Wondering Where The Latest Economic Impact Payment Is Heres How To Track Your Stimulus Check And What To Do If You Have Problems
Almost everyone who is eligible has received the first and second rounds of the U.S. governmentâs economic impact payments, or âstimulus funds.â But the third roundâpart of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021âmay provide additional relief to eligible individuals.
The IRS started processing payments in mid-March. Your payment might already be in your account or on its way. But if itâs not, donât worry. The funds could take time to roll out. Hereâs how you can check the status of your payment.
Things To Know About The 2021 Stimulus Payments
> > > To find out the status of your third stimulus , use the IRS’ Get My Payment tool .
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law, which provided essential financial relief to individuals and families along with COVID-19 relief to states and localities. One component of the package is a third round of stimulus payments. Despite wide news coverage about these payments, many have questions about whos eligible and how to receive them. The third round also has different eligibility rules than the first and second rounds of payments, which were distributed earlier.
Below are ten things to know about the third round of paymentsincluding information on filing your 2021 taxes if you missed any or all of your payment:
1. The payments were $1,400 per qualifying adult and $1,400 per dependent. For the third round of stimulus payments, taxpayers could get payments for dependents of all ages, including children over the age of 17, college students, and adults with disabilities. The taxpayer received the payment on behalf of the dependent, although financially independent college students and young adults who are not claimed as a dependent may be eligible for their own payment. The payments were an advance against a new credit for tax year 2021. Filers can claim the payment, which is called a Recovery Rebate Credit, on their 2021 tax return if they didnt already receive the full amount. These payments will not affect eligibility for other tax credits.
Option : Your Physical Irs Letters
Remember the confirmation notices that you got in the mail about two weeks after receiving your first and second payments? If you qualified for a check, the IRS would’ve sent the notice to your last known address with information about your payment. Notice 1444 accompanied the first payment and Notice 1444-B followed the second payment.
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What If My Payment Status Is Not Available
If you receive this message, then its best to make a Recovery Rebate Credit claim.
Youll also need to file a 2020 tax return, even if youre not required to do so.
A Recovery Rebate Credit calculates the eligibility and amount of your stimulus check based on information from this tax return.
Youll need to fill out the Recovery Rebate Credit Worksheet in these forms on the IRS website, which will help check if youre eligible for a payment.
The IRS has more information on how to file a tax return electronically on its website.
The Irs Has Distributed Three Rounds Of Economic Impact Payments To Date But Not Everyone Has Had The Full Entitlement Here’s How To Check How Much You Have Received
During 2020 and 2021 the federal government sent out three rounds of stimulus check payments for eligible households, with a maximum of $3,200 available per person.
Previously it was possible to claim any missing payments using the IRS Get My Payment online portal, but that option has now expired. To request payment of any outstanding stimulus check money you must now claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on your federal tax returns.
If you did not receive the Economic Impact Payments issued in 2020 or 2021, you may be able to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit from #IRS by filing a tax return. Learn more at
Heres how to work out how much you are owed
How to find your stimulus check history online
The easiest way to check which Economic Impact Payments, also known as stimulus checks, you have received is by heading over to the IRS website.
You can view your Online Account using your IRS username or ID.me account, giving you access your payment history. As well as information about the stimulus checks, you can also find your history of advance Child Tax Credit payments and data from your most recently filed tax return.
If you do not yet have access to your Online Account, you can create a new account on the IRS website.
Recommended Reading: Track My 3rd Stimulus Check
Stimulus Check Irs Phone Number: How To Call About Your Payment
Looking for the stimulus check IRS phone number? Yes, you can call the IRS for help with your third stimulus check payment. A representative might be able to questions that can’t be answered through its website.
The IRS’s dedicated stimulus check website is a good resource if you’re wondering where your stimulus check is, if you’re eligible or how much you should get. But if your question is more specific, or you have trouble navigating the available online tools, there’s a phone number you can call for help.
- Stimulus check notifications let you know when your payment arrives
- Use this third stimulus check calculator to find out how much you’ll get
- Plus:
The IRS hotline isn’t equipped to handle an exorbitant amount of inquires. Rather, people are encouraged to seek answers using the economic impact payment Information Center.
The IRS has an app for tracking the status of your stimulus check called Get My Payment. When you enter a bit of personal information, you can find out whether the government has sent your check. If it has, consider using the USPS Informed Delivery tool to receive notifications about where your payment is in transit.
For other logistical questions, the IRS’s hotline is at your disposal. Keep in mind that an automated recording will attempt to help you before you’re connected with an actual representative, so have your questions and basic personal information ready.
Didnt Get The First And Second Payments Claim The 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit
If you didnt get the full amount of the first or second payment you were eligible for, you may be eligible to claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit and must file a 2020 tax return even if you arent required to file. The third payment will not be used to calculate the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit.
Office Locations
Also Check: Second Round Of Stimulus Check
Payment Status Not Available: What Should You Do
The IRS Get My Payment tool will only let you input new direct deposit or bank account information if youre seeing a Need More Information status, breaking with tradition from previous stimulus check rounds. That works either by submitting a financial product that includes a routing and account number with it, whether it be a bank account or prepaid debit card.
The easiest way to make sure that the IRS has the most accurate picture of your financial situation and personal whereabouts is by submitting your 2020 tax return. You now have until May 17 to submit your 2020 tax return, after the IRS on March 17 announced it was delaying the deadline by a month.
However, given the unprecedented and unconventional nature of the current tax season, the Treasury Department and IRS may have already attempted to send out your payment before your tax information was processed.
