You May Have Overlooked The Envelope With Your Check Or Card
The problem: With the first payment, some people reported accidentally throwing out the envelope containing their check, not recognizing that it contained a stimulus payment.
What to watch for: Pay attention to the mail and dont assume its all junk. We recommend tracking your USPS letters for a heads up on whats being delivered. For a paper check, watch for a white envelope sent from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The memo field will read Economic Impact Payment.
A prepaid EIP debit card will come in a white envelope with a seal of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Once you open the envelope, the card itself will say Visa on the front and haveMetaBank, N.A., the name of the bank, on the back. The envelope will include details on how to activate the Economic Impact Payment.
What next? You can cash the check right away, but the 5 million EIP card recipients will need to activate the card first. The checks will expire after a year.
How Can You Check On The Status Of A Missing Stimulus Payment
It’s easy to check the status of your third stimulus check through the Get My Payment tool. You’ll need to request a payment trace if the IRS portal shows your payment was issued but you haven’t received it within the time frame outlined in the chart above.
To use the tool, you need to plug in your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, date of birth, street address and ZIP or postal code. The portal will show your payment status, if your money has been scheduled and the payment method and date. You might also see a different message or an error.
Can I Track My Payment
The IRS reopened its Get My Payment website following the passage of the American Rescue Plan, allowing people to track when they might receive their stimulus checks. The IRS created this portal last year for the $1,200 stimulus checks directed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act.
When people check the Get My Payment site for the new $1,400 checks, they typically see one of several messages.
First, some people will see that their payment has been processed, along with a payment date and whether the payment will be sent via direct deposit or mail. If a check is sent by mail, the IRS will either send a paper check or a pre-paid debit card.
Others may see a message that they are eligible, but their payment hasnt been processed and therefore theres no payment date available.
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Didnt Get The Full First And Second Payments Claim The 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit
If you didnt get the full amount of the first or second Economic Impact Payments, you may be eligible to claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit by filing a 2020 tax return. The third Economic Impact Payment will not be used to calculate the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit.
For the latest updates, check IRS.gov/coronavirus.
What If I Owe Child Support Payments Back Taxes Money To Creditors Or Debt Collectors Or Federal Or State Debt
None of the three stimulus checks can be reduced to pay any federal or state debts and back taxes. Unlike the first stimulus check, your second and third stimulus check cannot be reduced if you owe past-due child support payments.
| Federal or State Debt | |
| Protected | Not protected |
If you are claiming the payments as part of your 2020 tax refund , the payments are no longer protected from past-due child support payments, creditor and debt collectors, and other federal or state debt that you owe . In other words, if you receive your first or second stimulus checks as part of your tax refund instead of direct checks, it may be reduced.
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Eligibility For A ‘plus
You can estimate how much money the IRS owes your household for the third stimulus check. Just make sure to triple-check that you meet the qualifications, including the income limits.
Because of the overlap with tax season 2020, many people may receive some, but not all, of their allotted amount. If your income changed in 2020, in some cases, the IRS may owe you more money than you received if the income figure used to calculate your payment from your tax returns in 2018 or 2019 is less in 2020. Likewise, if you now have a new dependent, such as a new baby, you may be owed more money.
The IRS is automatically sending “plus-up payments” to make up the difference. If you don’t get one, you may need to claim the missing money another way later in 2021 or even in 2022, since tax season is officially over now.
How Long Does The Irs Have To Pay You
The IRS has until the last day of 2021, per CNET, to send out stimulus checks to all who are owed them. If you dont get your stimulus check you are owed by January of 2022 you will have to wait until tax time in 2022 to file for the missing up-to-$1,400 cash benefit the government owes you in the Recovery Rebate Credit, the tool in which you claim your stimulus check at tax time and get it in the form of a fat tax return. Not ideal, but the money will come to you at some point, no matter what.
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Your Stimulus Check Eligibility Could Depend On Your Taxes
If you’re right on the cusp of the income limits described below, when you file your taxes could make the difference between qualifying for a partial check or not. That’s because a third stimulus check is now arriving during tax season.
The language in the stimulus bill makes it clear that the IRS will base your next stimulus check on your 2019 or 2020 taxes, whichever is on file when it processes your payment. However, the IRS is reportedly delayed in processing new tax returns. If you made more in 2020 than in 2019, time is on your side. The new tax deadline is May 17. If you need more time, you might want to request a tax extension.
