How Will You Receive Your Payment
The majority of payments will be sent via direct deposit. The IRS states that those who do not receive their stimulus payments as direct deposit will likely receive it as a mailed check.
Payment may also be sent as a prepaid debit card, as known as an EIP card. If payment is issued as a debit card, you will receive a new debit card, even if you had a previous EIP card. The new payment will not be added to an EIP card from a previous stimulus payment.
Make sure to keep a close eye on your mail over the coming weeks to ensure your check or EIP card is not lost in your junk mail. If your mailbox is not secure, the IRS recommends that you check it regularly.
If you receive Social Security or another federal benefit, you will generally receive your payment in the same method those payments are received. The IRS has not yet announced when these payments will be sent, but estimates that information will be available shortly.
How Do I Get My Second Stimulus Check
You dont need to do anything if:
- You have filed a tax return for tax year 2019.
- You are a Social Security recipient, including Social Security Disability Insurance , railroad retiree. Or, you are a Supplemental Security Insurance and Veterans Affairs beneficiary.
- You have successfully registered for the first stimulus check online using the IRS Non-Filers tool or submitted a simplified tax return that has been processed by the IRS.
The IRS shouldve automatically sent your payment. All second stimulus checks were issued by January 15, 2021. If you didnt get a second stimulus check by then , you can claim your second stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on your 2020 tax return or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement.
Q How Much Will My Third Stimulus Check Be For
A. Your third stimulus check depends on your 2020 or 2019 income .
Qualifying group | |
An AGI of $150,500 or less | An AGI $160,000 or more |
Dependents of all ages: $1,400 | $1,400 apiece, no cap — but only if caretakers make under the above limits |
* This framework by the IRS was designed for taxpayers who are living and working in the U.S., so expats should ensure theyre looking at their AGI and not their gross income when determining their eligibility, especially if theyre claiming the foreign earned income exclusion. |
Additional Payments: If your third stimulus payment is based on their 2019 return and your 2020 return makes you eligible for a larger payment, the IRS will redetermine your eligibility and issue a supplementary payment later this summer.
You can estimate your own payment amount with H& R Blocks Stimulus Check Calculator.
Q. Will I have to pay back my stimulus check?
A. No, you will not have to pay back any amount of your Recovery Rebate Credit, even if you experience a pay hike in 2021.
Q. Will this round of stimulus checks affect my tax return this year?
Q. Will I owe tax on this third stimulus check in 2022 or have to pay it back?
A. No, the third stimulus payment is considered a 2021 tax credit , not income, so you will not need to pay taxes on it or pay it back.
Q. Do I need to sign up for the third stimulus check it or sign off on it?
Q. If I live abroad, when will I get my third stimulus check if I qualify?
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When Can I Expect To Receive My Payment
The IRS began rolling out Economic Impact Payments in April 2020. For most people, you wont have to do anything the payment will be directly deposited into your bank account or sent to you by check or prepaid debit card. Be aware, however, that if its sent by check, it might take a little longer.
How Will The Irs Send My Payment

If you receive certain social security, retirement, disability, survivors, railroad retirement, or veterans benefits, your payment will be distributed in the same method as your benefits. Learn more to see if this applies to you.
Economic Impact Payments will either be directly deposited into your bank account or a check or prepaid debit card will be mailed to you.
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Can The Government Reduce Or Garnish My Economic Impact Payment
Your Economic Impact Payment will not be subject to most types of federal offset or federal garnishment as a result of defaulted student loans or tax debt. However, the payments are still subject to garnishment if youre behind on child support.
The payments may also still be subject to State or local government garnishment and also to court-ordered garnishments.
Senate Lowers Income Cutoff For Stimulus Checks Prepares To Vote On $19 Trillion Covid Bill
The Senate has reached an agreement with President Joe Biden that would lower the income limits required to receive a $1400 coronavirus stimulus check.
The Hill reports that the new levels will be $75,000 per year for individuals and $150,000 for couples. This is a reduction from the levels in the House-passed version of the bill, which put the income cutoffs at $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for couples.
