Amount Of Third Stimulus Checks
Question: How much money will I get?
Answer: Everyone wants to know how much money they will get. You probably heard that your third stimulus check will be for $1,400 but it’s not that simple. That’s just the base amount. Your check could actually be much higher or lower.
To calculate the amount of your check, Uncle Sam will start with that $1,400 figure. If you’re married and file a joint tax return, then both you and your spouse will get $1,400 . If you have dependents, you get an additional $1,400 for of them. So, for example, a married couple with two children can get up to $5,600.
Now the bad news. Stimulus payment amounts will be phased-out for people at certain income levels. Your check will be gradually reduced to zero if you’re single with an adjusted gross income above $75,000. If you’re married and file a joint tax return, the amount of your stimulus check will drop if your AGI exceeds $150,000. If you claim the head-of-household filing status on your tax return, your payment will be reduced if your AGI tops $112,500. You won’t get any payment at all if your AGI is above $80,000 , $120,000 , or $160,000 .
Also note that the IRS, which is issuing the payments, will look at either your 2019 or 2020 tax return for your filing status, AGI, and information about your dependents. Because of this, the amount of your third stimulus check could depending on when you file your 2020 tax return.
When Will The Irs Send My Stimulus Payment
According to this recent press release from the IRS, the third round of stimulus checks will begin reaching eligible Americans this week. The official payment date is March 17, and some people may see payments as pending in their accounts even before that.
The Get My Payment tool on the IRS website will be available Monday, March 15, to check the status of your payment.
I Filed My Taxes In February But I Wasnt In The First Payment Round Whats Up With That
The way the IRS determines who gets their money when is a mystery to everyone but the IRS. Were not sure why some people got their payments right away, why some people have to wait, and why some people arent getting answers through the Get My Payment tool yet.
If you filed your 2020 taxes, one thing to keep in mind is that the IRS may not have processed your return yet. The IRS is still working through a backlog of 2019 tax returns due to the shutdown during the pandemic last year, along with processing 2020 returns.
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Social Security Retirement Beneficiaries:
Most of the beneficiaries are retirees and their families. There were roughly 49 million in June 2020. Social Security replaces a percentage of a workers pre-retirement income based on your lifetime earnings. The amount of your average wages that Social Security retirement benefits replaces varies depending on your earnings and when you choose to start benefits.
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When Will The Third Stimulus Check Be Sent Out

Democrats and President Joe Biden want to have the COVID-19 relief plan approved by March 14. That’s when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid expires.
However, there could still be changes before the bill is passed by the Senate. The Senate parliamentarian, who advises the Senate on its rules and procedures but has no formal power, ruled Thursday that a provision to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour must be stripped out. The Senate, as it has in the past, does have the power to change the rules to allow its inclusion.
If the Senate makes any changes to the bill, it would then have to go back to the House for approval again.
During the first round of stimulus checks in April 2020, it took about two weeks for the federal government to start distributing the money. It took around one week for the second round of checks, worth $600, in early January.
If the IRS is able to keep with previous timelines, Americans could start receiving stimulus checks from late March to early April. For example, if the stimulus package is signed into law by March 14, based on previous relief plans, the first direct deposits may go out the week of March 22.
Another possible complicating factor is that this round of stimulus checks will likely be going out while the IRS is dealing with tax returns.
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You Havent Filed Your 2019 Or 2020 Tax Returns
Many people probably havent filed their 2020 tax returns yet, given that the deadline for getting in your tax forms is April 15. In that case, theres no reason to worry the IRS will use your 2019 tax return to determine how much you should receive.
But this becomes trickier for people who arent required to file tax returns, such as those with no or very little earnings, which can be the case for some people on Social Security.
That became an issue with the first round of stimulus checks, especially since many of these people were in deepest need of the first rounds $1,200 payments and it wasnt an insignificant number. The IRS said it distributed more than 22 million stimulus payments last year that werent based on filed tax returns.
