Stimulus payments coming

At least a few Carlton County residents found a pleasant surprise in their bank accounts this week: money from the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump on March 27.

There is no exact schedule for payments but officials said the first wave of payments includes mainly people who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and gave the IRS direct deposit bank information. Paper checks are scheduled to be issued at a rate of 5 million each week until September, starting with the lowest-income taxpayers.

The payment will not have to be paid back and there are no taxes due on the one-time payment. It won’t count against any tax refunds either.