If you meet this single requirement, you qualify for Trump’s $2,000 tariff dividends

And those cost estimates aren’t small. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projects that the proposal could cost around $600 billion per year — far more than the government currently collects from tariffs. Even narrowing eligibility doesn’t meaningfully reduce the price tag; the Tax Foundation’s Erica York noted that restricting payments to households under $100,000 would still cost an estimated $300 billion.

Bessent also hinted that the payout may not come in the form of direct checks at all. “Could come in lots of forms,” he said, suggesting alternatives like tax credits or benefits linked to Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. So far, total tariff revenue sits at about $195.9 billion — a fraction of what would be required for nationwide dividends.

Still, Trump appears committed to the idea. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he reiterated his intention: “It will be next year… The tariffs allow us to give a dividend. We’re going to do a dividend, and we’re also going to be reducing debt.”

The last time Americans received stimulus checks — direct federal payments aimed at easing financial hardship — was in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan, with up to $1,400 sent out to millions.

For now, the so-called “tariff dividend” remains more of a political promise than a concrete policy. Until legislation appears, Americans will be left waiting to see whether this proposal becomes actual cash — or simply stays theoretical.