How Much Does The Third Stimulus Check Pay
The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan includes a third round of $1,400 stimulus payments, topping off the $600 checks that were , and adding up to $2,000.
Congress passed the coronavirus relief plan with targeted income limits for maximum stimulus payments to individual taxpayers earning under $75,000 and joint filers making up to $150,000. But whereas the first and second rounds of stimulus payments phased out checks on a sliding scale of $5 for every $100 over the income limit, the new plan cuts off high earners at $80,000 for individuals and $160,000 for couples.
Eligibility for the third stimulus checks is based on your tax filing status. For more information on who qualifies for a third stimulus check, our tables below will help you calculate different payment options.
Can I Contact The Irs For Additional Help With My Taxes
While you could try calling the IRS to check your status, the agency’s live phone assistance is extremely limited. You shouldn’t file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return.
The IRS is directing people to the Let Us Help You page on its website for more information. It also advises taxpayers to get in-person help at Taxpayer Assistance Centers. You can contact your local IRS office or call to make an appointment: 844-545-5640. You can also contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service if you’re eligible for assistance by calling them: 877-777-4778.
Though the chances of getting live assistance are slim, the IRS says you should only call the agency directly if it’s been 21 days or more since you filed your taxes online, or if the Where’s My Refund tool tells you to contact the IRS. You can call 800-829-1040 or 800-829-8374 during regular business hours.
How To Track Your Stimulus Check Online
With the IRS Get My Payment tool, you can get a daily update on your payment status. The online app can also alert you with a message if there’s a problem with your payment that you may need to address. Another option is to create an online account with the IRS, if you haven’t already.
If you get sent a plus-up payment after your 2020 tax return is processed, the amount of your third payment will no longer show up in the tool, according to the IRS. In that case you will only see the status of your plus-up payment.
If you expect your payment to come in the mail, you can use a free tool from the US Postal Service to track your mailed stimulus payment.
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Do I Need To Do Anything To Get A Stimulus Payment
The payments are automatic if you:
- Filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return.
- Receive Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits , Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income or Veterans Affairs benefits.
- Registered for the first payment online at IRS.gov using the agencys Non-Filers tool by November 21, 2020. OR
- Submitted a simplified tax return that has been processed by the IRS.
Rd Round Of Stimulus Checks

What is a stimulus check? What should veterans, people in uniform, and their families know about economic stimulus packages and how they are paid? There have been two stimulus checks mailed to American citizens related to COVID-19 economic relief and at least one more on the way in 2021.
Most recently more than 320,000 payments, with a total value of $450 million, went to Veterans Affairs beneficiaries who receive Compensation and Pension benefit payments but who dont normally file a tax return and didnt use the Non-Filers tool last year.
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Second Round Of Direct Payments: December 2020
The second round of aid, a $900 billion package which was part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 was signed off by Trump on 27 December 2020. It provided a one-off check of up to $600, but this time, households were also able to claim an additional $600 for child dependents aged 16 or under. Those who earned under $75,000 in the 2019 tax year received the full stimulus check, while a steadily smaller figure was given to those on a higher annual income, up to a maximum phase-out limit of $87,000. The first payments, through direct deposit and paper checks with some later payments made by EIP 2 Cards, were issued between 29 December 2020 and 15 January 2021.
Those who didnt receive a stimulus payment either through the CARES Act or the December Covid-19 Relief bill were able to claim for it retroactively when they filed their federal tax returns for 2020 through the IRS Recovery Rebate Credit.
When Should I Get My Payment
The IRS was given hard and fast deadlines to send the two rounds of Economic Impact Payments out to American families. The first round of payments had to be sent out by . The second round had to be sent out by .
What this means: If you have not received the first or second round of payments yet, then you will not be getting them in advance. The good news is that you can still do something to get these payments. Read below.
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If You Didn’t Get A Third Stimulus Check Last Year Or You Didn’t Get The Full Amount You May Be Able To Cash In When You File Your Tax Return This Year
Remember all the excitement last March when a third round of stimulus checks was announced? An extra $1,400 in your pocket, plus $1,400 more for each dependent, was a big deal and made a huge difference for millions of Americans. But the thrill quickly turned to frustration and disappointment for people who didn’t get a payment or didn’t get the full amount. If that’s you, there’s some good news. You may still be able to claim the third stimulus check money you deservebut you’ll have to file a 2021 tax return to get it.
