Wheres My Third Stimulus Check
OVERVIEW
The American Rescue Plan, a new COVID relief bill, includes a third round of stimulus payments for millions of Americans. Get updated on the latest information as it evolves.
For information on the third coronavirus relief package, please visit our American Rescue Plan: What Does it Mean for You and a Third Stimulus Check blog post.
A third round of stimulus checks is on the way for millions.
The American Rescue Plan, a new COVID relief bill, was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The bill includes a third round of stimulus payments for millions of Americans. We know these funds are important to you, and we are here to help.
If you are eligible, you could get up to $1,400 in stimulus checks for each taxpayer in your family plus an additional $1,400 per dependent. This means a family with two children could receive $5,600.
The IRS began issuing the first batch of stimulus payments, and they could arrive as early as this weekend , with more arriving over the coming week. Further batches of payments will arrive during the following weeks. If youre eligible, check the status of your stimulus payment and the way itll be sent to you by going to the IRS Get My Payment Tool, which will be live on March 15th.
To find out if you are eligible and how much you can expect, visit our stimulus calculator.
Which Of My Dependents Qualify For The Third Stimulus Check
For the third stimulus check, all your dependents qualify, regardless of age. This means that for each child or adult dependent you have, you can claim an additional $1,400.
This is different from the first and second stimulus checks, which only allowed child dependents to get the additional payment.
Can Homeless People Get A Stimulus Check
Yes, they can get a stimulus payment. The only way to get a payment is to file a tax return with the IRS. You can do this for free. If you dont have a fixed address and you dont have a bank account, check with a local community or religious organization or with a homeless shelter to see if you have options for getting your mail from the IRS delivered there.
Keep in mind that it may take some time for the IRS to process your tax return and your stimulus payment.
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Taxation Of Third Stimulus Checks
Question: Will my third stimulus check be taxed later?
Answer: No. As with the first two rounds of payments, your third stimulus check is actually just an advanced payment of the Recovery Rebate tax credit for the 2021 tax year. As such, it won’t be included in your taxable income.
You also won’t be required to repay any stimulus check payment when filing your 2021 tax return even if your third stimulus check is greater than your 2021 credit. If your third stimulus check is less than your 2021 credit, you’ll get the difference when you file your 2021 return next year. So, it’s a win-win situation for you!
Who Qualifies For The Third Stimulus Check

Millions of Americans who were eligible for the $600 second stimulus checks could qualify for the third round of stimulus payments up to $1,400. However, many high-earning taxpayers who were eligible for previous stimulus checks are now excluded. The plan narrows income eligibility to exclude individuals earning over $80,000 and couples making over $160,000:
- Singles phase out at AGIs between $75,000 and $80,000.
- Heads of household phase out at AGIs between $112,500 and 120,000.
- Couples phase out at AGIs between $150,000 and $160,000.
Keep in mind that this is different from the sliding scale that was used to determine eligibility for previous stimulus payments. The IRS reduced second stimulus checks by 5% for the total amount made over the AGI limit. This means that payments went down by $5 for every $100 over the limit.
The table below breaks down third stimulus payments based on narrower income ranges for singles and joint tax filers:
$1,400 Stimulus Checks With Narrower Income Ranges |
Single AGI |
$174,000 and up | $0 |
If you want to get a specific breakdown, SmartAssets third stimulus check calculator will give you an estimate based on your filing status, AGI and dependents.
Also Check: Update On 3rd Stimulus Check
Which Tax Return Is Used For My Third Stimulus Check
The IRS uses 2019 or 2020 tax returns to determine eligibility for your third stimulus check. You should note that if your income fell in the 2020 tax year, filing your tax return earlier could help you qualify for a bigger third stimulus check. The new stimulus plan targets lower income ranges to exclude higher-earning taxpayers from getting a payment.
As we pointed out before, individuals making under $75,000 get the maximum stimulus payment of $1,400 . But payments are capped at $80,000 for single filers and $160,000 for couples. So filing at the beginning of the tax season with a lower income may help you qualify for a bigger check. But, if your income went up in tax year 2020, then you may want to delay filing so that eligibility is determined by your lower 2019 income.
You might also want to file early if the size of your family increased in 2020. The new stimulus plan includes a child tax credit that pays up to $3,600 for each qualifying child under 6 years old, and $3,000 for every child between ages 6 and 17. This means that if you became a parent during the tax year, you could get an additional payment by claiming your child as a dependent earlier.
SmartAssets child tax credit calculator will help you figure out how much you could get for each child.
