What To Look For
Heres the problem with the stimulus payments coming in the mail for millions, you need to know what to look for if youre anything like me and rip up junk mail before you open it.
The stimulus check comes in a white envelope, but it shows the U.S. Department of Treasury on it. So, hopefully, that gets your attention. If youre one of the thousands receiving an EIP debit card, it will come in the same type of envelope.
From here on out, until you receive your payment, dont assume anything is junk mail until you open it.
If you werent among the millions who received their stimulus check in their bank account the day after it was approved, dont give up hope.
While the IRS is behind and it may take a while to get the rest of the payments out, theyll come, just have patience and become a regular stalker of the USPS website and their new service.
Do You Have To File Taxes To Get A Stimulus Check 2021
The answer is yes, and no. If you can’t file your 2020 tax return by 17 May, you can ask for an automatic tax filing extension to buy time until 15 October. This will give you more time but delay any payment that you could receive. Regardless, you will have to file to get any stimulus money that might be due to you.
Irs Get My Payment: How To Use The Online Tracker Tool
To get an update on your third stimulus check using Get My Payment, enter your Social Security number, date of birth, street address and ZIP or postal code. The tool will display a message with information about your payment. You can see things like whether your money was sent or is scheduled to be sent, the payment method and the date your stimulus money was issued. The tool may also say it cant yet determine your status see more below about error messages.
Also Check: Whats Included In The New Stimulus Package
Recommended Reading: What Do Stimulus Checks Look Like
How To Resolve The Issue Of A Missing Stimulus Check
If you determine that your third stimulus payment was issued but you haven’t received it, or if your check hasn’t been issued yet and you need to get the process started, there are ways to resolve the issue. These include:
A payment trace with the IRS
If the IRS Get My Payment tool gives you a date that your check was issued and you still haven’t received it — or if you receive the confirmation from the IRS stating that your payment was sent — you may need to initiate a payment trace with the IRS.
You’ll need to call the IRS at 800-919-9835 to initiate the payment trace. You can also mail or fax a completed Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund , to start the process.
Use the non-filer tool
If you haven’t filed a tax return in recent years, you may want to use the IRS non-filer sign-up tool that was recently created by the federal agency. This tool can be used for a number of reasons: if you didn’t file a 2019 or 2020 tax return, were not required to file a tax return, do not plan to file a tax return, or if you did not receive the full amount of the first or second stimulus payments.
The good part about using this tool is that it gets the ball rolling on both your missing stimulus payment and the Child Tax Credit money, which is going to be issued beginning next month to those who qualify.
File your 2020 tax return
Why Your Stimulus Payment May Be Delayed
Are you still waiting on your third stimulus payment? You aren’t alone. Direct deposit payments and paper checks started rolling out in March, but millions of Americans are still waiting on the latest stimulus payment to hit their mailboxes or bank accounts. There are also millions waiting on plus-up payments to be issued to them by the IRS.
The good news is that the IRS continues to roll out the third round of stimulus payments on a weekly basis. And, while it may be frustrating, there are a number of reasons your $1,400 stimulus check may be delayed.
Some of the common issues causing late or partial stimulus payments to be issued include:
- You didn’t file taxes for 2019 or 2020
- You didn’t qualify for the third payment under the stricter income guidelines
- Your income from your latest tax filing indicated that you did not qualify for a third payment
- Your SSDI, SSI, or veterans’ benefits caused a delay with your third stimulus payment
- Your third stimulus check was based on your 2019 taxes, not your 2020 taxes
- Your stimulus money was garnished for outstanding debts by private debt collectors
- Your paper check or prepaid debit card is stuck or lost in the mail
- Your paper check payment was sent to an old or incorrect address
- You are a non-filer who needs to wait for a plus-up payment
- The stimulus direct deposit was sent to an old or incorrect bank account
- A new baby or dependent wasn’t calculated into your taxes and you need to be issued a partial plus-up payment
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Who Is Eligible For A Stimulus Check
The vast majority of Michigan residents are eligible to receive a stimulus check from the federal government this year. Even if you have no income, you are still eligible, but need to take action to receive your stimulus payment. This includes individuals with low or no earnings who normally don’t file taxes. Every American adult earning less than $75,000 is eligible for a stimulus check from the federal government this year. While this site is geared toward Michigan residents, the information is applicable nationwide.If you still have questions about your stimulus check after reviewing this website, call the IRS at or, United Way at .
After you sign up, make sure to add your account information on the IRS website. If you dont want to sign up for a bank account, you can also link to your prepaid debit card instead.You can also receive your funds through the Cash App, by providing the IRS with the routing and account numbers connected to your Cash App. You can download the Cash App or locate your Cash App account information here.
What if I havent filed taxes?
What if I dont qualify – where else can I get help?
If you dont qualify for the stimulus payment, we recommend reaching out to Michigan 2-1-1. They can connect you to resources in your community.
Will my payment be reduced or offset if I owe tax, have a payment agreement with the IRS, owe other Federal or State debt, or owe other debt collectors?
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.
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How Do I Claim My Stimulus Checks As The Recovery Rebate Credit On My Tax Return
For your 2020 tax return, on Line 30 , you will need to put the amount the IRS owes you for the first and second stimulus check.
For your 2021 tax return, on Line 30 , you will need to put the amount the IRS owes you for the third stimulus check.