Some people were stiffed because they simply weren’t eligible for a third stimulus check. However, others were left out or given less than they were entitled to for various other reasons that won’t prevent them from getting paid this year. For example, if you didn’t get a third stimulus check because you didn’t file a 2019 or 2020 tax return, you can still claim a payment when you file a 2021 tax return. If you had a baby in 2021, you can get the extra $1,400-per-dependent for the child that was missing from last year’s third stimulus check payment. You could also be entitled to stimulus check money when you file your 2021 tax return if you experienced other recent changes to your family or financial situation .
Who Qualifies For The Third Round Of Economic Stimulus Checks For $1400
The full $1,400 2021 stimulus is available for single taxpayers who earn less than $75,000 per year. There are income caps for single taxpayers who file U.S. taxes as head of household that cap is $112,500.
Those who file their taxes as married earners who bring in $150,000 per year or less also qualify. Those who exceed these caps by a modest amount may qualify for a partial stimulus payment. But there are cutoffs, as well examine below.
3rd Recovery Rebate Amounts:
- A maximum $1,400 for individual tax filers
- A maximum $2,800 for couples who make up to $160,000
- Individuals who earn above $75,000 and couples above $150,000 are not eligible for the stimulus
- An additional $1,400 per each child.
The 3rd Stimulus Checks Phase-out at:
- $75,000 in adjusted gross income for singles.
- $112,500 for heads of household.
- $150,000 for married couples .
- Payment is reduced by five percent or $5 of every dollar above that mark, or $50 for every $1,000 above $75,000.
- Completely phase out at $87,000 for singles and $174,000 for couples .
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When Is The Irs Sending Out Refunds
A number of factors will determine when a tax refund will be received by a taxpayer, those being:
- How early the taxes are filed
- If the taxpayer is claiming credits
- Whether the return is mailed or e-filed
- Whether the taxpayer has existing federal debts
- The COVID stimulus checks sent out in 2020 and 2021 will not have any affect on income tax refunds, although some taxpayers may be determined to have been owed one, which could lead to higher refunds
If an income tax return has Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, the processing will be delayed by two to three weeks
Tax returns that are filed electronically by January 24 will be sent by January 31. Those to arrive by January 31 will then be sent on February 11. The following list shows the filed-by date on the left, followed by the date by which the tax refund will be sent.
The Next Stimulus Check Comes Out Next Week Heres Whos Getting Paid
The latest stimulus checks which were the latest installment of an advance payment of the child tax credit were sent out about three weeks ago. But its almost that time again, believe it or not, for an all-new wave of checks to start hitting bank accounts. The next stimulus check will be here not this Friday, but the following Friday October 15, to be specific. Its the fourth in what will eventually be a six-check series of stimulus payments, a benefit that will ultimately send hundreds of dollars to families with eligible children.
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Two Kinds Of Stimulus
There are two different types of stimulus: Fiscal stimulus is described as acts the government takes to prod the economy:
- Additional government consumption
- Increased government transfers
- Reduced taxes
These measures are designed to reduce public debt. The other type, known as monetary stimulus refers to:
- Reduced interest rates
- Quantitative easing
- Alternative means of making credit available
These measures can be used to stave off or mitigate a recession an excellent example of how monetary stimulus was used in this way was the federal governments quantitative easing strategy to deal with the mortgage crisis of 2008.
Irs Has Sent $6 Billion In Stimulus Payments Just In June Here’s How To Track Your Money

Your stimulus check could be on its way, along with child tax credit money and unemployment tax refunds. We’ll explain the state of the payments today.
Stimulus check payments aren’t over yet for everyone.
Don’t think that the child tax credit payments going out in just over two weeks are all the IRS is focused on. The tax agency continues to send weekly batches of the third stimulus checks, with more than $6 billion in stimulus payments going out just in June. Some of that money includes “plus-up” adjustments for people who received less money than they were supposed to get in earlier checks.
Even though many of us got our stimulus money in the earlier batches in spring, some have had to wait weeks or months for their checks. The IRS sent money first to people who’d already filed their 2019 or 2020 tax returns because those were the easiest to verify. So if you’re still waiting for your stimulus check up to $1,400 — or think you might be due a plus-up payment — we’ll tell you what to do next.
