(NEXSTAR) — Saving money is one of America’s top New Year’s resolutions for 2026, so if financial fitness is your goal, it might be a good time to plan for any upcoming windfalls.

While some Americans will most certainly be able to deploy money from “extra” paydays or larger-than-usual tax refunds, experts warn against counting on more uncertain pay bumps, like President Trump’s proposed $2,000 tariff dividend checks.

Will you get ‘extra’ paychecks this year?

For employees who receive bi-weekly paychecks, there are two months each year during which they will get paid three times, instead of two.

The phenomenon is tied to calendar alignment, as some months with 31 days allow for a third payday.

So if you were paid on Friday, Jan. 2, you will see a third paycheck in January and July. However, for those of us whose first paycheck of 2026 arrived Jan. 9, that extra payday will happen in May and October.

Unfortunately, the checks are not in addition to one’s normal salary, the distribution quirk can mean a great opportunity for people trying to save, pay down debt or just work a little extra spending into their budget for that month.

“Don’t spend it in your head already, because your monthly bills that you’re thinking about most often are covered by two paychecks,” Bankrate Financial Analyst Stephen Kates, CFP, told NewsNation parent company Nexstar. “These are opportunities to try to put that money in a place where it can be useful to you by reducing your debt load, padding your savings. For people who already have a pretty good financial standing, put that money to work in the market.”

Kates added that there’s nothing wrong with spending a little on fun things, depending on one’s financial situation, but at least some of it should be invested or saved for future expenses.

Larger tax refunds expected in 2026

Officials in the Trump administration are predicting that the average tax refund in 2026 may be the largest ever.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained in a recent interview that the July passage of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” enacted multiple tax cuts for 2025, but withholding up to that point hadn’t factored in the changes.

“I think we’re going to see $100 [billion]-$150 billion of refunds, which could be between $1,000 and $2,000 per household,” Bessent said.

To be clear, a larger refund doesn’t mean taxpayers are increasing their income. Rather, the refund money was just over-withheld during the year, and is being returned to the taxpayer.

“Because of the changes within the Big Beautiful Bill most taxpayers should expect to see a larger refund in 2025, but how much they receive will really depend on the specifics of their tax situation,” Adam Brewer, tax attorney with AB Tax Law, told Nexstar. “What I am telling my clients is that if they receive a larger refund than prior years then it will be a pleasant surprise, but don’t spend in anticipation of a large refund just yet.”

Kates told Nexstar that he recommends filing as early as possible to get a refund quickly, with one piece of advice for people with a certain type of debt.

“Anybody who has high interest debt – with rates somewhere between 16% and 25% – any money you have should be paying down [the debt], because you’re not going to be able to eclipse a compounding debt by putting that into a money market, putting it into the market … paying down the debt is going to be one of your biggest priorities.”

When will Trump’s $2,000 tariff dividend checks go out?

In the case of this potential windfall, it may be best to pretend it will never arrive – at least for now.

“Certainly it’s hard to know what your tax refund is going to be and to file your taxes … we don’t know if there’s going to be any kind of dividends at all,” Kates said. “There is no legislation currently in Congress that would lead us to believe that that is going to happen, and the legislation would be necessary to appropriate funds toward paying out checks or benefits of any kind to any group of Americans, so people shouldn’t hang their hat on an expectation that there’s going to be some kind of a dividend.”

In December, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett echoed that congressional approval would be needed, but was optimistic during an interview on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

“I would expect that in the new year, the president will bring forth a proposal to Congress to make that happen,” Hassett said.

As of this past week, the Trump administration had not released any official plans for tariff dividend checks in 2026.