Where’s My Stimulus Check
The first stimulus check recipients saw their payments show up in their bank accounts in mid-April. But some people who are also eligible for stimulus checks have not received their money, and they’re puzzled about why that is â and are perhaps in a panic over whether their coronavirus payment is coming at all.
Here are some of the possibilities why you might not have gotten a stimulus payment yet:
Problem #: My Economic Impact Payment Has Not Been Processed
If your stimulus payment has not yet been processed, be patient.
The IRS will continue to issue $1,400 stimulus payments throughout 2021. The agency says it will regularly update recipients status information on its Get My Payment tool and recommends checking it daily for updates on payment status.
If I Dont Qualify For The Third Stimulus Check Based On My 2019 Income But I Do Based On 2020 Can I Appeal To The Irs If Theyve Already Sent My Check
The IRS has until the end of the year to issue the stimulus payments for 2021 and will be reviewing returns for 2020. As the agency continues processing tax returns, additional payments will be made, tax experts say.
If you havent filed your 2020 taxes, but believe you qualify based on your income levels you should file your 2020 taxes to ensure the IRS has the latest information.
The IRS will continue to process stimulus payments weekly, including any new returns recently filed. If you still dont receive a stimulus, the IRS said they will reconcile this sometime this year, according to Curtis Campbell, President of TaxAct, a tax preparation software.
If the 2020 return hasnt processed for some reason, the IRS will go off 2019 return information. Then, after tax season, if someone files their 2020 tax return and it is processed, the IRS will do a true-up of the check between 2019 data and 2020 data, says Campbell.
For those who didnt get a check based on their 2019 income, file a 2020 return and the IRS will recover their payment based on their updated return, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said earlier this month during testimony on Capitol Hill.
The IRS will do a redetermination the earlier of 90 days after the tax filing deadline, which includes extensions, or Sept. 1, Phillips added.
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Third Stimulus Payment And Dependent Status Change
My daughter, a full-time grad student who lives at home, turned 24 in late 2021 so I can no longer claim her as a dependent. However, the third stimulus payment was $2800, based on her 2020 status as my dependent.
1. Since I received the money, should I put the full $2800 on my 2021 tax filing? That is the amount on my letter 6475.
2. What does my daughter put on her 2021 tax filing? She did not receive any funds directly, nor did she receive a letter 6475. If we input 0, Turbo Tax adds $1400 to her Federal refund.
3. Do we each enter $1400 since both of our filing statuses changed to single and she is no longer a dependent?
Fourth Stimulus Check Update: $600 Payments Coming Soon For Select Recipients

The federal governments stimulus aid programs have ended, even as more Americans feel the financial pressure of sky-rocketing inflation, but for a few workers in Oregon, some relief will come before the summer months hit.
According to KOIN, a CBS affiliate, Oregon state House Democrats and the state Senate have approved a one-time $600 stimulus payment to low-income workers and households with people who worked during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To qualify, eligible Oregonians will include those who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit on their 2020 personal income tax returns or who filed an amended 2020 tax return by April 15. An estimated 250,000 residents in the state are expected to qualify. The payment is meant to help address the rising costs families have faced because of inflation tied to both the COVID-19 Pandemic and now, the Russian war in Ukraine. Costs have increased in all sectors, including housing, groceries, medication and fuel.
Low-wage workers are a critical part of our economy and are also the most vulnerable to the rising costs of everyday necessities, Senator Kathleen Taylor said of the bill. Cash payments make a huge difference in the lives of individuals and working families. They can help pay a utility bill, buy necessary medicine or essentials like diapers and groceries. Cash payments also ease stress, allowing families some support to manage the obstacles they face in their daily lives.
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What If You Have Trouble With The Tool
To use the Get My Payment tool, you must first verify your identity by answering security questions. If the information you enter does not match IRS records, you will receive an error message. To avoid this:
- Double-check the information requested
- Make sure what you enter is accurate
- Try entering your street address in a different way and
- Use the US Postal Services ZIP Lookup tool to look up the standard version of your address, and enter it into exactly as it appears on file with the Postal Service.