You can use SmartAssets tax return calculator to figure out your 2021 tax refund or tax bill.
What If I Didn’t Get The First And Second Stimulus Payments
The IRS said anyone who was eligible to get the first or second stimulus payments but didn’t, needs to claim a 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit and file a 2020 tax return. Even if someone isn’t required to file? The IRS says yes.
However, the IRS said that the third payment of $1,400 will not be used to calculate the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit.
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You Moved Or Changed Your Bank Account
This could be a worry for people who received a mailed check or pre-paid debit card but recently moved, as well as people who changed their bank accounts.
The IRS said it will open up its “Get My Payment” tool on IRS.gov this week. The site is meant to inform people about the status of their payment, but won’t allow them to update their bank account information, Treasury and IRS officials said March 12. However, the officials added that the agencies have been working on checking whether the bank account information they have is correct for consumers.
The downside: If a check is issued to a closed or incorrect account, the IRS will need to reissue the payment in a check and mail it to your house. That could add to your wait.
How Will I Get My Check If I Havent Filed A 2019 Or 2020 Tax Return
If you receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement Benefits and did not file a tax return in 2019, you will not have to file a return in order to receive your paymentthe IRS has your information already.
If you dont receive those benefits and did not file a tax return for 2019 or 2020, you may need to file one to confirm your eligibility. Check your status in the Get My Payment portal for instructions.
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I Filed My Taxes In February But I Wasnt In The First Payment Round Whats Up With That
The way the IRS determines who gets their money when is a mystery to everyone but the IRS. Were not sure why some people got their payments right away, why some people have to wait, and why some people arent getting answers through the Get My Payment tool yet.
If you filed your 2020 taxes, one thing to keep in mind is that the IRS may not have processed your return yet. The IRS is still working through a backlog of 2019 tax returns due to the shutdown during the pandemic last year, along with processing 2020 returns.
Could Tax Season Slow Down Stimulus Check Delivery
Since a third stimulus check is likely to drop in the middle of tax season , the IRS may have to calculate your total based on the most recent tax filing it has which would be 2020. This could disqualify some people from getting a third stimulus payment.
If you’re owed money, you might have to wait a year to claim it, until you file your 2021 taxes in 2022, according to the latest proposal under consideration.
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How The Third Stimulus Check Became Law
The American Rescue Plan was signed into law on March 11, authorizing a third round of stimulus checks that pay a maximum of $1,400 for millions of Americans. Targeted income limits, however, exclude individuals earning over $80,000 and joint tax filers making more than $160,000.
Biden said at the signing of the bill: this historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country and giving people in this nation working people and middle-class folks, the people who built the country a fighting chance. Thats what the essence of it is.
House Democrats had moved the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill to Bidens desk with a 220-211 vote just one day earlier. But progressives in the party expressed concern over Senate amendments that excluded higher-earning taxpayers from getting a stimulus payment.
Biden agreed to narrow income level requirements as a concession to moderate Senate Democrats who wanted to cap payments for individual taxpayers at $80,000 and joint tax filers at $160,000.
The Senate bill narrowly passed with a 50-49 vote on March 6 after an overnight marathon of disputed amendments and negotiations. A 50-50 tie between both parties was avoided because Senator Dan Sullivan could not vote after returning to Alaska for a family funeral.
Third Stimulus Check: Updated Timeline For $1400 Payments

WASHINGTON After more than two months of anxious waiting by millions of Americans, President Joe Biden has signed into law a $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan which includes $1,400 direct payment stimulus checks.
Congress gave final approval on the American Rescue Plan on Wednesday and it then headed to Biden for his signature.
Biden initially planned to sign the bill on Friday afternoon, but White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain tweeted Thursday that the bill arrived quicker than anticipated, so they decided to sign it a day earlier.
Minutes after Biden signed the bill into law, the White House provided a big update to the timeline for when the third round of stimulus checks will start going out.
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Back Taxes Child Support And Other Debts
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Question: Can the IRS or other creditors take my third stimulus check if I owe back taxes, child support or other debts?
Answer: Your third stimulus check is not subject to reduction or offset to pay child support, federal taxes, state income taxes, debts owed to federal agencies, or unemployment compensation debts.
However, the American Rescue Plan doesn’t include additional protections that were included in the legislation authorizing the second round of stimulus checks. For example, second-round stimulus checks weren’t subject to garnishment by creditors or debt collectors. They couldn’t be lost in bankruptcy proceedings, either. The IRS also had to encode direct deposit payments so that banks knew they couldn’t be garnished.
