What If You Didnt Receive Your First Stimulus Check
If you are an eligible individual and you did not receive a stimulus check earlier this year, you will be able to claim it when you file your 2020 taxes in 2021. This is also true if you do not receive your second stimulus check.
If you didnt receive a check, the IRS urges you to review the eligibility criteria when you file your 2020 taxes many people, including recent college graduates, may be eligible to claim it. The stimulus checks will be referred to as the Recovery Rebate Credit on Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. You can read more about the Form 1040 for 2020 including where the RRC can be found here.
Dont Miss: Is There A Second Stimulus Check
You Filed Your Taxes Using Online Software
There was a major glitch related to the bank account information the IRS had on record to send out checks.
Millions of checks were sent to the wrong accounts because of a mix up.
If you filed your tax using software from Intuit’s TurboTax H& R Block or Jackson Hewitt this could be the reason for your missing money.
In this case the IRS said it is reissuing the payments, but it may take longer than usual and is expected to be sent towards the end of the month.
You Filed A Paper Tax Return
The IRS is facing a backlog of processing tax returns. The bad news is that if you filed a paper tax return, the delay will potentially be longer. How does this impact your stimulus check payment? If the IRS has not yet processed your tax returns, then they may not yet have your latest financial information- enough to issue a stimulus payment.
You May Like: Who Do I Call About My Stimulus Check
When To Request A Payment Trace
If the “Get My Payment” tool says that your third stimulus payment was issued as a direct deposit into your bank account, you should first check with your bank before submitting a payment trace request to make sure they didn’t get a deposit. But wait at least five days after the estimated delivery date. Otherwise, the bank might not have the necessary information. After five days, you can request a payment trace if the bank still hasn’t received your payment.
If you were scheduled to get a third-round paper stimulus check in the mail, the IRS can’t initiate a payment trace unless it has been:
- Four weeks since the check was mailed to a standard address
- Six weeks since the check was mailed if you have a forwarding address on file with the local post office or
- Nine weeks since the check was mailed to a foreign address.
What To Do If You Haven’t Received Your $600 Stimulus Check
by Dana George | Updated July 25, 2021 – First published on Jan. 16, 2021
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that pay us a commission. Its how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts opinions arent influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
If you’re still waiting on your stimulus check to arrive, here are two things you can do.
On Dec. 21, 2020, Congress passed COVID-19 relief legislation, promising $600 checks to eligible recipients. In an effort to get the money into Americans’ bank accounts quickly, Congress gave the IRS until yesterday, Jan. 15, 2021, to distribute the funds.
If you haven’t received your stimulus check yet, first make sure you meet the criteria. Here’s a breakdown of who should expect to receive $600 checks:
- Individuals who reported an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less on their 2019 tax return.
- Couples filing jointly with an AGI of $150,000 or less.
- Taxpayers filing as head of household with an AGI of $112,500 or less.
- Dependent children 16 and younger.
For those who earned more in 2019, the check’s size gradually decreases by $5 for every $100 earned over the maximum threshold.
Read Also: Irs Treas 310 Tax Ref Stimulus
If Your Third Stimulus Check Is Lost In The Mail Or Something Else Happens To It Before You Get It You Can Ask The Irs To Trace Your Payment Here’s How It Works
It’s bad enough if a new sweater you ordered on Amazon gets lost in the mail but you’re really going to get mad if the post office loses your $1,400 stimulus check. What do you do then? Or what happens if your bank never receives your direct deposit stimulus payment from the IRS? Are you going to lose that money?
Fortunately, the IRS has a procedure to help. If your third-round stimulus payment is lost, stolen or destroyed, you can ask the IRS to perform a “payment trace” to see if your check was cashed or direct deposit misdirected. Ultimately, if everything goes smoothly, you’ll be issued a new payment. That’s the good news.
But there’s some less than thrilling news, too. First, you have to wait a certain period of time before starting the process, and then it’s going to take some time. So, you won’t get your stimulus money right away. Second, as with any government request, there’s a healthy list of procedures you must follow. Slip up on one of the steps, and you could find yourself in a bureaucratic black hole. But don’t worry. While dealing with the IRS can be intimidating, we’ll help you get through the process.
How Do I Find My Stimulus Money What To Do About A Missing $1400 Check
Your third stimulus payment could be delayed for a variety of reasons. We’ll help you track down your IRS payment.
Many Americans are relying on stimulus money to cover debt and daily expenses.