You can also use IRS Free File to prepare and file your taxes online for free.
Attorneys at Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Berstein suggest that attorneys can file on behalf of people in prison by using Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative. To learn more about how attorneys can file for people who are incarcerated, click here.
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I Got A Payment Status Not Available Message
Many checking on their second stimulus check were seeing a message that said “Payment Status #2 – Not Available.” The IRS has indicated that these individuals will not receive a stimulus check by direct deposit or mail and they will have to file their 2020 tax return to claim their “Recovery Rebate Credit.” See below for instructions on claiming the rebate on your tax return.
These messages have now disappeared and will be replaced by information about the third payment.
I Used The Irs 2021 Non
You can check the status of your third stimulus check using the IRS Get My Payment tool.
The IRS will continue to send third stimulus checks until December 31, 2021. If your 2020 tax return or the information you submitted through the IRS 2021 Non-Filer tool or GetCTC is not processed in time to issue your payment by the deadline, you will need to claim your third stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Credit by filing a 2021 tax return. .
Also Check: Are We Getting A Third Stimulus Check
What Happens If You Dont Receive Your Payment Or Only Receive A Partial Amount
If you havent received your payment yet, dont panic, although its easier said than done. Compared with the first round of stimulus checks, the IRS and Treasury Department have significantly shrunk the delivery timeline by weeks, if not months. However, the text of the American Relief Plan still gives both agencies until Dec. 31, 2021, to distribute all funds, meaning the last round of checks might not hit consumers mailboxes until January 2022.
Consider signing up for the U.S. Postal Services informed delivery service, so you know in advance of any mail youll be receiving on a given day. If the IRS says it already mailed your check but you didnt receive one, down the road you might also decide to order a stimulus check payment trace. You can arrange one by calling a hotline at the IRS or submitting a completed Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund by mail or fax. But be prepared: This process can take weeks. The IRS may also ask that you sit tight for the time being in some cases, for a period as long as nine weeks.
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 hasn’t been processed and therefore there’s no payment date available.
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Use The Irs Get My Payment Tool
This tool tells you if youre eligible . It wont, however, tell you how much you will get. Most people get $1,400 per household member, but there are exceptions to the rule, especially if you make too much money.
The Get my Payment Tool also wont tell you when youll receive your check, but the following steps will get around that issue.
Does The Post Office Have Form 8822
If you want to use a post office box or foreign address or have all tax-related correspondence sent to someone else, there are additional IRS rules to follow. You can use a post office box for your mailing address on Form 8822 only if the U.S. Postal Service doesn’t offer mail delivery to your home’s street address.
Also Check: Will Dependents Over 17 Get The Second Stimulus Check
If You Expect To Receive Your Stimulus Money In The Mail
Dont have direct deposit set up with the IRS? Then its likely your payment will come as a check or debit card in the mail.
You can set an alert before the check is delivered by signing up for USPS Informed Delivery.
When you use Informed Delivery, youll receive daily emails in the mornings with scans of all first-class mail that will be delivered to your address later that day. You can sign up for Informed Delivery here.
Informed Delivery will let you know that your check was supposed to arrive, so if you dont get it, you can follow up with the Postal Service or the IRS.
The IRS says it will also send a notice or letter after you get your payment that will tell you the amount that you should have received. You should save this notice for your tax records.
If you are unsure that youre getting a legitimate letter, the IRS urges you to visit IRS.gov to protect yourself from scam artists.
How To Claim The Recovery Rebate Credit
If you did not receive your first or second stimulus payment, or if it was for the wrong amount, you’ll need to file a tax return for the 2020 tax year . You’ll file Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR . You’ll need your Notice 1444, Your Economic Impact Payment from the IRS when you file. You should have gotten your first Notice 1444 sometime last spring or summer, and you should have gotten your second one in February 2021. You’ll need the amount of the payment in the letter when you file your tax return in 2021.
If you don’t receive your third stimulus payment, or if it was for the wrong amount, you’ll need to file a tax return for the 2021 tax year . You’ll file Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR . You’ll need your Notice 1444, Your Economic Impact Payment from the IRS when you file. You’ll need the amount of the payment in the letter when you file your tax return in 2021.
You can take the Recovery Rebate Credit for any rebate amount that is more than the economic impact payment that you received by completing line 30 of Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. The instructions for Form 1040 and Form 1040-SR include a worksheet you can use to calculate the amount of the credit you are eligible for.
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Can You Use The Portal If You Didn’t File A Tax Return
You couldn’t use the “Get My Payment” tool to track the status of your first stimulus check if you didn’t file a 2018 or 2019 federal income tax return. However, there was another online tool that non-filers could use to give the IRS with the information it needed to process a payment.
The non-filers tool wasn’t used for second stimulus checks, though. Instead, if you didn’t file a 2019 tax return, and you didn’t use the non-filers tool to get your first-round payment, then you have to wait to claim your second stimulus check money as a Recovery Rebate credit on your 2020 return.
The IRS is not using the non-filers tool for third-round stimulus checks, either. As a result, if you don’t file a 2019 or 2020 tax return, you’ll have to claim any money you’re owed as a Recovery Rebate credit on your 2021 return, which you won’t file until next year. However, you can avoid having to wait until next year by filing a 2020 return before the May 17, 2021, deadline.