In the meantime, many experts say a fourth stimulus check is unlikely, but millions of families will be getting a good chunk of money with July’s first child tax credit payment. We can tell you how to know if you qualify and how much money you could expect over the course of the year. The IRS is also issuing unemployment tax refunds to millions of people who received jobless benefits last year, though payments are taking longer than expected. This story was updated recently.
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When Will Stimulus Checks Arrive
Many federal beneficiaries who filed 2019 or 2020 returns or used the Non-Filers tool last year have been issued Economic Impact Payments. The majority of Social Security recipients and other federal beneficiaries who do not normally file a tax return are expected to be sent payments electronically by April 7. This applies to Social Security, Supplemental Security Income , and Railroad Retirement Board beneficiaries who did not file a 2019 or 2020 tax return or did not use the Non-Filers tool.
Americans started seeing the money in their bank accounts as early as March 17. The IRS took about one week to send the second round of checks, worth $600, in January. Paper checks and prepaid Visa debit cards which are expected to be part of the third stimulus program would be sent in the regular mail and take a bit longer.
The fifth batch of payments began processing on Friday, April 9, with an official payment date of April 14. The fifth batch included:
IRS Get My Payment Tool: The IRS re-launched the Get My Payment tool on the IRS.gov website to help Americas track their own payments.
Automatic New $1400 Payment Can Be Claimed Now After $660 Boosts Paid Out
But that might not be the case, as the math error has caused some confusion amongst taxpayers who have received notices.
As a result of the error, the IRS will typically make an adjustment on the balance due or potentially shrink the refund.
But the problem is the IRS isnt sending vital information, according to experts.
One of the biggest issues were having is the reconciliation of stimulus payments, Dan Herron, a Certified Financial Planner and CPA with Elemental Wealth Advisors, told CNBC last year.
The IRS is sending out balance due notices with no calculation or explanation analysis.
There is also another reason why you might have gotten a stimulus check when you shouldnt have.
I knew a lot of people whose spouse’s died in 2018, and when they filed their 2018 return in 2019, they filed as married filing jointly , Mrs Brummond said.
She added that those couples including deceased spouses received payments more frequently in the first round of the federal stimulus package but the IRS has not reached out to that group.
So, in that event, you might not have to pay it back yet.
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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.
How Are Americans Using Stimulus Checks
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says that households are spending a smaller percentage of their stimulus checks and saving more. The that households set aside just under 25% of their third-round payments for consumption. This share fell from just over 29% of first-round payments reported in June 2020 and almost 26% of second-round payments reported in January 2021.
The table below is based on all three SCE surveys and breaks down the average percentage of stimulus payments spent, saved and used to pay off debt:
New York Fed SCE Breakdown of Stimulus Check Spending | |
Payment Round | |
37.4% | 33.7% |
The New York Fed also says that households expect to spend an average 13% of the third stimulus check on essential items and an average 8% on non-essential items.
For a comparison, preliminary data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau from shows that the majority of stimulus recipients are almost three times more likely to use checks to pay down debt than add to their savings.
An earlier showed that the majority of recipients who got the first stimulus check spent their payment on household expenses. Adults with incomes between $75,000 and $99,999 told the Census that they would most likely pay off debt or add to their savings. While adults making less than $25,000 said they would use their stimulus to pay for expenses.
For those households that spent their first stimulus checks, the study says:
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What You Need To Do If You Get The Notice
But for those who have received the letter from the IRS and are wondering what they should do, be aware it’s important to act.
If you do not respond within 60 days of receiving the notice, the adjustment is final and the IRS can start collections.
Additionally, youll lose the right to file a petition in the U.S. Tax Court.
However, there might be an exception to this, as this process has been messy.
More than 5million taxpayers were sent a math error notice last year without the 60-day language being included.
As a result, the IRS resent some letters with clear language, and is restating the time you have to respond.
Because of the unusual situation, its unclear how the IRS will act but the agency has explained online that a penalty could kick in for filers who owe money in general.
The failure-to-pay penalty is equal to one half of one percent per month or part of a month, up to a maximum of 25 percent, of the amount still owed, the IRS said.
The penalty rate is cut in half to one quarter of one percent while a payment plan is in effect.
Meanwhile, Mrs Brummond said there was nothing in the “bill” that allows for a penalty if you got an extra stimulus payment.