The bill keeps in place the extra $400 a week in unemployment payments through August.
Sen Joe Manchin had tried to get the extra weekly payments down to $300 a week.
Senate Dems and President Biden settled a last-minute debate over Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, choosing to keep federal unemployment benefit payments at $400 per week but phase out the measure’s $1,400 stimulus checks more quickly
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What Happened In The Senate
In order for a stimulus package to pass the Senate without any Republican support, every Democrat would have to be on board.
Some moderate senators, like Sen. Joe Manchin , have pushed for changes to reduce spending, particularly around stimulus-check eligibility. Their argument is that people on the higher end of the income scale don’t need the money.
” think we could drop it below the $200,000 and still get households that really need it,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen earlier this week .
More progressive lawmakers, especially in the House, have expressed concern about narrowing stimulus-check eligibility as well as watering down the proposal in other ways.
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.
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Is There A Deadline To Get My Second Stimulus Check
All second stimulus checks were issued by January 15, 2021. If you didnt get a second stimulus check by then , you can claim your second stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on your 2020 tax return or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement.
If youre required to file taxes:
The deadline to file your 2020 tax return was May 17, 2021. The tax filing extension deadline is October 15, 2021. Many tax filing software programs close after this date. If you can find an online tax filing program that is still accepting 2020 tax returns, you can file a tax return to get your stimulus checks even though the deadline has passed.
If you dont owe taxes, there is no penalty for filing late. If you owe taxes, you may be subject to penalties and fines for not filing or not paying taxes. The government may reduce your tax refund to pay for any taxes you owe and other federal and state debts.
To learn more about your options if you think you owe taxes, read Filing Past Due Tax Returns and What to Do if I Owe Taxes but Cant Pay Them.
If youre not required to file taxes:
The deadline to use GetCTC.org is November 15, 2021. You can get the Recovery Rebate Credit using GetCTC.org, a simplified tax filing portal for non-filers. GetCTC is an IRS-approved service created by Code for America in partnership with the White House and U.S. Department of Treasury. You can use the portal even if youre not signing up for the Child Tax Credit advance payments.
Where Is My Second Stimulus Check
All second stimulus checks were issued by January 15, 2021. If you didnt get a second stimulus check by then , you can claim your second stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on your 2020 tax return or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement.
You can request a trace of your stimulus check. You should only request a payment trace if you received IRS Notice 1444-B showing that your second stimulus check was issued or if your IRS account shows your payment amount and you havent received your second stimulus check.
Learn more about requesting a payment trace here.
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I Dont Have A Social Security Number Can I Still Get An Economic Impact Payment
In almost all cases, a person is only eligible to receive an Economic Impact Payment if they have a Social Security number .
One exception to this is if youre a member of the military and file a married filing jointly tax return. Your spouse isnt required to have an SSN for you to get the Economic Impact Payment.
Another exception is you have dependent child under the age of 17 who is adopted and has an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number , you will receive the $500 child payment.
What If I Am Newly Eligible For A Stimulus Payment Based On My 2020 Income But I Havent Filed My 2020 Return

You could try to file it quickly, in hopes of receiving your payment faster. But theres no guarantee your return will be processed quickly enough, and haste can lead to errors.
And you dont have to rush: The law includes a provision for the Treasury Department to make supplemental payments by September. If you dont get one then, you can claim the $1,400 when you file your 2021 taxes.
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How Much Stimulus Money Am I Going To Receive
But most importantly, the CARES directs $300 billion for stimulus payments to working Americans and seniors. These payouts, officially known as Economic Impact Payments, have begun making their way to what’ll likely be close to 140 million households across the country.
The big question on most folks’ minds is simple: How much money am I going to get?
The answer to this question depends on your income, your most recent tax-filing status, and in some cases your ability to do a little math. Let me walk you through the eligibility determinations and show you how you can calculate what your stimulus check payout will be.
