates (or dividends, or tax benefits) for Americans has been floated. Yet, as of late March, no checks have hit our accounts.
There is some uncertainty about how turning tariff revenue into relief for Americans could work.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court struck down the bulk of President Trump’s tariffs. The decision did not offer guidance on how the roughly $175 billion collected through tariffs would be refunded to impacted importers. Several companies are working to get their refunds, but only a few have said consumers could get a portion. Should the funds all be returned to importers, it’s unclear how any tariff dividends or rebates would be funded.
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Still, President Trump has spoken about it, and several bills have been introduced in Congress to extend relief to qualifying taxpayers. Here’s a look at where those tariff rebate efforts stand as of late March 2026.
Trump’s $2,000 tariff rebates
The Trump administration had been promoting the possibility of $2,000 tariff rebates, dividends, or refunds, but those seem largely on hold after the recent Supreme Court ruling.
In January, before the ruling, Trump told The New York Times that the $2,000 refunds could come toward the end of the year. In December, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said he expected Trump to back legislation for the $2,000 tariff rebate checks but noted it would ultimately be up to Congress whether those checks are sent out.
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As of March, it’s unclear where these efforts stand, though Trump could put his support behind any of the bills introduced in Congress to return tariff revenue to Americans.
Rebates of ‘at least $600’
Under the “American Worker Rebate Act of 2025,” introduced last summer by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), tariff rebates of “at least $600” would be sent out to qualifying Americans. Family size, filing status, and household income could change the payment value.
At the time, a press release from Hawley’s office said payments could increase if tariff revenue collected last year exceeded projections.
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Hawley’s bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance in July.
Adjusted standard deductions
Instead of sending payments directly to Americans, the “Trump Tariff Rebate Act” would increase the standard deduction for taxpayers. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who introduced the bill in December, said “taxes could be lowered” because of “Trump’s tariff revenue.”
Under the bill, the standard deduction for 2026 and 2027 would be increased “by the tariff rebate amount.” If the rebate amounts outlined in Burchett’s bill were added to the standard deductions for tax year 2026, it could mean increases of at least $2,000, depending on your filing status.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means last year.
$231.5 billion in direct payments
The “American Consumer Tariff Rebate Act of 2026,” introduced by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) earlier this month, calls for $231,350,000,000 to fund direct payments to Americans.
The total, the estimated amount that U.S. consumers are said to have paid due to tariffs, would fund payments for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income below $400,000.
How much each taxpayer receives would vary – a resident in Cuellar’s district who files as single could receive, on average, $1,020 – but for each qualifying child, an additional $125 would be available.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Payments of $1,200 or more
A group of Democratic senators also introduced legislation earlier this month to provide a tax rebate program for qualifying taxpayers.
The “Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act” calls for tariff revenue to be returned “back to the people who paid the price.”
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The size of the rebates would vary based on filing status and adjusted gross income: $600 for single filers earning $90,000 or less and heads of household earning $120,000 or less, and $1,200 for joint filers making $180,000 or less. There would be an additional $600 per qualifying child.
That bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance.