At this point of the stimulus check delivery cycle, filing taxes sooner may not be to your advantage. The IRS is prioritizing stimulus check distribution over tax returns, and when the processing happens is outside your control.
If you did already receive your third stimulus check and it was based on your 2019 taxes but you qualified for more with your 2020 return, the IRS will be sending “plus-up payments” to correct the amount between now and Dec. 31, 2021. If you don’t receive your catch-up payment by then, you’ll need to claim it on your taxes next spring.
Third Payments Differed From Previous Economic Impact Payments
The third payments differed from the earlier payments in several respects:
- Income phaseout amounts changed. Payments were reduced for individuals with adjusted gross income of more than $75,000 . The reduced payments end at $80,000 for individuals and $160,000 for married filing jointly. People above these levels did not receive any payment.
- Payment amounts are different. Most families received $1,400 per person, including all dependents claimed on their tax return. Typically, this means a single person with no dependents received $1,400, while married filers with two dependents received $5,600.
- Qualifying dependents expanded. Unlike the first two payments, the third payment was not restricted to children under 17. Eligible individuals received a payment based on all of their qualifying dependents claimed on their return, including older relatives like college students, adults with disabilities, parents and grandparents.
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If I Owe Back Child Support Will I Still Get A Payment
Yes. If you or your spouse owes back child support, your stimulus payment cannot be garnished to pay that debt. The same is true if you owe federal or state debts: your stimulus payment cannot be garnished. Your payment wont be levied by the IRS, either.
Although the second and third stimulus payments cant be garnished for unpaid child support, the amounts can be garnished if you dont get money up front and need to claim the credits on your taxes.
How To Claim Your Missing $600 Or $1200 Payments
The stimulus checks are generally advance payments of a tax credit.
The 2020 tax returns now offer a section where you can claim the recovery rebate credit for either the first $1,200 stimulus check or the second $600 payment if that money is due to you line 30 of Forms 1040 or 1040-SR.
On that part of the return, filers can start with the amount of stimulus money they already received and calculate any more funds which they are due. That can be done either through a worksheet provided with the tax form or through tax preparation software.
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You Make Too Much Money
You won’t get a third stimulus check at all if your income is too high. Every eligible American starts with a $1,400 third stimulus check “base amount.” The base amount goes up to $2,800 for married couples filing a joint tax return. Then, for each dependent in your family, an extra $1,400 will be added to the base amount.
However, everyone won’t get the full amount. As with the first two stimulus payments, third-round stimulus checks will be “phased-out” for people with an adjusted gross income above a certain amount on their 2019 or 2020 tax return. If you filed your most recent tax return as a single filer, your third stimulus check will be phased-out if your AGI is $75,000 or more. That threshold increases to $112,500 for head-of-household filers, and to $150,000 for married couples filing a joint return.
Third-round stimulus checks are reduced to zero pretty quickly. They are completely phased out for single filers with an AGI above $80,000, head-of-household filers with an AGI over $120,000, and joint filers with an AGI exceeding $160,000.
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Not everyone is eligible for a third stimulus check. In a nutshell, you generally don’t qualify for a third-round payment if:
- You could be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return
- You don’t have a Social Security number or
- You’re a nonresident alien.
If the IRS determines that you’re not eligible for a third-round stimulus check, then you won’t get one.
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When Will The Third Stimulus Check Be Issued
The government started sending the third stimulus checks on March 12, 2021. The IRS continues to send third stimulus checks as people submit their information to the IRS either by filing a 2020 tax return or using GetCTC.org. The deadline to use GetCTC.org is November 15, 2021.
If you have your banking information on file, the IRS sent your payment via direct deposit. Otherwise, you will receive your payment as a check or debit card via mail. Mailed checks and debit cards may take longer to deliver.
If you dont fall into any of these categories, youll have to wait to receive your third stimulus check. You will need to file a 2020 federal tax return to get the third stimulus check or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement.
You can also get the first and second stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return or GetCTC.org if you are eligible.
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Youre Waiting For The Rest Of Your Third Stimulus Check Money
The problem: You received a stimulus check, but the math doesnt seem to work out. Are you missing money? It might be that the IRS owes you more money based on your 2020 tax return but paid you based on 2019 or the latest information it had. Maybe the agency didnt know about a new dependent, or there was a calculation error.
