How To Use The Irs2go App To Track Your Return
The IRS2Go app is available for both iOS and Android.
The IRS also has a mobile app, IRS2Go, which checks your tax refund status. It’s available for both iOS and Android and in English and Spanish. Using it, you’ll be able to see if your return was been received and approved and if a refund was sent.
To log in, you’ll need your Social Security number, filing status and the expected amount of your refund. The IRS updates the app overnight, so if you don’t see a status change, check back the following day.
You Get Social Security
Social Security recipients and people receiving Social Security disability benefits or Railroad Retirement benefits are eligible for stimulus checks, and they do not have to file taxes in order to receive a payment. However, if anyone in these groups has a dependent under age 17 and does not file taxes, they should add that information at the IRS’s “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here” page in order to get an extra $500 per child.
The first people to get stimulus checks are those who have filed tax returns and have their direct deposit info on file with the IRS. People who receive Social Security or the other benefits mentioned above fall into a second category, and they will receive their payments in the next wave of deposits from the IRS. These people can expect their payments to show up in their bank accounts by the end of April, if not sooner. On the other hand, if federal agencies do not have your bank info on file, your payment will come in the mail as a paper check, and that process could take much longer.
What To Do If You Cant Find Your Stimulus Check
If your IRS online account shows that you should have received a stimulus payment, but you didnât get it, thereâs a chance it could have been lost in the mail. Or you might have thrown away the prepaid debit card you received.
If you lost your stimulus check or suspect it was stolen, you can request the IRS trace your payment. If the IRS determines your check hasnât been cashed, it will issue a credit to your account. It canât reissue your payment, but you can claim the payment on your 2021 tax return using the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit worksheet.
If a trace is initiated and the IRS determines that the check wasnât cashed, the IRS will credit your account for that payment. However, the IRS canât reissue your payment. Instead, you will need to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return if eligible.
If you lost your EIP card, a prepaid debit card on which some individuals received their stimulus payment, contact card issuer MetaBank to request a replacement.
Read Also: When Should My Stimulus Check Arrive
Can I Track My Stimulus Check
Yes. Just like the IRS typically allows you to track your tax refund, you can now know where your stimulus payment is.
On April 15, the IRS launched the Get My Payment application. With Get My Payment, people are able to check their payment status, confirm whether they’re getting it via direct deposit or check, and enter their bank account information. In order to track the payment, you’ll need to input your Social Security number, date of birth, street address and zip code.
If the Get May Payment app returns a message about how your payment status is not available, it may not have your information uploaded, the IRS may not have processed your 2019 tax return, or you may not be eligible for a stimulus check.
Get My Payment is updated once a day with fresh data.
What To Do About A Missing Or Stolen Eip Debit Card
At least 5 million people will receive their third stimulus check on a prepaid debit card called the Economic Impact Payment Card, instead of a paper check. For the third payment, the EIP card arrives in a white envelope sent from “Economic Impact Payment Card.” The letter will have a US Department of the Treasury seal.
The card has the Visa name on the front and the issuing bank, MetaBank®, N.A., on the back. Information included with the EIP Card explains that this is your Economic Impact Payment. If you receive an EIP Card, visit EIPcard.com for more information.
If you’ve misplaced or thrown away your card, the EIP card service has an FAQ on what to do if your card is lost or stolen. You can also call 800-240-8100 to request a replacement. It’s free, according to a spokesperson for the Treasury Department. To request a new card, press option 2 when prompted.
However, the EIP card website says, “Your Card will be deactivated to prevent anyone from using it and a new replacement Card will be ordered. Fees may apply.” We recommend calling the above number for a lost or stolen card and speaking to a representative. If you may have lost or thrown away a paper check, read the mail fraud section below.
Read Also: What Does The Stimulus Check Look Like
What Will The Status Report Look Like
For third-round stimulus checks, the “Get My Payment” tool will display one of the following:
1. Payment Status. If you get this message, a payment has been issued. The status page will show a payment date, payment method , and account information if paid by direct deposit. Note that “mail” means either a paper check or a debit card. If you don’t recognize the bank account number displayed in the tool, it doesn’t necessarily mean your deposit was made to the wrong account or that there’s a fraud. If you don’t recognize the account number, it may be an issue related to how information is displayed in the tool tied to temporary accounts used for refund loans/banking products.