If your answers do not match the IRS records three times, youll be locked out of Get My Payment for security reasons. If that happens, you must wait 24 hours and try again. If you cant verify your identity, you wont be able to use Get My Payment. Unfortunately, theres no fix for that: the IRS says not to not contact them.
However, if you verified your identity and received Payment Status Not Available, this means that the IRS cannot determine your eligibility for a payment right now. There are several reasons this could happen, including:
- You didnt file either a 2018 or 2019 tax return or
- Your recently filed return has not been fully processed.
Again, the IRS says theres no fix for that and you should not contact them.
How Is The Third Stimulus Check Calculated
The stimulus plan mandates the treasury to rely on 2019 and 2020 tax returns to calculate how much you could get for the third round of stimulus checks.
Congress approved limits based on adjusted gross income ranges. This means that taxpayers making less than the minimum threshold could get the full stimulus check, while those earning above it get reduced payments until they are fully phased out at higher incomes.
You can find your AGI on IRS form 1040. This is calculated by subtracting deductions like student loan interest, health savings account payments, and contributions to a traditional IRA from your gross income.
By contrast, your gross income is the total amount of money that you made during the tax year, including wages, dividends, capital gains, rental property income and other types of revenue.
Your 2019 taxes had to be filed by July 15, 2020. And your 2020 taxes are due by the extended deadline of May 17. You can read more about when to file your tax returns for the third stimulus check, and other IRS requirements in two tax sections below.
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Still No Third Stimulus Check Track Your Money Now With This Online Tool
If you’re still missing your third payment, use the IRS Get My Payment tool. It’s easy to use and free for everyone.
In the dark about your stimulus payment? You can find out more through the IRS website tracker.
If your third stimulus check hasn’t arrived yet, you’re likely becoming concerned about what’s happened to it. But don’t get too worried yet — start by checking your bank account because it may have a pending deposit.Iit’s also possible the check is stuck en route in the mail. Once you figure out your payment status, you may find that you’re owed a “plus-up” supplemental payment if the IRS didn’t send you enough stimulus money.
However, there could be information you need to act on if that’s the case, the IRS online tracking tool will let you know. It’ll also show if you need to file a payment trace for that missing third check. The tool isn’t perfect, but it’s a great way to learn your payment status. It won’t tell you how much money to expect — not everyone gets $1,400 — but you can use our stimulus calculator to estimate that amount.
In mid-July, the IRS will begin disbursing advance child tax credit checks for up to $300 a month for those eligible — you can use this separate calculator for that. Here’s how to claim up to thousands in child care expenses and what we know about a possible fourth stimulus payment. We have updated this story.
Fourth Stimulus Check Update: Monthly Payments Set To Resume In This Circumstance
Economic Impact Payments are definitively a thing of the past in the United States now that the country seems to be moving past the COVID-19 Pandemic, but some new hope could be on the horizon for another form of aid to citizens that will once again start giving some help as families struggle to keep up due to continually increasing prices from inflation and a supply chain crunch.
While President Joe Biden had initially hoped to extend the Expanded Child Tax Credits another year in his Build Back Better plan, the attempt was killed when the bill got stalled in the Senate, with Senator Joe Manchin refusing to join his party and approve it. However, while payments totaling $300 per month for children up to the age of 6 and $250 per month for children ages 6-17 arent coming anytime soon again, the idea behind them isnt dead completely, as Senator Mitt Romney is now proposing a plan of his own which will resume monthly payments for families with children if passed.
His plan called the Family Security Act, would send payments of $350 per month to eligible families with children ages0 0-5, as well as $250 per month to those with children ages 6-17. It would also allow expecting parents to apply for the benefit as well and begin receiving it four months prior to their childs due date. Families would be able to receive a maximum monthly payment of $1,250.
There is currently no framework on when Americans could expect to see the credit if the bill was passed.
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Third Stimulus Check Tracker: How To Track Your Irs Stimulus Check Now
The IRS’s Get My Payment portal is fairly simply to use, but you’ll need some information handy before getting started. Keep a copy of your latest tax return nearby if you have it.
Also make sure to check the URL of any website before entering your private information to avoid stimulus-check scams or other forms of identity theft. The Get My Payment website’s URL should look like this: .
Step 1: Got to the IRS Get My Payment app website. Click “Get My Payment” to enter the portal.
