https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/03/25/all-you-wanted-to-know-about-those-tax-stimulus-checks-but-were-afraid-to-ask/#cc579641f9c9You really need to read the record when it is released to be sure, but Forbes wrote an easy to understand article here:
It is a tax credit, as in you're receiving an advance payment on your taxes as in
"Tax Refund" or Government refund.
Can you give me an example?
Sure.
Let’s say you’re entitled to a stimulus check for $1,200 and you get your check this year (in 2020).
Let’s also say that you were expecting a $1,500 refund in 2021 (for the 2020 tax year). When you get your stimulus check, that doesn’t change your expected refund: you would still qualify for the $1,500 in 2021.
But what if you didn’t get your stimulus check because you didn’t file in 2018 or 2019 - or some other reason? You’ll still get your $1,500 in 2021 but you’ll also get the $1,200 in 2021.
Either way, you won’t miss out by taking the check and you don’t have to pay it back.
In this case, the stimulus check acts like a refund for a new,
temporary tax credit that you get in advance based on your 2020 income.
That’s confusing because you don’t know how much you’re going to earn in 2020, but it’s why the IRS is using earlier returns.
But since it’s an advance payment on a new credit does not affect your “normal” tax refund for 2020: you
won’t lose out on your expected tax refund for 2020 with the check.
Not that I don’t trust you, but where can I find this in writing? You can read the
Congressional Record, which notes the discussion about the checks, the vote and the text here (downloads as a PDF). The IRS has confirmed some of this information and will eventually post more information on its website, but for now, there’s just a banner:
IRS website
IRS