2. Need More Information. This message is displayed if your 2020 return was processed but the IRS doesn’t have bank account information for you and your payment has not been issued yet. It could also mean your payment was returned to the IRS by the Post Office as undeliverable. As mentioned above, if your payment is returned, you’ll have the opportunity to provide the IRS your bank account or debit card information so they can issue a direct deposit payment . If you don’t provide any account information, the IRS can’t reissue your payment until they receive an updated address.
The portal is updated no more than once daily, typically overnight. As a result, there’s no reason to check the portal more than once per day.
What Impact Will Tax Season Have On My Stimulus Payment
Taxes for 2020 are due on May 17, 2021 . The IRS began accepting tax returns on Feb. 12, 2021. This means your third-round stimulus payment could arrive in the middle of tax season. This alone creates questions such as Do I need to file my 2020 taxes right away? Will the IRS accept my 2019 income? and, of course, Does this mean stimulus payments will be delayed?
Due to the winter storms that hit Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana in February 2021, the IRS has delayed the 2020 federal individual and business tax filing deadline for those states until June 15, 2021.
In answer to the first two questions, you dont need to file your 2020 taxes right away, but depending on your income in 2019 and 2020, you may want to. The IRS will use the latest year they have on file when your stimulus is processed. This means if all they have is your 2019 return, then thats what they will use if you earned less in 2020, then it could be better for you if that number is used.
While its possible that your stimulus check or even tax refund check could be delayed this year, according to the IRS, the additional programming and testing that resulted in the late Feb. 12, 2021, start date for tax season makes that unlikely.
Also Check: Will People On Social Security Get A Second Stimulus Check
‘payment Status Not Available’: Why
The IRS says that millions of taxpayers have successfully used the new Get My Payment app to track their stimulus checks and, if needed, add their direct deposit information to get payment faster. So why are countless people complaining on social media that they entered their information at the app only to receive a frustrating “Payment Status Not Available” message?
In some cases, there could be glitches with the Get My Payment app itself that are preventing people from adding direct deposit information or finding out the expected date for their payments to arrive. Among other quirks, the system may give you a “Payment Status Not Available Message” if you owed $0 in taxes and received no refund on your most recent tax return, the Washington Post reported, because the IRS form gave an error message for people entering “0” in those corresponding spots.
The Get My Payment app went offline during certain late-night hours on Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25, for “planned maintenance.” On April 26, the IRS announced “significant enhancements” to the app, though the agency did not specify which glitches had been fixed. “We urge people who havent received a payment date yet to visit Get My Payment again for the latest information,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement. “IRS teams worked long hours to deliver Get My Payment in record time, and we will continue to make improvements to help Americans.”
Why Haven’t I Gotten My Refund Yet
There are numerous reasons why your tax return may not have been completely processed yet, resulting in a delayed refund. Here are the most common.
- Your return had errors or was incomplete
- You owe the IRS money
- Your bank account info was incorrect
- You filed a paper return
- You didn’t properly enter your stimulus payments
- The IRS suspects identity theft
- You filed an amended return
- Your return needs further review
In testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee, IRS Commissioner Charles P. Retting said that, in 2021, the agency received “far more than 10 million returns” in which taxpayers failed to properly reconcile their stimulus payments with their recovery rebate credit, which required a manual review and resolution.
If the delay is due to a necessary tax correction made to a recovery rebate credit, earned income tax or additional child tax credit claimed on your return, the IRS will send you an explanation. If there’s a problem that needs to be fixed, the IRS will first try to proceed without contacting you. However, if it needs any more information, it will write you a letter.
If you’ve requested a paper check for your tax refund, that’ll take longer, too — about six to eight weeks, according to the IRS.
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The Irs Classifies Me As An Older Adult What Should I Know
Many older adults, including retirees over age 65, received a first stimulus check under the CARES Act and were eligible for the second one — and are for the third as well. For older adults and retired people, factors like your tax filings, your AGI, your pension and if you’re part of the SSI or SSDI program will affect whether you receive a stimulus payment.
The third stimulus check makes older adult dependents eligible to receive more money on behalf of the household. Here’s how to determine if you qualify for your own stimulus check or count as a dependent.
