Tax season is confusing enough. Don’t fall for these false claims | Fact check roundup

Millions of Americans are filing their taxes ahead of the April 15 deadline. Consequences for not doing so include financial penalties or even jail time. 

The complexity of the filing process and various government financial initiatives has made the topic a popular source of misinformation.

The USA TODAY Fact-Check Team has debunked an array of such claims, including that Americans aren’t legally required to file taxes and that they can expect more IRS stimulus checks.

More:When is Tax Day 2024? Deadlines for filing tax returns, extensions and what you need to know

More: How to file your taxes for free in 2024

The claim: New stimulus checks available in March 2024

Our rating: False

A Treasury Department spokesperson told USA TODAY that no new round of stimulus checks has been approved. The article pictured in the post is digitally fabricated. Read more

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

The claim: There are no laws requiring American citizens to pay income taxes

Our rating: False

The 16th Amendment gives Congress the power to collect federal income taxes. The power to enforce these tax laws has been delegated to the IRS, which imposes financial penalties on those who don't properly file their taxes. Read more

The claim: Post implies Biden plan would give all Americans $400 cash every month for two years

Our rating: Missing Context

The implied claim is wrong. Biden has not advocated for direct payments of that amount or frequency to any subset of Americans. The post is vague, but if it's intending to reference a proposed tax credit for first-time homebuyers that Biden introduced during the State of the Union address, it mischaracterizes that program. Read more

The claim: Trump proposed a 10% 'across-the-board' tax increase if re-elected

Our rating: False

Trump proposed placing a 10% tariff on imported goods in a 2023 interview, not an "across-the-board" tax. Read more

The claim: Image shows an IRS memo stating that all tax collections since 1913 were illegal

Our rating: False

There is no evidence such a memo existed. The IRS has no record of it, and the text of the memo contains factual errors about the lawsuit it references. Read more

The claim: Residents in certain states will receive a fourth stimulus check on Nov. 30

Our rating: False

The IRS said the Treasury Department did not issue a fourth round of stimulus checks in late 2023. Some states named in the post are sending rebates to eligible taxpayers, but those are not stimulus checks and don't match the figures listed in the post. Read more

The claim: 18 million 'illegals' are exempt from taxes, housing costs, vaccine requirements, unlike US citizens

Our rating: False

Experts say immigrants who lack permanent legal status pay rent, mortgages and many taxes just like citizens do. They also are subject to the same vaccine rules that govern citizens because those requirements are set by workplaces and schools and have nothing to do with immigration status, experts say. Read more

The claim: Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy are responsible for a quarter of the national debt

Our rating: False

Estimates vary on exactly how much Trump's 2017 tax bill added to the national debt, but none place its impact at 25% of the total figure. Experts told USA TODAY more than a quarter of the national debt was added during the Trump administration, but most of it was due to COVID-19 relief funding and not tax legislation. Read more

The claim: The IRS is hiring 87,000 'soldiers' to prosecute citizens and raising taxes on those who make $30,000 or more

Our rating: False

 The 87,000 figure has been routinely misused online and was an estimate from a 2021 report by the Treasury Department; the IRS hasn't yet finalized a plan. A majority of the hires will not be special agents and thus will not be carrying weapons. The legislation does not raise individual tax rates for anyone, according to a Treasury Department spokesperson. Read more

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.