One adult got $4,100 in today’s money in 2020–21; this pays $5,000
Source. IRS payment amounts by round; BLS CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted (CPIAUCNS), via ALFRED, vintage of October 3, 2026. Also: IRS Statistics of Income, Economic Impact Payments, Table 1 (first round); IRS, Commissioner’s testimony, February 23, 2021 (second round); IRS, “All third Economic Impact Payments issued”. April 2020, January 2021 and March 2021, restated in August 2026 dollars.
Method and data
Method. Each check is restated by CPI-U (not seasonally adjusted) for its month over August 2026 (334.98): $1,200 × 334.98 ÷ 256.389 (April 2020) + $600 × 334.98 ÷ 261.582 (January 2021) + $1,400 × 334.98 ÷ 264.877 (March 2021) = $4,107. A child’s checks were $500, $600 and $1,400. Family of four = two adults and two children. Income phase-outs ignored.
| Item | US dollars |
|---|---|
| Three pandemic checks, one adult, as paid | 3,200 |
| The same, in August 2026 dollars | 4,107 |
| Three checks for one child, in August 2026 dollars | 3,192 |
| The proposal, one adult | 5,000 |
| Family of four, 2020–21, in August 2026 dollars | 14,598 |
| Family of four (two adults), the proposal | 10,000 |
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Higgins Strategy. “One adult got $4,100 in today’s money in 2020–21; this pays $5,000” Exhibit 2, Five Thousand Dollars Each (Study XI). October 12, 2026. https://higginsstrategy.com/charts/11-15-real-dollars-restated/