The biggest determinant in eligibility has to do with income, or more specifically adjusted gross income — AGI takes into account your gross income for a given year, then subtracts certain deductions but also takes into account your filing status. It should be noted that Economic Impact Payment eligibility is based on your AGI in your most recent tax filing. If you haven’t filed your federal tax return for the 2019 tax year yet, the IRS will use your AGI and filing status from 2018.
What If My Bank Account Information Changed How Will I Get My Second Stimulus Check
Unfortunately, if your second stimulus check is sent to an account that is closed or no longer active, the IRS will not reissue the payment to you by mail. Instead, if you are eligible to get a payment, you can claim the stimulus check on your 2020 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement.
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When Would I Get A $1400 Check
It’s possible the checks could arrive as soon as mid- to late March, if the bill is passed by Congress and assuming the relief package directs another round of direct payments to households, analysts say.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have said they want to pass a new relief bill before the current $300 in weekly additional jobless aid expires on March 14.
Once the relief bill is passed, it must be signed by Mr. Biden. After that, the IRS would direct stimulus checks to eligible households. Based on past payment schedules, checks could arrive via direct deposit within a week of Mr. Biden signing the bill.
However, people who don’t have banking accounts or payment information on file with the IRS would likely have to wait longer for paper checks or prepaid debit cards to arrive in the mail.
With reporting by the Associated Press.
How The Irs Calculates The Third Stimulus
The Internal Revenue Service will use information, including your income, from your 2019 return to calculate the next Economic Impact Payment, if your 2020 tax return isn’t filed and processed by the time the IRS starts issuing the third stimulus payments.
The third stimulus payment is based on such things as whether you’re filing single or married filing a joint return, how many dependents you have, and your adjusted gross income.
The latest goal is to better target the COVID-19 relief cash to households that may need the money the most, including families that have been unable to receive unemployment or other benefits and have experienced a financial hardship during the pandemic.
Under the latest program, additional payments could go to all dependents, not just children 16 and younger. As part of the third stimulus, all dependents regardless of age qualify for up to an extra $1,400. As a result, college students age 23 or younger could qualify, or so could elderly parents living with you, according to the measure that passed the Senate on Saturday.
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How New Qualifications Could Factor In
In addition to supporting larger stimulus checks, Biden also wants to include two previously excluded groups: dependents of any age and all families with mixed-status citizenship. Combined, that could potentially extend stimulus funds to nearly 20 million people who previously might not have been counted toward the family total. The Senate is also considering restrictions around stimulus checks for undocumented immigrants.
When it comes to divvying up stimulus check money, there’s more than one option.
If passed, the outcome would most likely be a larger stimulus check for families that previously qualified , and some mixed-status families qualifying for a new check for the first time. In all cases, families would have to meet all other eligibility requirements — like an income limit — to receive a future stimulus check.
Here’s What Happens Without A ‘targeted’ $1400 Stimulus Check
If the $1,400-per-person stimulus check followed the exact same formula as the first two payments, people considered high income would get all or part of the maximum payment, in addition to all the people Congress actively wants to supply with stimulus money.
Without changing anything except the maximum a person could get, a much higher $1,400 maximum would make it so that even single people who earn $100,000 would get a partial check. The size of that payment would otherwise balloon with dependents involved. For example, single taxpayers with an AGI below $75,000 would receive the full $1,400 check. At $85,000, they would receive $1,150 at $90,000 a year, they would get $650 and if they make $102,900, the Treasury would send a stimulus check for $5.
That all comes down to the way the mathematical equation works out. It’s complicated. In essence, you plug in the stimulus maximum , your adjusted gross income and the number of dependents you have. Interestingly, adding in dependents could make it possible for people who exceeded the income limit of the first two checks to still get a partial payment. Read more about stimulus math here.
If lawmakers want to keep the $1,400 per-person maximum but ensure that people who make, for instance, $100,000 a year don’t get the payment, the formula would have to become more “targeted.” That’s the discussion now.
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