This story is free to read.

Online posts falsely claim census response will lead to cash

FILE - This March 18, 2020 file photo taken in Idaho shows a form for the U.S. Census 2020. Filling out this year's census form won't get you a check from the federal government as claims circulating on social media suggest. The posts state that if you respond to the census, you will receive a $1,200 stimulus check from the federal government that's intended to help Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress is considering mailing checks directly to households, but hasn't approved funding for the stimulus funding package yet. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, File) FILE - This March 18, 2020 file photo taken in Idaho shows a form for the U.S. Census 2020. Filling out this year's census form won't get you a check from the federal government as claims circulating on social media suggest. The posts state that if you respond to the census, you will receive a $1,200 stimulus check from the federal government that's intended to help Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress is considering mailing checks directly to households, but hasn't approved funding for the stimulus funding package yet. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, File)

By AMANDA SEITZ / Associated Press March 23, 2020 2 min read

CHICAGO (AP) – You won’t get a check in the mail for filling out this year’s census as claims circulating on social media suggest.

The inaccurate posts on sites including Facebook and Twitter urge people to respond to the census. They claim if you do so you will receive one of the stimulus checks that the federal government is considering sending to American households to buffer the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus spreading across the U.S. has left millions out of work and sent the economy into a tailspin.

Congress and the White House were struggling Monday to agree on a nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package that could include sending a one-time rebate check of about $1,200 to those who qualify or $3,000 for a family of four.

But even if Congress agrees to send money directly to Americans, federal law prohibits the government from using information on the census to mail out those stimulus checks.

The U.S. Census Bureau cannot legally share individual responses on the once-every-decade form, and is only allowed to use that information to produce statistics.