To date, the IRS has made 169 million payments for the third round of stimulus checks for $1,400. The agency continues to send weekly batches of payments, so there is still time if you are waiting for your money. However, there could actually be an issue with your payment and the IRS doesn’t want you to call them with problems related to a missing check.
Reasons for a delay could include a lag in mail delivery , if the IRS has incorrect direct deposit information for you or if the agency suspects identity theft. There might be other problems if you’re a recipient of SSI, SSDI or veterans benefits. Or maybe you received a letter from the IRS saying that your $1,400 payment was sent, but the check never arrived. Then what?
We’ll explain below how to request a payment trace or get a recovery rebate credit on your 2020 tax return if you filed a tax extension. We can also share unemployment news, as more states cancel jobless benefits and some offer back-to-work bonuses. Plus, here’s how parents can get money from the child tax credit and calculate their total. This story was recently updated.
You May Like: When Will My Second Stimulus Check Be Deposited
What To Do If One Of The Three Stimulus Checks Hasn’t Arrived
About 15 days after the IRS sends out your check, you should receive a letter from the agency confirming the payment. When the first round of stimulus checks went out last year, that letter included two hotline phone numbers because thousands of agents were available to help. But with the second and third rounds of checks, the IRS changed its tune, and these phone numbers may be disconnected.
Here are common scenarios that might indicate you need to look into your stimulus payment:
- If you’re one of the millions of people who qualified for the first stimulus check but never got it.
- If your second stimulus check has still not arrived.
- If you got a letter from the IRS saying your third check was sent, but never received the payment. Or, if the IRS Get My Payment portal said your payment was sent, but you didn’t get it.
- If you got some of your stimulus money from any payment, but not all of it.
You should also confirm you’re qualified to get the stimulus payment, since not everyone who received a previous check is qualified this time. If you think it’s time to take action, read for more options.
What If I Didn’t Get The Right Amount
Some people may get their checks quickly, yet discover the payment amount is incorrect that could be due to their dependents or changes in income.
The law provides $1,400 per adult and dependent, as long as the household income falls below the income threshold for eligibility. In the current bill, single people whose adjusted gross income was below $75,000 and married couples with income below $150,000 will receive their full payments, as well as their dependents. Payments decline for earnings above that, cutting off entirely for single people earning $80,000 and $160,000 for married couples.
But some people may not get the right amount, especially if they haven’t yet filed their 2020 tax returns, given that the IRS extended the tax deadline until May 17. For instance, if a family had a baby last year but hasn’t yet filed their 2020 returns, the IRS would base their payments on their 2019 returns which wouldn’t include their new baby. In that case, the family would receive $2,800 for themselves, but not the extra $1,400 for their child.
For instance, the most recent batch of checks issued this week include “plus-up” payments for people who received checks based on their 2019 tax returns but who have since filed their 2020 tax returns and are owed more. The agency said such extra payments could reflect a loss of income in 2020, which could entitle the tax filers to more stimulus money, or if they had a child last year.
Don’t Miss: When Will We Get Stimulus
Who Gets A Stimulus Check
According to data from the Internal Revenue Service , most American taxpayers and senior citizens are eligible for an Economic Impact Payment, as it’s officially known. The maximum payout works out to $1,200 per individual taxpayer or $2,400 for married couples filing jointly. Households with qualifying children aged 16 and under can also receive an additional $500 per child. Thus, a married couple with two young children may receive $3,400.
But as you can imagine, there are disqualifying factors — one of which is high-income levels. Single taxpayers, those who are married and filing jointly, and persons filing as head-of-household won’t receive a stimulus check if their adjusted gross income for the most recently filed tax year is higher than $99,000, $198,000, and $136,500, respectively. Additionally, reduced payouts are expected for single filers, married couples, and head-of-households with respective AGIs between $75,000 and $99,000, $150,000 and $198,000, and $112,500 and $136,500.
Other disqualifying factors for stimulus money include being claimed as a dependent on a recent federal tax filing , or being a non-citizen without a legal pathway to citizenship.
The Irs Has Your Wrong Mailing Address
Theproblem: You moved in 2020 and the IRS doesn’t know your new address. Or, you were receiving Social Security benefits on a Direct Express card , recently closed your account and the IRS doesn’t have your correct address to reissue the payment as a paper check or EIP debit card.