You could also update your mailing address by submitting a Form 8822, Change of Address, or notifying the IRS orally of your move. But be prepared: You might experience delays waiting for confirmation, given that the IRS has already begun distributing these stimulus checks. As always, a direct deposit is the fastest way to guarantee you receive a payment.
When Are Stimulus Checks Being Sent Out
Here’s the rough schedule so far, courtesy of a House Committee on Ways and Means memo:
- week of April 13: the IRS will send out 60 million payments to taxpayers for whom it has direct deposit information from their 2018 or 2019 tax returns
- late April: the IRS will do a “second run of payments” to Social Security beneficiaries who didn’t file tax returns in 2018 or 2019 but do have direct deposit on file
- week of May 4: the IRS will start mailing paper checks at a rate of 5 million per week a process that could last up to 20 weeks
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Still Don’t Have A Stimulus Check Here’s How To Track Yours
May 12, 2021 / 3:35 PM / MoneyWatch
While major banks in the U.S. started delivering $1,400 stimulus checks in March, the federal relief payments continue to arrive at millions of households struggling to make ends meet amid the coronavirus-hobbled economy.
The Internal Revenue Service has delivered more than 165 million payments, with a total value of approximately $388 billion, the agency said Wednesday. The latest round includes 1 million payments, with the IRS noting they have an official payment date of May 12. That means the most recent recipients will receive a direct deposit on Wednesday, or soon get a paper check or pre-paid debit card in the mail.
The timing and delivery of checks has been a cause of anxiety for some people, especially for those who receive government benefits such as Social Security and don’t typically file taxes. The IRS prioritized sending checks to people who have already filed their 2019 or 2020 tax returns, since the agency was able to quickly verify eligibility based on income and also determine where to mail or direct deposit the checks.
The agency said it’s sending another 500,000 payments to eligible people who recently filed a tax return but for whom it didn’t previously have information to issue a stimulus check.
How Your Return Can Help With A $1400 Stimulus Check
Since March, the government has been deploying new batches of stimulus checks weekly.
Each of those rounds has included payments to people that were prompted by the IRS processing their 2020 tax returns.
That goes for people who do not typically file tax returns, but did so this year in order to get their $1,400 checks. Once those forms were processed, the IRS sent their payments.
In addition, people who already received their third stimulus check, and who are due more money after the IRS completed their latest return, received “plus-up” payments from the agency.
That could happen if their financial circumstances changed since their 2019 return, such as their income declining last year.
Not everyone needs to file a federal return in order to get their stimulus checks. If you receive federal benefits and do not typically file, you should get your payment automatically. However, you may want to file a return in order to submit information on eligible dependents.
In addition, if you used the IRS online non-filer tool last year, you should not have to resubmit your information.
The non-filer tool has not been reopened this year. Instead, the IRS has urged people who it does not already have on record to file tax returns, which can help the agency evaluate whether or not you may be eligible for other tax credits.
Also Check: Check Status Of My Stimulus
I Received A Second Payment But My Spouse Didn’t
There have been cases where a couple submit their tax returns as “married filing jointly,” and both spouses are eligible for a $1,400 stimulus check, but one spouse received a payment and the other did not . This is an error on the IRS’s part. Unfortunately, the spouse who didn’t receive a check will have to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on his or her 2020 tax return. See below for instructions on claiming the rebate on your tax return.
Why Did I Receive A Debit Card
The IRS issued millions of debit cards to taxpayers in lieu of second stimulus checks, but will be sending out fewer debit cards out for the third payment. The prepaid Visa debit cards, issued by MetaBank, are called Economic Impact Payment cards. Your EIP card will arrive in a white envelope with “Economic Impact Payment Card” in the return address. You’ll need to activate the card by calling the phone number that comes with the card and choosing a 4-digit PIN number.
You can use your EIP card for purchases or use it to withdraw cash . You can also transfer the funds from your EIP card directly into your own bank account, after you register for online access.
If you use the card wisely, it will be free, but there are some fees to be aware of. If you use an out-of-network ATM or a bank teller to withdraw cash, you may need to pay a fee, and if you check the balance of the debit card, at either an in-network ATM or an out-of-network ATM, you will be charged a small fee.
The IRS has announced that the vast majority of taxpayers should receive their third stimulus payment by direct deposit this time.
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How To Check The Status Of Your 2021 Stimulus Check
The COVID-19 relief package passed by the U.S. congress in December includes funding for a second round of stimulus checks. Even if you received a $1200 check in the spring of 2020, you may have questions about what to expect this time around. From the stimulus check amount to the best way to track it, heres what you need to know.
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Once youve entered your information, youll get one of two messages:
- If you receive the message Payment Status, this means your check has been processed and will include information such as the payment date and how your check was issued.
- If you receive the message Payment Status Not Available, this means you were either not eligible for a payment, or the IRS wasnt able to issue a payment.
If youve been told your payment status isnt available, heres what to do next.
Also Check: Why Did I Not Receive My Stimulus Check
Amount And Status Of Your Payment
To find the amount of the third payment, create or view your online account or refer to IRS Notice 1444-C, which we mailed after sending the payment.
If you are sent a plus-up Economic Impact Payment after your 2020 tax return is processed:
- The amount of your initial third payment will no longer show in your online account. You will only see the amount of your plus-up payment.
- The status of your initial third payment will no longer show in Get My Payment. You will only see the status of your plus-up payment.
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How Do I Check The Status Of My Stimulus Payment
But waiting on your stimulus check can be an anxiety-ridden process, especially at a time when nearly 10 million Americans are out of work. Use the Treasury Departments tracker:
If youre seeing a payment status not available error message on the platform, the IRS says one of the following issues might be occurring:
The platform is typically updated overnight, meaning you wont see a new message if youre checking for updates more regularly than once a day.