Stimulus Check Calculator: CAAF Act vs. HEALS Act vs. HEROES Act
Enter your tax filing status, adjusted gross income, and number of dependents to instantly compare how much you would have received under each of the three second-stimulus proposals from 2020 - the HEALS Act (Senate Republicans), the HEROES Act (House Democrats), and the CAAF Act. All three proposals share the same income phaseout thresholds but differ in base amounts and dependent payments.
What were the HEALS Act, HEROES Act, and CAAF Act?
After the CARES Act sent the first stimulus check of $1,200 in spring 2020, Congress debated a follow-up payment through summer 2020. Three competing proposals emerged. The HEROES Act was passed by the House of Representatives on May 16, 2020, and was championed by House Democrats. Senate Republicans responded on July 27, 2020, with the HEALS Act. Within days, a third targeted proposal focused solely on stimulus payments - the Coronavirus Assistance for American Families (CAAF) Act - was introduced. None of these three bills became law in their original form; the second stimulus check that eventually passed in December 2020 was the $600-per-person payment under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
How the phaseout works for all three proposals
All three proposals shared the same income phaseout structure borrowed from the CARES Act. Payments begin to decrease once your AGI crosses $75,000 (single), $112,500 (head of household), or $150,000 (married filing jointly). The reduction rate is $5 for every $100 of income above that threshold, which equals $50 for every $1,000. For a single filer with no dependents this means payments reach zero at $99,000 for HEALS and HEROES (base $1,200, so $24,000 reduction window) and at $95,000 for CAAF (base $1,000, so a $20,000 window). Adding dependents raises the effective phaseout ceiling because the gross payment is larger before the reduction begins.
Which proposal was most generous?
The answer depends on your family size. For single or married filers with no dependents, the HEALS and HEROES Acts tied at $1,200/$2,400, with CAAF slightly lower at $1,000/$2,000. Once you add dependents, the HEROES Act pulled ahead for smaller families because of its $1,200 per dependent rate - but its cap of three dependents meant large families did better under the CAAF Act ($1,000 each, no cap) or even the HEALS Act for families with many lower-cost dependents. A married couple with four or more dependents would have received the same or more from CAAF than from HEROES.
How the IRS would have determined your payment
Under all three proposals, the IRS would have used your most recently filed tax return - 2019 if available, otherwise 2018 - to determine your AGI and number of dependents. People who had not filed a return but received Social Security, disability, veterans benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) would have received the base payment automatically. If your 2019 income was higher than 2018 (meaning a smaller check based on the most recent return), you would not have had to repay any overpayment once your actual 2019 return was processed - this is the same "no clawback" approach used in the CARES Act.
Second-stimulus proposal comparison (no dependents, single filer)
| Proposal | Base payment | Per dependent | Dependent cap | Zero above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEALS Act (Senate R) | $1,200 | $500 (any age) | None | $99,000 |
| HEROES Act (House D) | $1,200 | $1,200 (any age) | 3 dependents | $99,000 |
| CAAF Act | $1,000 | $1,000 (any age) | None | $95,000 |
Full payment at or below the $75,000 threshold. Payments phase out at $5 per $100 above the threshold and reach zero at $99,000.
Frequently asked questions
Did the HEALS Act, HEROES Act, or CAAF Act ever become law?
No. All three remained proposals that failed to reach a final agreement. The second stimulus check that did become law was the $600-per-person payment included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, signed in December 2020. A third check of $1,400 per person followed in March 2021 under the American Rescue Plan Act.
What is the income phaseout rate for these proposals?
All three proposals used the same phaseout rate as the CARES Act: a $5 reduction for every $100 of AGI above the threshold. For single filers the threshold is $75,000, for heads of household it is $112,500, and for married couples filing jointly it is $150,000. Payments reach zero after a $24,000 income window for the $1,200 base (HEALS/HEROES) and a $20,000 window for the $1,000 base (CAAF).
How did the HEROES Act limit dependent payments?
The HEROES Act capped dependent payments at three dependents. Each qualifying dependent would have received $1,200, so a filer with three or more dependents would receive at most $3,600 in dependent payments. The HEALS Act and CAAF Act placed no such cap, so large families could receive more from either of those proposals despite the lower per-dependent rate.
Could adult dependents receive payments under these proposals?
Yes, all three proposals expanded dependent eligibility beyond the CARES Act rules, which limited dependents to children under 17. The HEALS Act, HEROES Act, and CAAF Act all allowed adult dependents - college students, elderly parents, and disabled adults - to count toward dependent payments, as long as they had a valid Social Security number.
Would both spouses in a joint filing receive separate checks?
Joint filers received a combined payment at twice the single-filer rate - $2,400 for HEALS and HEROES, $2,000 for CAAF - delivered as one payment to the household. This was the same structure used by the CARES Act. For households where one spouse lacked a Social Security number, eligibility rules were more restrictive under these proposals than under the CARES Act.
What income figure should I use in this calculator?
Use your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from your 2019 federal tax return (Form 1040, line 8b). If you had not yet filed your 2019 return, your 2018 AGI would have been used instead. AGI is your total income minus above-the-line deductions such as student loan interest and retirement contributions, but before itemized or standard deductions.