What to do: Use our stimulus calculator to estimate how much money you might be owed. The IRS tracking tool doesnt provide that level of information, but the letter the IRS sends you does. The IRS said its making supplemental payments to people whove received payments based on their 2019 tax returns but are eligible for a new or larger payment based on their recently processed 2020 tax returns. These plus-up payments could include a situation where a persons income dropped in 2020 compared with 2019, or a person had a new child or dependent on their 2020 tax return, and other situations, the IRS said.
What next? First, keep the IRS letter for your tax records. Youll need it later. Next, if theres a difference between the amount you think you should get and the total you did get, it might mean youll be able to claim more stimulus money in 2021 or 2022. If the IRS thinks it sent you your total, but you didnt get a check at all, you may need to file for a payment trace.
Check The Status Of Your Third Economic Impact Payment
All Third Economic Impact Payments must be issued by Dec. 31, 2021 in accordance with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law on March 11, 2021.
The IRS mailed Notice 1444-C to people who received a third Economic Impact Payment. You should keep this letter with your tax year 2021 records.
Check when and how your payment was sent with the Get My Payment tool.
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Claim It On Your 2020 Taxes
The IRS just announced that it would begin processing 2020 tax returns on Feb. 12. If you are due a stimulus check but haven’t received the money by the time you file, claim it on your return. Line 30 on the 1040 tax form allows you to let the IRS know that you didn’t receive your funds.
If you’re owed a refund on 2020 taxes, the IRS will add the stimulus money to the amount you’re due to receive. If you owe money on 2020 taxes, the IRS will subtract the stimulus money from the amount you need to pay. For example, if you’re due $1,200 in stimulus funds but owe $1,500, the IRS will keep the $1,200 as a payment toward your total tax bill, and you will owe $300.
I Changed Banks Since The Last Stimulus Checks Were Distributed How Will I Get My Money
Yes, but you may need to wait until 2020 taxes are filed in Spring 2021. The IRS indicates that incorrect or outdated banking information cannot be updated.
If you were eligible for a CARES Act payment but did not receive one, the IRS says you can make a claim for the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return. You should have received IRS Notice 1444youll need to refer to this notice when you file your return.
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You Receive Social Security Or Other Benefits But No Extra Income
People who receive Social Security, CalWorks and CalFresh benefits, Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment/and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, State Disability Insurance and VA disability benefits, or unemployment income generally do not qualify for a GSS II payment if those benefits are their only income source, according to the state, noting that those forms are not included in AGI.
However, if the recipient has other sources that do count as adjusted gross income, they may qualify to receive a stimulus check.
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What If I Am Eligible For The Stimulus Checks But I Didnt File A 2019 Or 2020 Tax Return And Didnt Use The Irs Non
File your 2020 tax return or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement.
You can file a tax return even if you dont have a filing requirement to get other tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.
If you didnt get your first or second stimulus check or didnt get the full amount that you are eligible for, file a 2020 federal tax return and claim them as part of your tax refund or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement. The deadline to use GetCTC.org is November 15, 2021.
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My Stimulus Payment Was Too High
Some individuals whose income increased too much in 2019 were not eligible for a full stimulus payment, but they got one anyway since the IRS based the payment on their 2018 taxes. Those individuals will not have to pay back the payment.
In other cases, families were paid an extra $500 or $600 for children who were 17 or older . This could happen if the IRS took the number of children who qualified for the child tax credit in 2018 without updating children’s ages for 2019. But in other cases, it looks like the IRS took the number of dependents from a family’s 2018 tax return, without regard to their age. The IRS has said that those who received such overpayments will not have to pay them back.
I Had A Problem With The First Or Second Payment
Some individuals had too much income in 2019 to qualify for the first or second stimulus payment , but their income decreased enough in 2020 for them to qualify. If you fall into this category, you can file a tax return for your 2020 taxes and you’ll receive a recovery rebate credit as part of your refund .
In other cases, families received stimulus payments by direct deposit but the IRS neglected to add money for one or more of their children. Sometimes there didn’t seem to be a reason for this . For other families, it seems the IRS did not update the number of children that taxpayers have, even for families who claimed new children on their 2019 tax returns. You’ll be able to claim the rest of the stimulus payment when you file your next tax return.
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