Step 2: Click “OK” on the authorized-use notification page after you’ve reviewed the terms.
Step 3: Fill out your Social Security number or Individual Tax ID , your date of birth , your street address and your ZIP code. Click “Continue.”
You should now see your stimulus check payment status, or a page that says your status is unavailable.
Status Of Stimulus Check: How To Check On Your Payment
The Get My Payment tool on the IRS website is live and will show eligible recipients the status of their third stimulus payment.
If you use the IRS website, you should see the scheduled deposit date for your check. Example: We scheduled your payment to be deposited on March 17, 2021 to the bank account below.
A note on the website says, If you dont see your payment credited to your account, check with your bank to verify they received it. We will mail you a letter with additional information on this payment.
Why are you seeing Payment Status Not Available?
The Get My Payment application will say Payment Status Not Available for the following reasons:
- Your payment hasnt been processed yet.
- The IRS doesnt have enough information to issue you a payment.
- You arent eligible for a payment.
The IRS will be issuing the stimulus check payments through 2021. You should check back on Get My Payment for updates.
For answers to more frequently asked questions, click here.
When should I get my payment?
Officials at the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service said Friday that processing of the new round of stimulus payments has already begun. The first payments were expected to show up in bank accounts over the weekend.
The payments will be delivered automatically to taxpayers even as the IRS continues delivering regular tax refunds, IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement.
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You Havent Received Your Second Stimulus Payment Yet
Many people will receive stimulus payments by direct deposit, according to the IRS. If you paid 2019 federal taxes via direct debit or received a tax refund by direct deposit, you will likely receive your second stimulus payment the same way. The majority of these payments have already been issued. If the IRS does not have your correct, up-to-date banking information, youll receive payment by mail or debit card .
Social Security or other beneficiaries who use Direct Express cards and received the first round of stimulus on that card can expect the same this time. Otherwise, payment will come by mail.
Generally, you can expect to receive your payment in the same form you received the first stimulus payment under the CARES Act in early 2020. But thats not the case for everyone. If the IRS is unable to make a direct deposit, your payment may be sent by mail. And if your first stimulus payment arrived via paper check, you could receive a debit card this time, and vice versa.
The best way to track how and when youll receive your stimulus payment is with the IRS Get My Payment tool. This tool can tell you when your payment was sent and whether itll arrive via direct deposit or mail.
And while Jan. 15 is the IRS deadline, you may not actually receive payment by that date. After your payment reports as mailed on the Get My Payment tracker, it may take up to three or four weeks to receive the check or debit card, the agency says.
File Your Taxes To Claim Your Funds

Millions of families are still owed payments, including those who hadn’t filed recent tax returns, people who added new dependents in 2021, and parents who received only part of the Expanded Child Tax Credit. And the IRS has begun accepting tax returns that must be filed to obtain this money. Once those returns are submitted and processed, the IRS will send tax refunds that include any stimulus money still due.
The IRS has also recently issued a news alert reminding people about how to check the status of their refunds to find out when their stimulus payments and other refunded money will arrive. Here’s what you need to know.
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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.
What’s The First Step To Take
First, you need to log into the Internal Revenue Services Get My Payment tool.
Youll be able to find out when the IRS sent out your check, how much it should be, how it’ll be paid if there’s a delay and more.
To use it, youll need your Social Security Number or Individual Tax ID Number .
If you’ve forgotten your SSN or need a new card, see how you can get a replacement on the official SSN website.
Youll also need to enter your date of birth and address.
Also Check: How Do I Sign Up For A Stimulus Check
How Many Stimulus Checks Have Been Mailed Out
According to the IRS, about 80 million payments went out this way with no problems. However, millions more needed to be sorted out. The IRS was slower to distribute stimulus checks by mail, but again, taxpayers with an up-to-date mailing address in their most recent tax filing got their checks without a problem.
You Receive Social Security Benefits
Unfortunately, for now at least, the Get My Payment app cannot track payments for people who receive Social Security, Social Security disability benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits, or veterans benefits. In the words of the IRS on the Get My Payments page, “If you are an SSA or RRB Form 1099 recipient or SSI or VA benefit recipient, your information is not yet available in this application.”
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