HEALS vs HEROES Act Stimulus Comparison Calculator
In 2020, Senate Republicans proposed the HEALS Act and House Democrats proposed the HEROES Act — two very different stimulus packages that were never enacted. The key difference was the dependent payment: $500 per child under the HEALS Act versus $1,200 per dependent (up to three) under the HEROES Act. Enter your filing status, income, and number of dependents to compare what you would have received under each proposal.
Filing status
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Extra amount HEROES Act would have paid over HEALS Act
- 1
HEALS base amount
1,200 × 1 + 500 × 2 = 2,200 - 2
HEALS payment after phase-out
max(0, 2,200 − 250) = 1,950Phase-out: $5 per $100 of AGI above the filing threshold. - 3
HEROES base amount
1,200 × 1 + 1,200 × 2 = 3,600 - 4
HEROES payment after phase-out
max(0, 3,600 − 250) = 3,350 - 5
HEROES pays more by
|3,350 − 1,950| = 1,400
How does this calculator work?
HEALS: $1,200/adult + $500/dependent. HEROES: $1,200/adult + $1,200/dependent (max 3). Both phase out at $5 per $100 above $75K single / $150K MFJ. For families with children HEROES paid up to $700 more per child. Enter your details to compare the two proposals side by side.
Formula
How this is calculated
The HEALS Act (Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools Act) was introduced by Senate Republicans on July 27, 2020. It closely mirrored the CARES Act's structure: $1,200 per adult and $500 per qualifying dependent child, with the same $5-per-$100 phase-out beginning at $75,000 for single filers, $112,500 for heads of household, and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly. The key feature was its lower dependent amount — matching the CARES Act's $500-per-child figure.
The HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, H.R.6800) was passed by the House of Representatives in May 2020 and updated in October 2020. It proposed tripling the dependent payment to $1,200 per qualifying dependent — the same amount as the adult payment — and capping the number of qualifying dependents at three per return. The income phase-out used the same thresholds and rate as the HEALS Act and CARES Act.
For a married couple with three children, the HEROES Act would have paid $6,000 versus $3,900 under the HEALS Act — a difference of $2,100. For households with no children the two bills were identical. Neither bill became law. The actual payments made in 2020–2021 came from the CARES Act (March 2020), the Consolidated Appropriations Act (December 2020), and the American Rescue Plan (March 2021).
Frequently asked questions
Both were proposed COVID-19 relief packages in 2020. The HEROES Act was a $3 trillion Democratic House proposal (passed May 2020) that included significantly larger stimulus payments and extended relief programs. The HEALS Act was a $1 trillion Republican Senate proposal (July 2020) that took a narrower approach. Negotiations between the two chambers stalled; the actual December 2020 stimulus was a bipartisan compromise bill much smaller than either.
The HEROES Act's $1,200 per dependent was framed as recognizing that children add equally to household costs during a crisis. The HEALS Act retained the CARES Act's $500 per child figure, which was seen as recognizing the reduced per-capita cost of adding a minor to a household budget. The higher HEROES figure particularly benefited larger families.
Neither passed in original form. A compromise was struck in December 2020 (Consolidated Appropriations Act) paying $600 per person including children. The American Rescue Plan (March 2021) later raised this to $1,400 per person including adult dependents — closer to the HEROES Act approach for dependents.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). HEALS vs HEROES Act Stimulus Comparison Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stimulus-heals-vs-heroes-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "HEALS vs HEROES Act Stimulus Comparison Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stimulus-heals-vs-heroes-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "HEALS vs HEROES Act Stimulus Comparison Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stimulus-heals-vs-heroes-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_stimulus_heals_vs_heroes_calculator, title = {HEALS vs HEROES Act Stimulus Comparison Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/stimulus-heals-vs-heroes-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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