Why it matters: If you got direct deposit but you need to claim additional stimulus make-up money later and you didn’t get the confirmation letter the IRS sends to recipients, you’ll have to jump through more hoops later on. Or, if you’re waiting for your stimulus check in the mail, you might have to keep waiting, if there’s an issue with forwarding. Similarly, if you closed a Direct Express account and the IRS doesn’t have your current address, it won’t know how to route your payment.
What next? If you think you’re getting a mailed payment, let the IRS and USPS know ASAP what your new mailing address is. If your check won’t be processed right away, you may have enough time. Otherwise, you may need to file for a catch-up payment later in 2021 or even a year from now during tax season in 2022.
Don’t Miss: Who All Gets The Stimulus Check
Still Waiting On Your Stimulus Check
The rampant spread of COVID-19 in the United States has caused a serious financial impact on the U.S. economy, as the stock market plunged amidst job losses and closed businesses. A glimmer of hope, though, has been the recent passing of legislation to help boost the American economy. The stimulus checks, which are part of a $2 trillion CARES act relief package, are set to help Americans who are unemployed or losing income due to COVID-19. Americans are receiving a $1,200 direct deposit or check from the IRS, assuming you meet the eligibility criteria.
Even though millions of Americans have received their payment, there are still many who have yet to see their stimulus check. If you find yourself in this category, there could be many reasons why you dont have your check. We wanted to point out some common reasons why your check may not have arrived and what you can do to make sure it gets to you safely!
Make Sure You Are Eligible
The first step to take if you havent received a second stimulus check is to make sure that you are eligible for funds, since people earning higher incomes may not be. You can check your stimulus check eligibility and how much you can expect to receive with our stimulus calculator on the Skip App, which you can download here.
Also Check: Irs Stimulus Check 3 Direct Deposit
The Irs Deposited The Money Into An Old Bank Account
I already filed my taxes but I have changed my bank account since then. The IRS won’t let you update your account if you’ve already filed and is trying to send my stimulus check to my now closed account. So now it will be rejected and I have to wait and get it in the mail.
Brittany
The IRS’ new Get My Payment online tool allows you to make sure the agency has your bank details up-to-date. It seems that the worst that will happen is the IRS sends the money to the wrong account, it gets bounced bank, and you’ll be stuck waiting for a check in the mail, which takes longer.
Advance Child Tax Credit
Even if you dont pay any taxes, you may qualify for a refund of the CTC.
The CTC was expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for tax year 2021 only. If you are eligible, you should have begun receiving advance Child Tax Credit payments on July 15. The payments will continue monthly through December 2021. Under ARPA, families are eligible to receive:
- Up to $3,000 per qualifying child between ages 6 and 17
- Up to $3,600 per qualifying child under age 6
The Internal Revenue Service began sending out letters in early June to more than 36 million families who may be eligible for the monthly payments. Most families do not need to do anything to get their payments, as long as theyve filed their 2020 or 2019 tax return. Learn more about the letter and how it can help you determine your eligibility.
Read Also: When Were Stimulus Checks Sent Out
You May Like: How To Contact Irs About Stimulus Check
Adding Trump’s Name To Paper Checks Has Delayed Their Issuance
Feel free to file this under the “no, I’m being serious category,” but low-income Americans with AGIs under $10,000 may see their paper stimulus checks delayed by the IRS for an oddball reason — namely, to put President Trump’s name in the memo section of these checks.
In an interview with Yahoo! News, Chad Hooper, president of the Professional Managers Association, noted that any change to the way Treasury checks are printed typically leads to delays. With paper checks being issued from the bottom up, based on income, these delays could most notably impact the first group of prospective paper check recipients — those with AGIs of less than $10,000.
It’s worth noting that if adding Trump’s name to Economic Impact Payments does lead to delays, they’ll be short-lived.
Your Stimulus Check Went To A Temporary Account Created By A Tax
Finally, it’s possible that your stimulus money hasn’t yet arrived because it was deposited into a temporary account created by a tax-preparation service you’ve used. These accounts typically act as a first landing spot for your tax refund, thereby allowing tax-preparation companies the ability to remove any fees you might owe before forwarding the money onto your bank account or a debit card.
According to CNN, this same error occurred when stimulus payments were sent out in 2008. Approximately 20 million people had their 2008 payouts sent to one of these temporary accounts, which was eventually rectified when they received a paper check. That will likely be the same course of action taken with 2020 coronavirus stimulus payments that wind up in these temporary accounts.
You May Like: Where’s My 3rd Stimulus 2021
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.