Question: Can a dead person get a third stimulus check?
Answer: For the third round of stimulus checks, anyone who died before January 1, 2021, is not eligible to receive a payment. Essentially, they’re treated as if they don’t have a Social Security number.
There is an exception for military personnel. If a person who died before 2021 was married and a member of the U.S. military, the surviving spouse can still receive a third stimulus check even if he or she doesn’t have a Social Security number.
The extra $1,400 per dependent is also off the table if the parent died before 2021 or, in the case of a joint return, both parents died before then.
Question: Will I receive a notice from the IRS about my payment?
$ 5000 From The Irs For At Least Some Newborns
Lets look back at the previous two sections and do the calculation.
If your child was born into a family in 2021, you may not have reported it to the IRS. They may also not have chosen to sign up for a monthly child tax credit.
In that scenario, putting a child down in response to a 2021 tax return could be up to $ 5,000. Thats $ 1,400 from the third stimulus check in the form of a recovery rebate credit, and $ 3,600 for a full child tax credit.
This assumes that the parent is within the income criteria above.
Fourth stimulation check in 2022? Where is the third stimulus payment?
Fourth stimulation check in 2022? Where is the third stimulus payment?
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Some More Third Stimulus Payment Money In 2022
Parents who added their children in 2021 can earn up to $ 1,400 after filing their 2021 taxes this spring, thanks to the American Rescue Plan. Money does not come directly as a check, but it is part of the overall tax return.
The 2021 economic effect payment was actually a prepayment of what is called the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit. That is, the $ 1,400 stimulus check received by most individual Americans in 2021 is actually the money they would have earned after filing taxes as recovery rebate credits in the spring of 2022.
In other words, millions of Americans have already received tax refunds 12 months early.
The bottom line is the money that will be paid to millions of people almost immediately as a tax credit prior to next years tax return, said Rafael Turino, an IRS spokesman.
However, the IRS has filed a tax return for 2019 or 2020 for information about the third EIP. It used that information to determine whether taxpayers would get exciting money for their dependents. If a qualified parent gives birth to a family member in 2021, he / she can request a tax collection rebate credit to receive the childs payment.
Adoption is even more complicated because all the paperwork and processes required to complete adoption must be completed first.
At that point, according to the eligibility rules, the child can claim payment for economic benefits, Tulino said.
This is not related to the first or second stimulus payments made in 2020.
Third Stimulus Check: When Could You Get A $1400 Check
President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan proposes a third round of stimulus checks of $1,400 for most Americans. Yet while that could extend a helping hand to millions of households still suffering from the pandemic’s economic fallout, it could be weeks until the payments arrive, analysts say.
The price tag for the relief package, called the American Rescue Plan, faces pushback from some Republican lawmakers, who last year resisted Democratic efforts to pass a $2 trillion bill. Heights Securities analyst Hunter Hammond expects a final package could be passed in the first quarter and range from $1.5 to $2.2 trillion.
On February 1, a group of 10 Republican lawmakers unveiled an alternative stimulus plan that would scale back the checks to $1,000 per adult and lower the income cap for receiving payment. That plan would cut the cost of a third stimulus check to $220 billion, compared with $600 billion under Mr. Biden’s more generous package.
“Congress is pushing forward on a Democrat-only $1.9 trillion stimulus package in an attempt to strike while the iron is hot, and we expect this effort to succeed,” noted Hunter Hammond, an analyst with Heights Securities, in a February 5 research note.
Mr. Biden has expressed a willingness to negotiate, with the president saying he would insist on $1,400 checks but suggesting he was open to targeting the checks to people who need the most help.
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Will You Get A Stimulus Check ‘plus
As the IRS explained in a news release on Thursday, these plus-up payments provide “supplemental” support for Americans whose third stimulus check had been based on information from their 2019 income tax returns, but who are now in line for a new or larger amount based on their 2020 returns.
When it started processing the latest relief payments, the IRS had to rely on the most recent data in its system. If you hadnt filed your 2020 taxes before the third round of stimulus checks was set in motion, the IRS would have used your 2019 return to determine how much money you were eligible for.
But maybe you earned less last year than you did in 2019, because of the COVID crisis. If you’ve recently filed your 2020 taxes, you may be eligible for a bigger stimulus check now so you’ll receive a plus-up to make up the difference.
Individual taxpayers whose returns show adjusted gross income up to $75,000 qualify for the full $1,400 stimulus check. The same goes for couples who file jointly and have AGI of as much as $150,000.