Because of that issue, the IRS last year created a website specifically for non-filers, where they could provide their bank account information or addresses to the agency, as well as provide their number of dependents, who were each eligible for $500 in stimulus aid at the time.
But the non-filers website has been closed since late last year, and IRS and Treasury officials said on a March 12 conference call with reporters that they are urging non-filers to file a 2020 tax return to ensure they get all the payments and tax credits they are owed.
How Will I Get My Check If I Havent Filed A 2019 Or 2020 Tax Return
If you receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement Benefits and did not file a tax return in 2019, you will not have to file a return in order to receive your paymentthe IRS has your information already.
If you dont receive those benefits and did not file a tax return for 2019 or 2020, you may need to file one to confirm your eligibility. Check your status in the Get My Payment portal for instructions.
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College Students And Young Adults Living At Home
Question: Will college students and young adults who live with their parents get a third stimulus check?
Answer: Anyone claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return won’t receive a third stimulus check. That means no payments to children living at home who are 17 or 18 years old, or to college students who are 23 or younger at the end of the year who don’t pay at least half of their own expenses.
However, unlike with the first- and second-round payments, the person claiming the college student or young adults as a dependent typically their parents will get an extra $1,400 per dependent tacked on to their third stimulus check. For the first two stimulus checks, the additional amount was only allowed for dependent children 16 years old or younger. But the American Rescue Plan allows the extra payment for any dependents regardless of their age.
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.
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Which Years Agi Determines If You Get A Stimulus Check
You generally have until December 31 to utilize deductions available in your particular circumstances to lower your AGI, but a select few are available until April 15, or the federal tax deadline. This year, you may want to take advantage of some of those last-minute deductions and file your taxes now.
Thats because the IRS uses your most recent AGI when determining your eligibility for the third stimulus check. Once it starts sending out checks, you could miss out on the chance to use your 2020 AGI to determine your stimulus eligibility.
Why is this? The third stimulus check is technically an advance on a 2021 tax creditsimilarly to how the first and second stimulus checks were advances on 2020 tax credits. Since you obviously have not earned all of your income for 2021, you couldnt know your 2021 AGI, and thats why the IRS uses your 2020 AGI .
Luckily, if you qualify with your 2019 or 2020 AGI, the IRS wont come back later and check in on your 2021 AGI to see if you made too much money this year to qualify for a stimulus check.
So if your 2020 AGI is close to the limits outlined above but just a bit too high, its in your best interest to see what you can do to knock it lower right now. No one knows what the future will bringyou could get a promotion or strike it rich on GameStopand its better to take deductions while you can. Heres how.
Is There A Credit For Children
Yes, youll receive an additional $1,400 for each dependent, regardless of their age. That includes not only children but adults who count as dependents. Thats one key difference between the third check and the previous two: The first two payments excluded anyone over age 17 who was listed as a dependent, which meant lots of college students and disabled people didnt qualify.
However, the phaseout of the dependent credit applies at the same rate as the payments for people who file their own tax returns. Whether you have one dependent or 10, if you earn more than the $80,000, $120,000 or $160,000 thresholds listed above, you dont get a dependent credit.
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Still Havent Received Your First Or Second Stimulus Check
You may still be eligible. Learn more about eligibility on our website. You can still receive the first and/or second stimulus check by filing your 2020 taxes and claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit to receive any amount owed for you, your spouse, and dependent children under age 17. Check our Tax Help page for more resources on filing taxes.
Entering a bank account when you file taxes will help you receive your stimulus check faster. Learn more on our Banking Help page.
You may be eligible for even more money.
If you plan to file taxes to get your first or second stimulus check, you may be eligible for additional money! Congress has made changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit this year that mean more money for some people. Learn more on our Tax Help page.
Checks Could Go Out In A Matter Of Days After The American Rescue Plan Is Signed Into Law

If all goes as planned, millions of Americans will soon be getting another stimulus payment. This time,its up to $1,400 for individuals, $2,800 for couples, and an additional $1,400 for dependents.