How much stimulus money you could get depends on who you are.
What Does The Stimulus Check Portal Do
The updated “Get My Payment” tool lets you:
- Check the status of your stimulus payment
- Confirm your payment type and
- Get a projected direct deposit or paper check delivery date .
For first-round stimulus payments, you could also use the portal to enter or change your bank account information to have your payment directly deposited into your account. However, that feature isn’t included in the current tool . The IRS already has bank account information for millions of Americans from recent tax returns, tax payments, the original “Get My Payment” tool, the non-filers tool used last year, other federal agencies that regularly send out benefit payments , and federal records of recent payments to or from the government. So, the tax agency is generally limiting direct deposit payments to bank accounts that they already have on file. As a result, you can’t change your bank information using the “Get My Payment” tool.
If your payment isn’t deposited directly into your bank account, then you’ll get either a paper check or a debit card in the mail . You could also receive a payment by mail if your bank rejected a direct deposit. This could happen because the bank information was incorrect or the bank account on file with the IRS has since been closed.
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What Information Will You Need
To access the tool, you’ll be asked to provide a:
- Street address and
- Five-digit ZIP or postal code.
If you file a joint tax return, either spouse can typically access the portal by providing their own information for the security questions used to verify a taxpayer’s identity. Once verified, the same payment status is shown for both spouses. In some cases, however, married couples who file a joint tax return may get their third stimulus payment as two separate payments half may come as a direct deposit and the other half will be mailed to the address the IRS has on file. If that case, each spouse should check the “Get My Payment” tool separately using their own Social Security number to see the status of their payments.
If you submit information that doesn’t match the IRS’s records three times within a 24-hour period, you’ll be locked out of the portal for 24 hours . You’ll also be locked out if you’ve already accessed the system five times within a 24-hour period. Don’t contact the IRS if you’re shut out. Instead, just wait 24 hours and try again.
When Will I Get The Recovery Rebate Credit
You will most likely get the Recovery Rebate Credit as part of your tax refunds. If you electronically file your tax return, you will likely receive your refund within 3 weeks. If you mail your return, it can take at least 8 weeks to receive your refund.
Claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit will not delay your tax refund. However, if you dont claim the correct amount of the Recovery Rebate Credit, your refund may be delayed while the IRS corrects the error on your return. The IRS will send you a notice of any changes made to your return.
You can check on the status of your refund using the IRS Check My Refund Status tool.
Also Check: Where Can I Check On My Stimulus Check
Will I Get A Third Stimulus Check
If you are an eligible U.S. citizen or resident alien , you will likely receive a stimulus payment. In addition, each of your qualified dependents, regardless of age, would be eligible as well.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 defines dependent as any dependent for income tax purposes. This is a change from previous stimulus payments that stipulated child dependents under age 17. The proposed legislation also includes mixed-status families in which at least one family member has a Social Security number, similar to the way such families were included with the second stimulus payment.
Social Security Ssi Ssdi Veterans: What You Need To Know About Eligibility And Your Stimulus Payment
The majority of people who are part of the SSI or SSDI programs qualify for a check — read our guide for details. This time, many will get their payments on their existing Direct Express card, though some may receive stimulus money a different way. Consult our guide for more on what to know and do, including if you need to claim a dependent by filing a tax return for 2020.
Stimulus money for veterans who don’t usually file taxes are expected to receive their stimulus checks in mid-April, after many Social Security recipients. Here’s more to know about veterans and stimulus eligibility.
Recipients of the first check received their payments through a non-Direct Express bank account or as a paper check sent in the mail. In the , these recipients again qualified to receive payments, along with Railroad Retirement Board and Veterans Administration beneficiaries.
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Citizenship: Does The Irs Consider My Household Mixed
In the $900 billion stimulus package from December, a US citizen and noncitizen spouse were both eligible for a payment as long as they both had Social Security numbers. This has been referred to as a “mixed-status” household when it comes to citizenship. Households with mixed US citizenship were left out of the first check.
The new stimulus bill includes all mixed-status households where just one member has a Social Security number for a third stimulus check. That potentially includes families with citizen children and noncitizen parents.
In the CARES Act from last March, households with a person who wasn’t a US citizen weren’t eligible to receive a stimulus check, even if one spouse and a child were US citizens.