The payments under the American Rescue Plan, which was adopted by the Senate on Saturday, are the third and so far the largest of the payments sent to Americans under coronavirus relief packages over the last year.
The payments will be distributed by the IRS. By now, the agency has experience in delivering the money quickly to eligible individuals and families.
But, no doubt, there will be some glitches, which is to be expected given the number of payments that could be sent in a matter of days.
The IRS has said it will issue information and details on the distribution of thisthird payment once the bill is passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. The House is expected to vote on the measure Tuesday or Wednesday, and Biden has said he will move swiftly to distribute the relief.
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Stimulus Checks For Dependents Va Beneficiaries
Payments to Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries who dont normally file taxes and who didnt use the IRS online Non-Filers tool last year started going out April 9, with a payable date of April 14. The batch of 2 million stimulus payments, worth more than $3.4 million, also went to eligible people who had not filed a tax return until this year and didnt use the IRS Non-Filers Tool last year. Some of these payments were what the IRS calls plus-up payments to those who got stimulus payments based on their 2019 returns and then filed 2020 returns.
The third round of stimulus checks, authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, provides a maximum of $1,400 to eligible individuals, $2,800 to couples and $1,400 to dependents. Unlike the previous two rounds, theres no age limit on stimulus checks for dependents, so its possible to get a check for a dependent college-age student or an aged parent. Because dependents are claimed on tax returns, the IRS can use that information to send out stimulus payments for dependents to tax filers.
People who do not file tax returns currently, however, have no mechanism for reporting their dependents to the IRS in order to get a third-round dependent payment. Thus, the IRS recommends that all nonfilers with dependents, including many federal beneficiaries, file a 2020 tax return in order to get their stimulus payments for dependents. The deadline for filing a 2020 tax return has been extended to May 17.
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How Will The Third Stimulus Check Arrive
As was the case with the previous stimulus checks, eligible individuals will be able to see the payment via bank deposits. Alternatively, another option is a paper check that will arrive in the mail via Postal Service.
Another option for the thousands of Americans still waiting for a stimulus check is the use of a special card. If you do not receive any federal aid by this week, i.e. June 21-27, the IRS has said that they are preparing an additional round of stimulus checks and they will announce the details of this later this week.
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Will I Get An Eip Card
For the first and second stimulus checks, the Treasury Department sent millions of taxpayers an economic impact payment debit card. For the first stimulus check, EIP cards were sent to individuals who had not received a tax return by direct deposit in the past and who had their tax returns processed by certain IRS service centers. For the second stimulus check, the Treasury Department sent EIP cards to a majority of taxpayers.
If you received an EIP card for the second stimulus payment, you will probably receive a new EIP card for the third stimulus payment. If you receive an EIP card, read the material that comes with it carefully they come with fees for checking your balance, using a teller for withdrawals, or using an out-of-network ATM.
How To Claim Stimulus Funds In Your 2021 Tax Return
The third round of stimulus payments is worth up to $1,400 per person if your adjusted gross income is $75,000 or less as a single filer, or $160,000 or less as a joint filer. Families are entitled to $1,400 per dependent for dependents of any age.
Before claiming the funds, make sure they weren’t sent to you already. You can confirm the amount of the third payment and whether it was sent to you by logging into your IRS online account or the Get My Payment app. You can also refer to a letter sent to you by the IRS, known as Notice 1444-C, which will tell you how much is owed to you.
If you lost your stimulus check or suspect it was stolen, you can request the IRS to trace your payment and get the amount automatically reimbursed to you as a tax refund. If you’re filing your 2021 tax return before your trace is complete, do not include the payment amount on the Recovery Rebate Credit Worksheet, the IRS says.
Otherwise, you’ll need to complete the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit worksheet and submit it as part of your 2021 tax return. The worksheet will help you calculate how much you can claim. Then, claim it on line 30 in Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR of your 2021 tax return.
Tax software will also guide you through this process and automatically add all the information to your tax return.
And remember, you can file your tax return for free if your income is $73,000 or less, using the IRS Free File Program.
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